Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) provides a wide array of health, safety, and environmental services to the Princeton community. The EHS website is a comprehensive resource for environmental and health safety best practices at Princeton.
If you need assistance with an environmental or health safety matter, you may contact EHS via the EHS Assistance Request Form. EHS can help address a diverse set of ad-hoc health and safety needs, including hazard assessment requests, safety consultations, training inquiries, air/water quality inquiries, Compliance Committee Protocol reviews, Import Permit assessment requests, and fume hood testing.
Conducting research with chemical, biological, or radioactive substances requires adherence to precautions and protocols to ensure safety. In order to help the Princeton researchers’ community fulfill these requirements, EHS provides routine services like proper chemical and controlled substances disposal, regulated/hazardous material shipping support, controlled substance removal, and lab/equipment clearance in advance of maintenance or move-out.
Additionally, researchers can call upon EHS for general guidance on best practices surrounding research with chemical, biological, or radioactive substances. Lab and Research Safety on the EHS website contains detailed information about lab and research safety best practices and services at Princeton.
EHS also provides a wide variety of safety supplies to Princeton University researchers and lab managers at no cost.
EHS can provide guidance on workplace, occupational, and vehicle safety best practices. EHS’s oversight role in workplace and occupational safety is especially important for staff who serve in positions or work environments with higher risk, such as Facilities, Athletics, or Research/Machine Labs. Members of the Princeton community should contact EHS for guidance if they have questions about safety in the workplace.
EHS also oversees processes related to construction and maintenance work on campus. Staff should always notify EHS prior to all Confined Space Entries at Princeton. Construction workers can contact EHS for more information about construction best practices and regulatory requirements.
EHS conducts assessments of indoor and outdoor environmental hazards at Princeton to ensure campus safety. EHS’s robust programs for indoor air quality testing, drinking water testing, asbestos management, and lead paint removal programs all allow the Princeton community to feel secure within the campus environment.
Sustainability tracking and assessment also play a key role in EHS’s environmental programs, including Green Labs and responsible waste management.
EHS oversees health and safety considerations related to facilitating large/special events on campus. This includes ensuring that all campus events and restaurants adhere to regulations related to serving food (i.e., food permits and training). Various art and theater safety requirements are also overseen by EHS.
In addition, all Unmanned Aircraft System (drone) flights on campus require approval from EHS, the Office of the Dean for Research, and Public Safety.
Health and Safety for the Campus Community on the EHS website includes detailed information about the services and guidance that EHS can provide on these topics.
EHS is often involved in the resolution of emergencies and incidents that occur on campus. Commons types of incidents that EHS is equipped to handle are animal bites/scratches, chemical/hazardous material spills, fires, flooded areas, foodborne illnesses, and gas leaks. After incidents occur, EHS conducts thorough investigations to determine causality and take preventative measures for future incidents.
EHS also conducts investigations of injuries and near misses (events that could have resulted in injury) that occur on campus or as a part of employee work. As these investigations can lead to actions that could prevent future injuries, all injuries and near misses that occur on campus should be reported to EHS for investigation.