3/25/03, Bulletins - Almanac, Vol.49, No. 26

Bulletins:

EHRS April Training

Training is required by the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) for all employees who work with hazardous substances including: chemicals, human blood, blood products, fluids, and human tissue specimens. Training is also required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for all personnel using radioactive materials or radiation producing equipment at Penn and affiliated institutions.

Training programs are developed and presented by the Office of Environmental Health & Radiation Safety (EHRS) in monthly live presentations or online formats. To determine which training programs you are required to take, review the section Training Requirements on the EHRS web site www.ehrs.upenn.edu/training/index.html.

Upcoming live training programs are:

Introduction to Laboratory Safety at Penn (Chemical Hygiene Training); provides a comprehensive introduction to laboratory safety practices and procedures at Penn and familiarizes the laboratory employee with the University's Chemical Hygiene Plan. Required for all Penn faculty and staff who work in laboratories. Please arrive early. No admittance after 9:30 a.m.. Penn ID or Driver's license is required for sign-in. April 16, 9:30 a.m., Austrian Auditorium, CRB.

Introduction to Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens; required for all faculty and staff potentially exposed to human blood and blood products, human body fluids and tissues or who work with any bloodborne pathogens. Topics include a discussion of the Exposure Control Plan, free hepatitis B vaccination, recommended work practices, engineering controls and emergency response. Penn ID or Driver's license is required for sign-in. April 16, 10:45 a.m., Austrian Auditorium, CRB.

Energy Conservation Reminder--
Cooling Season Energy Conservation

Spring is here and summer is just around the corner. During the next few months, while the weather is still temperate, there is opportunity for building occupants to take advantage of the favorable climate, and conserve energy.

Some campus buildings have operable windows, which allow employees to open windows and enjoy the refreshing spring air. If for some reason some windows seem unable to open, feel free to contact Facilities Services, who will provide assistance.

As spring passes into summer the Southwest breezes pick up, and many employees will prefer an open window. If enough employees in any building with operable windows choose to take advantage of the summer breezes we will work with the applicable school or center to make this a "fresh air building". If this is the case please let your Facilities Manager know and we will work with you to ensure that conditioned air is not going out the open window.

Unfortunately, some buildings have fixed windows. This is typically true of research and treatment facilities, and some of our newer classroom and office buildings. The fixed windows are necessary because the spaces inside must be maintained at a specific temperature, within a given air change rate and/or at a specific pressurization relative to one another.

The cooperation, efforts and determination of the faculty, staff and students have yielded great results over the past several heating and cooling seasons. With everyone pulling together future success is certain.

Your consideration and testing of this approach is greatly appreciated.

There are additional efforts that ISC is developing and coordinating with the IT Roundtable Committee and the IT Super Users Group. We will provide you additional updates on these initiatives when they are more fully developed.

--Omar Blaik, Vice President Facilities & Real Estate Services
--Barry Hilts, Associate Vice President Facilities Operations

ISC Computing Policy

The Network Policy Committee, IT Roundtable, and the Vice Provost for ISC wish to call your attention to a recently approved computing policy that specifies the conditions under which a network routing device may be connected to PennNet other than by the ISC Networking & Telecommunications group. The goal of the policy is to define the ways in which this can be done without adversely affecting the provision of network service to others. The full policy text can be found on-line at www.isc-net.upenn.edu/policy/approved/20030310-routing.html.

--Deke Kassabian, Senior Technology Director,
Networking and Telecommunications, ISC

Penn Vital Signs on WPVI-TV

In medicine, the future is dependent upon a team of experienced, knowledgeable scientists, doctors, and nurses, whose common goal is to offer the patient the best possible care and treatment. PENN Vital Signs, UPHS's medical TV show, brings viewers inside the world of medicine as Penn's healthcare team cares for patients and their families. In the next episode, the orthopaedic team cares for a patient as he encounters a suspicious tumor behind his knee. It also shows how the latest advances in neuro-orthopaedics helped one woman regain mobility in her leg after suffering a stroke. For your health, or the health of someone you love, tune in to PENN Vital Signs, airing Saturday, March 29 at 7 p.m., Sunday, March 30 at 5:30 a.m., and Sunday, April 12 at 1:30 p.m., on WPVI-TV, Channel 6 ABC.

--UPHS