SA0150 – Environmental Health and Safety Records

SA0150 – Environmental Health and Safety Records

Objective:

Each campus will maintain records for safety, health and environmental protection.

Policy:

1. The University of Tennessee system shall comply with all existing state, federal and local codes, ordinances and laws relating to recordkeeping with regard to safety, health and environmental protection. The records shall be maintained for a minimum duration as specified by applicable standard. In some case a retention period longer than the time specified in the standard may be desirable.
2. Each department that is responsible for maintaining these records shall ensure the content is consistent with applicable requirements.
3. Provisions shall be made to protect records from damage, loss or theft. Note that having a remote electronic backup is recommended for certain records.
4. Safety, health and environmental protection records that contain confidential or sensitive information, (e.g. health information, social security numbers) shall be secured against unauthorized access. This applies to both hard copies and electronic records.
5. The campus safety officer shall notify departments when a new recordkeeping requirement is identified or a deficiency is noted in the department’s records.
6. Professional judgment with respect to duration and content will be used when the recordkeeping requirements for a particular standard are vague, not specified or absent.
7. Records shall be made available upon request to regulators. Requests for records made from outside the university shall be approved by the General Counsel’s Office.
8. Safety, health and environmental protection records shall also be maintained in accordance with each campus’ or unit’s policies and procedures related to general records. Note that Records Management policy