Environmental Health and Safety: Environmental Excellence

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Environmental Excellence

Environmental protection activities at Rensselaer include appropriately managing existing activities, while simultaneously addressing those resulting from growth and change at the Institute.

Management of existing activities includes:

Waste Management & Disposal
Responsible management of waste streams resulting from laboratories, research efforts, construction, and facility maintenance.

Recordkeeping and Regulatory Submittals
Detailed recordkeeping and submittal requirements to maintain an environmental compliance program that meets the needs of the community and Rensselaer.

Air and Water
Appropriate management of air and water discharges from the Institute to ensure protection of the environment.

Petroleum Bulk Storage Tanks
Maintaining and inspecting petroleum bulk storage facilities. Note: Like most organizations and facilities, Rensselaer maintains petroleum bulk storage to meet heating and emergency generator fuel demands. Rensselaer proactively converted from #6 fuel oil to the more environmentally friendly (lower emission) #2 fuel oil some time ago.

Environmental Management
of Growth and Change

As Rensselaer grows and changes to meet the needs of the future, Environmental Health and Safety initiatives must be addressed in the planning stages to avoid costly re-designs of processes, equipment, and buildings.

New and Substantially Modified Projects

The introduction of new or substantially modified systems at Rensselaer requires a detailed review of Environmental Health and Safety considerations to ensure that project activities and/or final installations will not result in adverse safety or environmental impacts. Activities that require an EHS assessment include:

Acceptance of Gifts in Kind (refer to the Gifts in Kind Policy for more information)
Construction of New Buildings
Renovation of Existing Structures
Addition of New Processes or Equipment
Substantial Modification of Existing Processes or Equipment

For any of these project types, a Rensselaer Management of Change - Environmental Health & Safety Assessment Checklist should be completed by the project initiator during the planning stages of the project, and in all cases prior to installation of system components. If any 'YES' responses are identified on the form, the completed form should be submitted to the Office of Environmental Health & Safety to initiate a complete review of the project by EHS personnel.

Environmental Health and Safety considerations frequently triggered by new and substantial modification projects include:

Chemical Hygiene
Chemical Storage and Inventory
Laboratory Safety Inspections
Waste Disposal
Air and Water Discharges
Confined Space Entry
Lockout/Tagout
Fall Protection
Personal Protective Equipment
Asbestos and Lead
Medical Surveillance
Machine Guarding
Back Safety/Ergonomics
Hearing Protection

Questions regarding new and substantially modified projects should be directed the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at ext. 6427.

We welcome your thoughts and suggestions on initiatives to ensure Rensselaer's place as a leader in environmental excellence. Share your ideas with us via e-mail at collop@rpi.edu or contact an EHS staff member.

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