Life Safety Services focuses on maintaining a safe environment for all students, employees, and visitors. The Department conducts OSHA/EPA/DEP regulatory training for Bentley employees. This group manages all environmental, fire, and card access systems.
Tom Fisher
Director, Facilities Operations
781.891.2491
William L. Buckley
Manager of Life Safety Services
781.891.2459
Kat Fondo
Environmental Health and Safety Specialist
781.891.3448
Listed below you’ll find Life Safety topics which contain information arranged by priority of commonly referenced material. Within each topic accordion are links to required regulatory forms, reference documents, training materials or additional reference material about the topic. Please contact Life Safety if you’re unable to locate specific information not listed.
Faculty, Staff, & Students
Bentley’s New Hire Orientation provides an overview of EHS/Fire Safety services available under the Life Safety department including requirements of employees, staff, faculty and students to ensure a safe campus environment.
Please see below link to access Bentley’s NHO presentation.
All Bentley campus workplace injuries and illnesses need to be reported to management as soon as reasonably possible. All injuries and illnesses are tracked and investigated to address root causes with preventative measures taken to reduce and eliminate hazards thereby promoting an injury free campus. In addition, EHS determines whether campus workplace injuries and illnesses are recordable according to OSHA’s occupational injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
Please see below links to access Bentley’s injury reporting forms by category.
In order to mitigate discomfort, avoid risk of injury, increase productivity and efficiency at Bentley, we’ve provided some resources to ensure a good fit between the workplace and the user’s needs.
Please see below links to access Bentley’s ergonomic materials.
- Ergonomic Process Overview
- In order to procure ergonomic items for your personal comfort, please contact Life Safety for an ergonomic evaluation.
- Ergonomic Item Approvals
- All ergonomic items will need to be approved by the cost center approver or manager based on your department's approval process. Varidesks can be ordered directly within the department.
- Ergonomic Wellness Tips for Proper Workstation Setup
Ergonomic evaluations available upon request.
Audits are paramount to identifying and addressing potential safety issues across campus. Maintaining spaces that are free from safety hazards ensures that all members of the Bentley community can work, study and play in a comfortable environment without concern. Electrical safety goes hand in hand with ensuring safe office spaces. The EHS Walkabout Guide provides topic driven environmental, health and safety checklists to perform self-audits of work spaces on campus. Additionally, dorm inspections are conducted each semester within resident dorms to identify, address and correct any potential electrical and fire safety hazards on campus.
Please see below links to access auditing information related to electrical safety, office safety and dorm room inspection information.
- Electrical
- Office Safety
- Dorm Inspections
Please see below links to access information related to battery safety.
Bentley provides EHS training to its workers to abide by all applicable state and federal laws and regulations to ensure a safe workplace for all employees. Safety training provides our workers with skillsets and knowledge about how to work safely to prevent incidents that can lead to injuries, illnesses and environmental releases.
To access Safety training, please go to Workday Learning under the topics tab and select the Workplace Safety tab. For any volunteer or non-work students in need of training, please schedule with Kat Fondo.
For information on training topics and scheduling, contact Life Safety Services.
The Facilities department, with assistance from Life Safety, implements quality controls to adhere to state, federal and industry regulations to ensure that the air quality within and outside the building structures provides a healthy and comfortable environment for all its occupants. Maintaining an environment free from common indoor air pollutants is a priority at Bentley to reduce human exposures and potential health risks.
Please see below links to access indoor air quality information.
- Mold Checklist
- Mold Facts
- Bentley adheres to state/federal guidelines for indoor air quality. Be sure to maintain housekeeping such as vacuuming, dusting, cleaning a/c unit lint screens plus remove potential mold "food" sources such as dust, dirt, leftover food, ink, excess paper and glues to prevent potential mold growth.
- Please see attached Checklist for Mold Complaints by Residents/Staff in addition to contacting Facilities if you're having any issues with indoor air quality.
- Bentley adheres to state/federal guidelines for indoor air quality. Be sure to maintain housekeeping such as vacuuming, dusting, cleaning a/c unit lint screens plus remove potential mold "food" sources such as dust, dirt, leftover food, ink, excess paper and glues to prevent potential mold growth.
Hazardous waste poses potential threats to public health and the environment. Bentley ensures compliance with treatment, storage and disposal of all hazardous waste by abiding by all state and federal regulations thereby eliminating these exposures.
Please see below links to access information about hazardous waste removal, chemical labels and safety data sheet information.
Cleanout of Hazardous Waste: All hazardous waste cleanouts should be coordinated through the Office of Life Safety. Bentley has a contract with a hazardous waste vendor to properly manage and dispose of all hazardous waste according to state/federal regulations. Questions about chemical management should be directed to the Office of Life Safety.
Vendor Leftover Chemicals: Any chemicals left over by contractors/vendors should be managed in accordance with state/federal regulations. Any excess chemicals used on construction projects should be removed by the contractor/vendor from that particular project. Any questions please inquire through the Office of Life Safety.
SDS Sheet Information: All chemicals used on campus should have a safety data sheet (SDS) and/or material safety data sheet (MSDS) available. A copy should be on file with the Office of Life Safety. Introduction of any new chemicals on campus should be reviewed by the Office of Life Safety prior to use. Any questions about chemical safety or proper handling of chemicals should be addressed via the Office of Life Safety.
During an emergency event, it’s imperative that all faculty, staff and students know how to exit the buildings orderly and safely to reduce the likelihood of risks to their health, life safety, property and the environment.
Please see below links to access emergency evacuation map.
Effective communication of environmental, health and safety information is critical to preventing injuries and illnesses.
Please see below links to access subject specific safety communication materials.
Current EHS Communication Topics
- How to Walk Like a Penguin
- Slips, Trips, Falls
- Snow Shoveling
- Source: A Clean Sweet Safe Work Practices for Custodians June 2006
Slips, Trips and Falls Presentation
This presentation is courtesy of NCI and is NEEIA's workshop #3.
Bentley's energy management department plans for and operates internal energy controls to provide a comfortable environment to all end users. These energy controls help to improve resource conservation and climate protection while maintaining critical business functions and cost savings.
Please see below links to access information about energy management.
- ASHRAE Guidelines
- Bentley adheres to the (ASHRAE) American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards located at https://www.ashrae.org/
- Bentley Temperature Policy
- Bentley University's Temperature Policy plus Heating and Cooling Instructional Videos for residence halls can be located at https://www.bentley.edu/offices/facilities-management/resources
- Space Heaters
- Personal space heaters are not allowed on campus. Facilities understands that temperature is important and a key factor in everyone's personal comfort. Bentley's temperature policy maintains building heating levels between 68-74 degrees. Facilities should be contacted and a work order placed through Work Order Control if there are issues with heating/cooling of your space so that the heating and cooling systems can be addressed properly.
- Quick Tips
- Please dress to accomplish the desired personal temperature. Bring an extra garment/sweater to layer in case the temperature changes throughout the day based on the weather conditions. Movement throughout the day provides a way to increase internal body temperature and allows additional positive body ergonomics.
- Link to Work Order Control
Please see the Office of Sustainability website for further information about their mission and vision plus ways to get involved with sustainability initiatives.
Contractors
Bentley oversees all contractors to ensure compliance with OSHA regulations surrounding construction on campus to eliminate potential hazards associated with construction activities and capital projects.
Please see below links to access contractor safety materials.
Prior to starting project work on campus, all contractors must review and sign the attached "Bentley Requirements for Outside Contractors" (COVID-19 Contractor) form which outlines the requirements that contractors must adhere to while on campus during a pandemic.
Contractors Working at Bentley
Contractor Saftey Training
Requirements
Forms
- Sign/date/contractor name required on page 2. NOTE: This form should be filled out by the subcontractors as well.
- Sign/date/contractor name. Fill out sections that apply. Any section that doesn't apply gets a "X" or "N/A" through that section. If there are multiple projects/buildings on campus, please complete 1 form for each individual project.
- Sign/date/contractor name. This lists the company's injury metrics and health and safety information.
Hot work involves processes that can be ignition sources in the presence of flammable materials or can be fire hazards regardless of the presence of flammable materials in the workplace. Hot work includes common processes such as soldering, cutting, brazing and welding. In the presence of flammable materials industrial activities such as drilling and grinding become hot work processes.
Please see below link to access an example of a common hot work permit form. Hot work permits are available from Life Safety located in the Facilities maintenance department outside Brian Ingram #205 and Christine Powers' #204 doors.
Confined spaces consist of work areas that allow for passage of a worker to perform certain work functions but aren't necessarily designed for people; has limited or restricted means for entry and exit and isn't designed for continuous occupancy. Examples of confined spaces include tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, pits, manholes, tunnels, equipment housings, ductwork, pipelines, etc. OSHA regulates confined spaces as they pose potential life-threatening hazards such as toxic substances, asphyxiation, electrocutions and explosions. Bentley abides by all regulations associated with confined spaces.
Please see below link to access Bentley's "permit-required confined space" form.
Confined Space Form
Check out this article that highlights Bentley's commitment to Fire Safety
Did you know...
The main objective of the Department of Fire and Life Safety at Bentley University is to ensure the safety of the students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors. Fire prevention on campus is done by interpreting the local fire prevention codes and applying fire protection engineering principles. Fire prevention activities include routinely inspecting campus buildings, addressing the concerns of building occupants, and providing training both by request and per local regulation requirements. The manager of Life Safety is also involved with the periodic testing of all the life safety systems, including detection, notification, and suppression systems. The Princeton Review scores higher education institutions on the fire safety of their residence halls. This year Bentley received 99 points, which is the maximum awarded. All residence halls are equipped with full sprinkler and fire alarm systems. This, along with increased educational programs, has reduced the number and severity of fires on our campus.
The EH&S department is responsible for implementation of all approved environmental, health and safety compliance programs across campus to adhere to regulatory agencies including OSHA and MA DEP. Annual hearing testing is conduct by this department along with the annual safety shoe purchase for all facilities employees. EH&S holds and manages all of the safety documents such as MSDS sheets and safety records of recordable accidents or incidents on campus. Asbestos assessments of all buildings on campus are updated and monitored. EH&S will launch the Dupont STOP program, which is a manager and supervisors training that illustrate ways to keep employees safe.