RAISING SAFETY CONCERNS

Supervisors and workers play an important role in ensuring a safe and healthful workplace at Univerisity of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Individuals with specific safety questions or concerns are encouraged to raise them with their immediate supervisor. Dealing with safety issues through the supervisory chain of command is the preferred method, however, when this approach is unsuccessful in resolving a safety issue, concerns may be raised by direct contact with an Environmental Health and Radiation Safety staff member. EHRS staff will, on request, keep the name of a complainant confidential, however, in some instances, this constraint may prevent thorough investigation and resolution of a complaint.

Federal labor law prevents an employer from discriminating against an employee for engaging in certain "protected activities", such as filing of safety complaints with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Although employees have the legal right to file an OSHA complaint, they are encouraged to first exhaust all internal mechanisms for addressing safety issues, including supervisory staff, the safety committee, and EHRS.