Safetywise, Vol. 15, No. 4

Abstract

Safetywise Vol.15 No.4 Dec 2006 Safety and environmental protection office

On the Verge of Becoming a Smoke-Free Campus

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The Legislative Council passed into law the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2005 on 19 October, 2006. This piece of monumental legislation culminated a sustained campaign that lasted for decades by environmental health professionals fighting to control tobacco smoke in public places. Among many other public facilities, this wide-sweeping legislation prohibits smoking in university campuses, inclusive of all indoor and outdoor areas. The only exception is staff quarters occupied by individual persons or families. This new legislation will become effective starting from 1 January, 2007.

As such HKUST needs to modify the existing campus no-smoking policy which prohibits smoking in all indoor areas and certain outdoor locations such as those around buildings' fresh air intakes. Smoking is currently allowed at most of the outdoor places, and this will no longer be the case after 1 January 2007. Other than staff quarters occupied by individual persons or families, the whole HKUST campus, indoor and outdoor, will become a smoke-free area, as required by law.

There are some foreseeable challenges in the implementation of this new law. SEPO has discussed the issue with EMO and collectively we have assembled a series of compliance strategies.

The foremost, and perhaps most important is notification to our whole campus community about the new legal requirement, in particular the no smoking area being extended to all outdoor areas on campus. In addition to spreading the word via all staff and all students e-mails, different affected groups will be notified by various campus offices. These include incoming students by Admissions, Registration and Records Office and International and Mainland Students and Programs Office, new appointees by Personnel Office, contractors and suppliers by Purchasing Office, campus service providers by Campus Services Office, official/group visitors by Office of University Development and Public Affairs, and Enterprise Center tenants by Office of the Vice-President for Research and Development.

EMO will assess appropriate strategies for compliance and enforcement. Measures being considered include better demarcation and posting of no-smoking signs along campus boundary, training of security guards on the legal requirements as well as appropriate ways to handle violations, etc. The campus clinic will also provide consultation on smoking cessation upon request.

It is conceivable the smoke-free campus policy based on this new law will bring inconvenience to those of us in the campus community who are smokers. As much as we respect one’s personal right to smoke, it may be a time as good as ever to seriously consider quitting. It’s never too late to stop smoking and start living a healthier life!

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A Green and Sustainable Campus, A Call to Rethink (This article is contributed by Prof Gerald Patchell, Division of Social Science, HKUST) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

What would a sustainable university look like? The buildings might shine with the beauty of photovoltaic cells, the grounds covered by local vegetation (being eaten by indigenous animals), bioreactors adding verdant plant life to our atriums and patios while cleansing the water, gardens using compost from our dining rooms and returning delicious vegetables to the same tables.

It would be nice if all these attributes provided perfect sustainable performance: completely renewable energy or at least carbon neutrality*; zero waste to landfills, everything either recycled to technological uses or returned harmoniously to nature’s cycles; sewage transformed on campus into water fit to drink.

But we are some way from such a vision. How do we get there?

First, where are we?

Most university campuses have been greened in much the same manner that business or government departments introduced environmental management systems (EMS) into their operations. In the beginning there were safety and health offices, onto which environmental duties were relegated as the human and ecological health consequences of an organization’s action became recognized and regulated. Other departments - engineering, estates and facility management, purchasing - were recruited into the greening process over time. EMS was a concept borrowed from quality management to integrate these efforts throughout an organization and to promote constant improvements.

UST, and many of our sister institutions in HK, have instituted most of the elements of an EMS. We have EMS policies, indicators, and reports. We have SEPO and EMO to lead, and Purchasing, SAO and other units have joined the greening effort. Together they have achieved significant reductions in energy usage and waste production.

Leading companies, however, realize that they cannot make the great changes necessary for sustainability, for the future of our society, without changing the design of their products and the way they deliver them. Design is where eighty to ninety percent of the environmental impacts of an organization are decided. This is true of not only manufacturing, but also service organizations. Environmental performance has to be integrated into the design and processes of a service.

How does this affect universities? Our products are students, knowledge and community service. How can environmental performance be designed into teaching, research and service? This is being done in four ways:

1. University operations, the buildings, energy systems, material and waste processes, are being converted into “projects” for students and faculty to experience and design sustainability. This is happening not only in regard to introducing renewable energy or locally produced food to campus, but also, for example, integrating lifecycle concerns into purchases, environmental impacts into the design of experiments, and sustainability considerations into the design of new campus development.

2. Faculty and staff are integrating environmental considerations into their research, whether that is specific research into environmental concerns, such as those produced by environmental engineers or scientists, by environmental sociologists and geographers, or by total cost accounting, green purchasing and other business application. More importantly, faculty not explicitly concerned with environmental projects are integrating environmental concerns as part of their research design.

3. Sustainability is being integrated into the curriculum, in three ways. There are an increasing number of environmental specialty streams, usually reflecting the environmental research specializations of faculty members. Generalist education is proliferating; there are courses on society and the environment, environmental science and ecology, environmental technologies, environment and business, etc. Moreover, and more importantly, environmental concerns are increasingly integrated into majors to show students how their specialties are related to environmental impacts and what they can do about it.

4. The intellectual and financial resources of a university enable it to experiment with models of sustainability well beyond the capacities of many of the members of their community. Many universities, their faculty and students, are taking these models into the community, and integrating university and community sustainability.

Many campuses, such as the 328 signatories to the Talloires Declaration** and leading institutions such as Harvard or UBC, are advancing along this road. There is a recognition that for too long, the greening of campuses has been left to its EHS office and other departments that support the functioning of university. Despite their many advances, these efforts are eventually bound by the narrow base of involvement. The transformation to sustainability needs to be driven jointly, or even primarily by university faculty and students.

The essence of a university is the contribution it makes to its students and society. If our university doesn’t foster students who not only understand what sustainable development is, but who can make a sustainable society happen, then a green campus will be nothing but a green token.

Over the next few issues we will introduce you to some of the advances being made by these universities, challenges and opportunities for the UST community.

* Compensating for carbon dioxide production (usually due to energy consumption) by planting trees or supporting renewable energy development elsewhere, so to achieve no net carbon dioxide emission.

** “Composed in 1990 at an international conference in Talloires, France, this is the first official statement made by university administrators of a commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education. The Talloires Declaration is a ten-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. It has been signed by over 300 university presidents and chancellors in over 40 countries.” -- Excerpted from the webpage of the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF)

http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Flu Season Is Back!

As we approach the colder months of the year, cases of influenza will likely be on the rise. Meanwhile, migratory birds, some of which may be carriers of the H5N1 avian flu virus, have started or will soon start their journey south to warmer place and in the process expose regional and domestic fowls to this deadly virus in those places. Recently, there was an avian flu outbreak in domestic fowls in Korea leading to culling of a vast number of birds. Throughout 2006, human cases of the H5N1 avian flu infection never ceased to pop up in Indonesia. In 2006 alone, 55 people in Indonesia were infected and 45 of them had died. The corresponding numbers for the whole world are 111 and 76. In Hong Kong, the Alert Response Level for Influenza has been activated.

These are all stern reminders that we need to continue to be cognizant about the threat of a pandemic outbreak and be constantly taking protective measures to prevent it from occurring.

Practicing good personal hygiene measures will always help to protect individuals from getting infected by H5N1 and other respiratory pathogens. Wear mask when suffering from respiratory illnesses. This is a critical step in blocking the exposure to bioaerosols released from infected individuals. Wash hands frequently and definitely before taking meals, or rubbing eyes and nose. Get vaccinated for regular seasonal flu to help prevent co-infection by seasonal flu and H5N1 as this occurrence may lead to the evolvement of a new virus which may possess the disastrous combination of easy transmission among humans and deadly infection outcome.

At the university level, the Emergency Management Committee will soon convene to assess our preparedness for a potential influenza outbreak. Items such as hygiene promotion, facility cleanliness, case monitoring, contingency plans, etc., will be reviewed to ensure proper measures and practices are in place.

Be prepared, stay healthy and be safe!

For further information on this subject, please access the following websites:

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/index.html

http://www.chp.gov.hk/index9ed2.html?lang=en

http://www13.ha.org.hk/aflu/index.asp

http://www.ust.hk/healthmatters/BeatFlu/index.htm

http://www.ust.hk/healthmatters/

A Platform for Managing Hazardous Materials ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The safe management of hazardous materials is one of the key focuses in managing environmental health and safety on campus. The rapid increase in the amount and variety of chemicals used on campus has put pressure on how to better manage the use of hazardous materials at the user and departmental levels. As the regulatory requirements on the use of hazardous materials are ever evolving, the demand for an accurate accounting of the storage and use of the hazardous materials is unavoidable. Any mishap could lead to a serious consequence which may not only jeopardize the safety of the users but may also tarnish the reputation of the University.

At present, practices in managing hazardous materials inventory do vary among users. Users’ inventories may be recorded in the form of a Word document, an Excel spread sheet, or an Access Dbase. With the existing format, users face various problems if they want to have a reasonably good account of the hazardous materials in their possession. The existing format also makes the compilation of a central hazardous materials inventory a formidable task. With an aim of helping users to manage their inventories and facilitate their daily handling of hazardous materials, the University has decided to build a uniform, centralized inventory system for users. The inventory system is so designed to facilitate keeping of inventory records and storage no matter whether these materials are acquired from the Center of Laboratory Supplies (CLS) on campus or off campus suppliers. The inventory system is divided into four major modules which offer comprehensive functions to assist management of chemicals, radioactive isotopes, and biomaterials. The system also includes an information module which provides information relevant to the daily safe handling of hazardous materials. Web links of many web pages which are frequently visited by users can be found in the information module as well.

The inventory system has many unique features which cater to user needs for daily operation. More than just a record keeping spread sheet, there are special features built in the inventory system to facilitate annual stock taking of hazardous materials inventory either by using a barcode scanner or an Excel spread sheet. Users’ inventories will be automatically updated for any purchases made through CLS. Function is also made available for proper documentation of any transfer of hazardous materials among users. Under the system, users will be assigned to have different user roles. Ranging from departmental administrator to laboratory user, users’ access to the system will be restricted and only be allowed to carry out specific tasks as specified in their roles assigned.

Together with the functions designed for operational needs, the system has built in features to assist safe handling of hazardous materials that require special attention. The features include the automatic sending of an e-mail message to personnel concerned when highly toxic or regulated materials are found missing during inventory taking. Users will also receive an e-mail for any overdue peroxide test on chemicals which are under the users’ possession. The data recorded in the inventory can be searched according to relevant hazard classifications, safety requirements, licensing requirements, etc. In addition, users can also find suppliers’ information in the inventory system which facilitates purchase of the materials.

The system is at the production phase with all the functions involving management of chemical inventory already completed. Other modules involving the management of radioactive material and biomaterial are currently under construction. The whole system is expected to be in full function at the end of this year or the beginning of the coming year.

In the coming weeks, SEPO will contact individual departments to introduce the details and work with departmental staff to implement this program. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Students’ Environmental Interest Group ------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Students’ Environmental Interest Group was established in September 2006 with full support from the Safety and Environmental Protection Office (SEPO) and Student Affairs Office (SAO). Currently, there are 79 students enrolled in the group on voluntary basis. They are very keen on taking up the leadership role to promote environmental protection on our campus.

In September, SEPO and SAO co-organized two seminars for students. Mr Hahn Chu of Friends of the Earth introduced the environmental protection efforts in Hong Kong region in the first seminar on 7 September 2006. Dr Joseph Kwan, Director of SEPO, and Dr Samuel Yu, Senior Engineer of SEPO, introduced the environmental management efforts at HKUST in the second seminar on 27 September 2006.

A communication channel has been developed for students to exchange their ideas on environmental protection. For details, please visit the following link of the newsgroup:

http://www.ust.hk/cgi-bin/ccst/dnews/dnewsweb?cmd=xover&group=hkust.sao.epc

Group discussion amongst members of Students’ Environmental Interest Group after the seminar on 27 September 2006

Students’ Environmental Interest Group, Staff Association and SEPO also jointly organized the event “Collecting Second-hand Eye Glasses for Charity and Waste Reduction Purposes” at HKUST from 10 to 16 November 2006. A total of 72 pairs of used glasses and 7 packs of un-used contact lenses were collected by SEPO for redistribution to students in Hunan Province, China, who cannot afford to purchase their own glasses due to difficulties.

We look forward to more student-organized environmental activities in the future! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Revision of Safety and Environmental Protection Manual ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The HKUST Safety and Environmental Protection Manual was first published in 1994. The first major revision was conducted in 1997 with changes made to the content as necessary. In order to help users better comprehend the content, enable users to familiarize with the requirements, and provide easy reference for users in performing their duties, individual booklets on Safety Requirement Summary, Emergency Procedures, Procedures for Disposal of Chemical Waste, and Safe Food Handling Guidelines were also published.

SEPO had just completed another round of major review of the manual to add and update information. These changes have been endorsed by the Environmental, Health and Safety Committee, and the revised version is now available at: http://www.ab.ust.hk/sepo/sm06

In the past, the safety manual was printed and distributed in hard copies. In order to ensure that users are reading the most updated content, we registered all recipients of the manual so that they would be provided with timely updates and amendments. This process has proven to be very tedious and costly, and it is also difficult for us to ensure that the replacement materials are properly inserted into the manual.

With the widespread use of Internet and web nowadays, we have decided to stop distributing the safety manual in hard copies. The most updated safety manual is available in the official website of SEPO. Users can make online reference to the manual, or they can print out the pages needed for offline reference if necessary. Hard copies of the safety booklets mentioned above will still be available. ------------------------------------------------------------------------