Charter, History and Meeting Schedule

Committee Charter

Revised 05/07/2015

The existing Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) has been reconstituted as the Environmental, Safety and Risk Management Committee and the scope broadened to include the following areas:

  • Laboratory Safety
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Occupational Safety and Health
  • Visitor/Contractor Safety
  • Fire Safety
  • Building Security Systems
  • Fleet Safety
  • Pedestrian Safety
  • Campus Events
  • Environmental Stewardship

The reconstituted committee is responsible for developing policy and procedures to improve oversight of these areas from a safety and risk management perspective. It is also responsible for establishing written institutional policies and guidelines, determining acceptable levels of risk for the institution, approving and endorsing training and audit procedures to ensure compliance with policies, and providing guidance to the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, the Department of Risk Management, the Department of Public Safety, and individual academic and administrative departments. The committee performs regular reviews of incident statistics including workers' compensation losses, automobile accidents, visitor injuries, property losses, fires/false alarms, and provides periodic reports of the status of the University's safety and risk management efforts in these areas.

Subcommittees and groups:

  • Emergency Preparedness Team
  • Fire Safety Committee
  • Fleet Safety Committee
  • Health, Safety, and Accessibility (H.S.A.) Committee
  • Pedestrian Safety Committee
  • Workers Compensation Committee

History

In 1970, the University established a policy-level Committee on Safety and Health (COSH) to create policies related to health and safety. In the fall of 2000, the responsibilities of this committee were expanded to including developing policies and providing management oversight for matters relating to environmental, safety and risk management practices campus-wide. Committee membership changed to reflect the new responsibilities, and the committee began its work reviewing training and audit procedures to ensure awareness of best practices, and where applicable, to ensure institutional compliance with University policies or governmental regulations.

Meeting Schedule for FY25

October 3, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.
December 17, 2024 at 3 p.m.
February 27, 2025 at 3 p.m.
April 1, 2025 at 2:30 p.m.