Statement of Commitment to Safety

The University of Kansas is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all members of the university community by fostering and promoting a culture of safety throughout the university. This commitment goes beyond mere compliance with safety standards and regulations. Safety is a shared responsibility. Each person plays a critical role in protecting his or her own safety as well as the safety of others. A culture of safety involves:

• Recognizing the importance of adhering to the highest standards of safety and occupational health for our students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the community around us.
• Incorporating safety as an integral aspect of all operations, including but not limited to experimental design and execution, facility construction, operations and maintenance, equipment operation, and evaluation of performance.
• Providing students and employees with safety education targeted to maximize safe work practices and to minimize the potential for injury.
• Establishing an environment where individuals are able to recognize and to report errors and “near misses” without fear of reprimand or punishment. 
• Providing appropriate and timely information in response to questions or concerns about environmental health and safety issues.
• Identifying safety issues and finding solutions to them.
• Investigating incidents, disseminating lessons learned from such events, and improving programs, as appropriate, to incorporate improvements identified.
• Creating an environment of collaboration among all stakeholders, including principal investigators, researchers, safety specialists, students, staff from facilities, and public safety, to identify and implement solutions for safety issues.

As Jayhawks, we all share the responsibility for prioritizing safety and promoting a positive and productive environment for the entire community.