Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Program
Hofstra University is dedicated to supporting the health and safety of everyone in the Hofstra Community. Health and safety is the responsibility of every member of the campus community.
Hofstra’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) program provides programs and services that promote a culture of safety. The University’s Environmental Health and Safety Officer (EHSO) reports to the Provost’s Office and provides safety training for research students/staff and conducts annual safety inspections of spaces. Through collaborative efforts with other campus departments and various safety committees, we maintain a safety culture that prioritizes environmental, health, and safety responsibility for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Dr. Wendy Hom is Hofstra University’s EHSO. Wendy received a BS in Biomedical Science from Polytechnic Institute of NYU (formerly Polytechnic University, currently NYU Tandon School of Engineering); and PhD in Chemistry from Stony Brook University. Prior to coming to Hofstra, she served as an adjunct professor in biology and as the lab director of the BioMolecular Science Labs (BMS) at NYU Tandon School of Engineering where she managed the labs and developed and conducted the BMS Practical Training Program, a program designed to train and mentor students, with no prior exposure to teaching and research laboratories, in basic laboratory technique and safety. There she continued to foster strong working relationships with the university’s lab safety officer, BMS program chemical safety officer, and the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) department. As EHSO, she is a member of the Special Committee on Environmental Safety (ESC), Bloodborne Pathogen Control Exposure Committee, Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), Radiation Safety Committee, the University Safety Committee, as well as a guest member of the Environmental Priorities Committee. Feel free to reach out to her if you have any questions.
For information about EHS, email EHS@hofstra.edu.
Wendy L. Hom, PhD
Environmental Health and Safety Officer, Director of Laboratories (Chemistry)
319 Berliner Hall
516-463-5541
Resources
Services
Safety Training
EHS provides training to support a culture of safety at Hofstra University. Online, classroom, and hybrid courses are available. Online courses are offered through Blackboard but also have a required in-person component. Hofstra also subscribes to CITI program, which is an external vendor that provides ethics and compliance training. Hofstra University is a subscriber organization and extends training courses available for Hofstra students, staff, and faculty, on biosafety, Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP), and Conflicts of Interest (COI). Supervisors and PIs are responsible that each new employee and or student, whether temporary or permanent, receives appropriate safety training, including lab-specific training, at the start of their tenure. Additional training can be requested by emailing EHS@hofstra.edu.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
A SOP is a document of written instructions for any experiment or process that carries a risk. SOPs also serve as useful tools to communicate important University policies and best practices in academia and industry. SOPs can be utilized in both laboratory and non-laboratory operations to help ensure consistency and quality and must be an essential part of training.
- Hofstra’s SOP Template: This is a generic template that must be edited to describe your specific laboratory process. Please email the EHSO to review your SOP.
- Hazardous Waste Collection, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and Chemical Inventory: Please email the Hazardous Waste Coordinator, William Sollin, for scheduled waste collection and access to the chemical inventory and SDS management system.
Downloadable Templates
- Incident Report Form: It is the PI/instructor/supervisor’s responsibility to report all accidents and injuries that occur in their class/lab/studio. For immediate assistance, please call Public Safety. Email EHS@hofstra.edu with the completed incident report form within 24 hours.
- Eyewash Inspection Log: Used to document testing of eyewashes. Print and post next to your eyewash.
- Lab-Specific Training Template: Used to help document training of new students/employees in your lab/studio/workshop.
- Safety Training Tracker Template: Used to track all training completed by your lab/studio/workshop personnel.
- Hazard Assessment Worksheet: Used to assess workspace hazards to determine required training and can be used to help write SOPs.
Safety Moments
A safety moment is a brief safety talk (about 2-5 minutes) given at the start of a meeting or seminar that can cover a variety of safety topics that serve to remind those in attendance of the importance of being safe; at work, at home, or at school. It is an effective icebreaker as well. If you would like to share a safety moment used by your department or office, email EHS@hofstra.edu.