Environmental Health and Safety

Providing broad expertise, assistance, regulatory guidance and practical information to the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center community.

Maintaining a safe environment within all of our facilities is a team effort: EH&S professionals are here to support you with consultation and education about the hazards in your environment while promoting intelligent processes and good contingency planning.

Environmental Health and Safety programs help ensure a process of regulatory compliance and minimize potential liabilities for the organization.

Programs

Environmental Health and Safety provides broad expertise, assistance, regulatory guidance and practical information to the Medical Center community. These programs are briefly described below and contacts listed.

Biosafety Program

Biosafety provides structure and oversight for work with biological materials. This program, with the assistance of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, evaluates risk and defines containment and work practices for safe work with infectious agents or biologically derived infectious materials. Promotes safe laboratory practices, procedures, and proper use of containment equipment by laboratory workers to prevent occupational exposures to infectious materials or release of organisms to the environment.

Bernie Menuey
EH&S Sr. Specialist - Biosafety
336-716-6440

Emylee Pedersen
EH&S Sr. Specialist - Biosafety
336-716-1226

Chemical Safety Program

Chemical Safety offers a broad array of regulatory guidance and sound practical assistance concerning the safe use of hazardous chemicals in a laboratory setting. The Chemical Hygiene Plan, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), storage compatibility guidelines, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) criteria, spill emergency procedures and chemical exposure parameters fall under the province of this program. The Chemical Safety Committee reviews and approves the use of hazardous chemicals in research settings.

Environmental Management

Environmental Management manages initiatives that are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, such as storm water, oil, air emissions, water quality, and hazardous waste management. This program extends into the sphere of voluntary sustainability by promoting recycling, lower energy use, and waste reduction.

Mark Thacker
Manager, Fire, Life and Environmental Safety
336-716-5573

Matt Fields
EH&S Sr. Specialist - Environmental
336-716-1224

Steve Phibbs
EH&S Sr. Specialist - Environmental
336-716-1241

Fire and Life Safety

The primary focus is to prevent the loss of life and property resulting from fire-related incidents. The program focuses upon an ongoing regimen of facility inspections, evacuation drills, flammable chemical control and education. A consistent and transparent relationship with the Winston-Salem Fire Department is practiced to ensure fire planning is pertinent and up to date.

Our Fire/Life Safety program relies on the coordinated efforts of students, employees, faculty and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center departments and external agencies. WFBMC rests in the jurisdiction of the Winston-Salem Fire Department. The WFBMC Fire and Life Safety Program is responsible for conducting Fire Safety Inspections, Fire Safety Training, and managing compliance with the Local and State Fire Safety Regulations and Codes as well as any applicable OSHA programs. This is a cooperative effort between Environmental Health and Safety, WFBMC Engineering Services and WFBMC Safety.

Mark Thacker
Manager, Fire, Life and Environmental Safety
336-716-5573

David Sheehan
EH&S Specialist - Fire & Life Safety
336-716-1223

Industrial Hygiene

Industrial Hygiene provides a work environment that is free of recognized hazards and complies with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Standards. Occupational Hygiene is the art and science that involves the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of health hazards due to chemicals, biological or physical stressors.

Industrial Hygienists are available to the faculty and staff to evaluate a variety of work environments and situations. They provide technical consultation as well as training services. Faculty and staff are encouraged to express their safety concerns to our staff, file on-line Hazard Reports, or report concerns to the University Compliance Office.

Dainnya Busbin
EH&S Sr. Specialist - Industrial Hygiene
336-716-1235

Niki Yates
EH&S Sr. Specialist - Industrial Hygiene
336-716-1120

Occupational Safety

Occupational Safety encompasses a wide range of safety and health subjects which are characteristically regulated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The emphases of the program: respiratory protection, hearing conservation, electrical safety, accident/injury investigation, hazard communication, confined space, asbestos, confined space entry, PPE, fall protection and ergonomics. This program functions throughout all work environments including engineering and support services.

Radiation Safety

Radiation Safety ensures compliance with all applicable rules and regulations, license and registration conditions, departmental policies and procedures and the provisions as contained in the WFBMC Licenses for all users of sources of ionizing radiation.

Oversees the research and clinical uses of radioactive materials and radiation producing equipment throughout the Medical Center. Working with the General Radiation Safety Committee (research use) and the Medical Radiation Safety Committee (clinical use) this program offers extensive services in order to ensure compliance with state and federal radiation safety and security regulations. The aim of the program is to limit occupational radiation exposure to the lowest level attainable.

David Howell
Manager, Radiation Safety (Radiation Safety Officer)
336-716-1202

Darrell Agee
EH&S Specialist
336-716-1203

Dwain Keith
EH&S Sr. Specialist - Health Physicist
336-716-1207

W. Robbie Plunkett
EH&S Sr. Specialist - Health Physicist
336-716-1201

Training Programs

Safety training is an essential component of protecting faculty and staff from injuries and illnesses. Training programs are required by the Occupational Safety and Health administration (OSHA) for all employees who work with hazardous substances such as chemicals, human blood, blood products, fluids, and human tissue specimens. Training is also required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for all employees using radioactive materials or radiation-producing equipment at Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, and Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Who needs safety training?

Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) provides safety training for all incoming faculty, staff, volunteers, students, and visitors. WFUHS policy requires that this training be completed within two months of initial assignment with areas including:

Research Laboratory Work Environment
Engineering and Support
Administrative and Academic Work Environment
Animal Resources Program
Clinical Work Environment

EH&S Program Contact

John Strong
EH&S Education Specialist
336-716-9681
jrstrong@wakehealth.edu

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