Environmental Health & Safety

The College shall endeavor to establish the campus and its off-campus centers as environments safe for work and study.

The College shall prepare and maintain a College Safety Plan, Emergency Response Plan, Hazardous Communications Plan, Exposure Control Plan, Chemical Hygiene Plan and the College Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible for working with an EHSI specialist and the Safety & Health Committee to present the College Safety Plans. The College Safety Plans shall be reviewed annually by the Environmental Safety Officer, Safety & Health Committee and the Administrative Council and approved by the President.

The Safety & Health Committee and the Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible to see that all pertinent federal and state safety rules and procedures are incorporated into the College’s overall Safety Rules and Procedures. The Safety & Health Committee and the Environmental Safety Officer shall modify or create new rules and procedures when and where necessary to meet the College's needs.

The Safety & Health Committee and the Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible to monitor the Safety Program and College Safety Plans to ensure compliance.

In the event of an accident or incident, the Safety & Health Committee, the Environmental Safety Officer and the JCC Emergency Response Team shall see that all investigations and other procedures pertaining to safety are carried out.

The Safety & Health Committee shall work with the Environmental Safety Officer in carrying out these requirements.

Recognized Publications

The following publications shall be identified as serving to govern safety on the College campus:

  • Safety in North Carolina Public Schools and Institutions of the Community College System (SNCPSICCS)
  • OSHA Standards for General Industry. 29CFR part 1910 as adopted in 13 NCAC 07F.01101 with amendments through January 2013 nclabor.com
  • OSHA Standards for the Construction Industry 26CFR part 1926 as adopted in 13NCAC 07F.0201 with amendments through January 2013 nclabor.com
  • Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina
  • General statutes 19-126 through 155) 1973 (OSHANC 1973)
  • Right-to-Know Manual
  • Exposure Control Plan for Bloodborne Pathogens: A Guide for Implementation
  • Program Development Services (North Carolina Community College System)
  • American National Standard for the Safe Use of Lasers; ANSI 2136.1

The Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that all necessary publications and forms are available to all pertinent parties and that all such publications and forms are current.

Safety Rules

The following rules shall apply to safety on campus and at off-campus centers:

  1. The Safety & Health Committee shall establish as the principal guide pertinent parts of the rules and procedures from the current SNCPSICCS, and upon approval by the President, this document shall be available to all pertinent College employees;
  2. Any safety rules from other manuals shall be incorporated and utilized as necessary;
  3. The Safety & Health Committee and the Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible for reviewing and updating the Safety Policy on an annual basis;
  4. Deans/Program Directors/Lead Instructors shall be responsible for disseminating the Safety Rules and Accident Procedures for their respective areas, posting said rules for public information and informing students of safety rules and procedures;
  5. Deans/Program Directors/Lead Instructors shall be responsible for safety requirements in their areas;
  6. The Safety & Health Committee, Director of Campus Security, and the Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible for evaluating, reviewing and implementing an Emergency Response Plan for the College on an annual basis; and
  7. The Safety & Health Committee and the Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible for reviewing, preparing and disseminating the Exposure Control Plan for Blood-borne Pathogens on an annual basis; and
  8. The Safety & Health Committee and the Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible for reviewing, preparing and disseminating the Chemical Hygiene Plan on an annual basis; and
  9. The Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible for reviewing and implementing the JCC Safety Plan on an annual basis.

Employee Personal Protective Equipment:

OSHA Policy

The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires the College to provide its employees to use personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities, together with protective clothing, respiratory devices if called for, protective shields and barriers. These are to be used in and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary due to hazards associated with work process or hazards within the working environment. Personal protective equipment shall meet the requirements set forth by standards from OSHA, NIOSH and ANSI.

Responsibility of Departments

  1. Individual departments are responsible for providing any necessary personal protective equipment, and for assuring that the equipment is used at all appropriate times.
  2. An initial stock of eye and face protective devices shall be furnished by the college to those departments indicating a need for these items.
  3. All subsequent needs and requirements for eye and face protection devices, as well as need for all other types of personal protective equipment and devices should be met by departments with their regular budget allocations. Due to replacement needs and possible expansion to programs, budgeting for personal protective equipment for all departments needs to be included in upcoming budgets for Instructional programs or various department Staff.

Foot Protection OSHA POLICY 1910.136

To meet compliance employees that work in areas where there is a danger of falling or rolling objects, or objects piercing the soles or where employees’ feet are exposed to electrical hazards must wear safety shoes.  Safety shoes are required for maintenance, grounds, maintenance mechanics, shipping and receiving departments, handlers, Faculty members with shop responsibilities, equipment operators at Howell Woods and Arboretum that operate mowers, weed trimmers, chain saws, edgers, certain power equipment or the movement of heavy objects.  Employees shall wear safety shoes provided by the College that meet OSHA and ANSI requirements for safety work shoes with metal or composite toes that meet the following criteria:

ASTM F2412 and ASTM F2413, which replaced
ANSI Z41-1999 and ANSI Z41-1991

Safety Shoe Purchases

The purchase of safety work shoes for maintenance, grounds keeping, housekeeping, shipping & receiving, Howell Woods and Arboretum Staff that need them shall be funded by an appropriate county budget line item. Purchases will be made according to the recommendations of the Director of Facility Services, Grounds and Housekeeping Supervisor, Director of Howell Woods, faculty instructors and the Environmental Safety Officer.  Faculty instructors and others shall treat safety shoe purchases as any other instructional or support supply. 

Safety Inspections

The following provisions shall apply to safety operations:

  1. Annual Federal and State inspections shall be organized according to buildings and/or departments;
  2. The inspection team shall be made up of three (3) members of the Safety & Health Committee designated by the Environmental Safety Officer;
  3. The safety inspection shall ascertain if safety regulations have been met, and appropriate actions shall be taken to correct any violation; and
  4. The building and/or department inspection checklist shall be prepared by the Safety & Health Committee. The Environmental Safety Officer will implement a Safety Work Request for findings of various safety issues and corrections to be conducted.

Safety Reporting

Prior to Safety & Health Committee inspections, the Deans/Program Directors/Lead Instructors shall conduct a preliminary area inspection and report on the following information to the Safety & Health Committee:

Any unsafe items or conditions;
Recommendations for solutions;
List of supplies/equipment needed to maintain a safe environment;
List of safety supplies/equipment already ordered through the curriculum; and
List of individual faculty recommendations for safety needs.

Input to the Safety & Health Committee shall be permitted by anyone connected with the College.

If any College employee observes any safety violation, the following procedure shall take effect:

  1. Violation must be reported to the individual in charge of that area;
  2. The individual in charge shall evaluate the report and take appropriate action;
  3. If satisfactory action is not taken, the violation shall be reported to the Dean or Program Director responsible for the area where the violation occurred;
  4. The Environmental Safety Officer shall prepare a violation report and forward it to the President for appropriate action; and
  5. The College shall prepare a cumulative Annual Safety Report, for work related accidents and injuries as required by the North Carolina Department of Labor.

Safety Education

The following provisions shall apply to safety education:

  1. The Environmental Safety Officer shall be responsible for scheduling and providing safety education for the College;
  2. The opportunity for faculty/staff training shall be made available to all College personnel, including, but not limited to, training in First Aid; Fire extinguishing and emergency evacuation, planning and implementing three (3) fire drills per year, and providing instruction in Blood-borne pathogens and Hazcom. The Environmental Safety Officer shall also provide training as needed for LOTO, Forklift, machine guards, and power lift training; and
  3. Each Dean or Program Director, as assigned, shall provide the necessary safety training specific to that Curriculum.

Accidents/Incidents

The following provisions shall apply to accidents and incidents:

  1. The Vice President for Administrative Services and supervisors shall investigate all accidents as required by regulations;
  2. The Safety & Health Committee shall establish and administer a Standing Investigating Team composed of the President, the Environmental Safety Officer, Vice President of Administrative Services and Chair of the Safety & Health Committee; and
  3. In the event of an accident that affects the general public, has that potential, or is of a newsworthy nature, communications shall be coordinated with the JCC Public Information Officer and the President.

Safety & Health Committee and Standing Subcommittees

The following provisions shall apply to the Safety & Health Committee and Its subcommittees:

  1. The Safety & Health Committee shall be composed of, but not limited to, the following: Environmental Safety Officer, Director of Campus Police & Security, Vice President of Administrative Services and one member from each program, department, and/or building;
  2. The Safety & Health Committee may appoint special standing or ad hoc subcommittees as it deems necessary;
  3. Subcommittees shall be established by amendment and will report to the Safety & Health Committee; and
  4. Subcommittees shall include:
    Chemical Hygiene Committee;
    Hazardous Materials Committee – exposure control for blood-borne pathogens; and
    Emergency Response and Fire Evacuation Committee; and
    JANS (Jaguar Alert Notification System) Committee.

For further information, contact:

JCC Human Resources Department
Wilson Building, Room C1025
(919) 209-2536