Chemical Hygiene

Chemical Hygiene Committee reports to the Provost and is chaired by the Chemical Hygiene Officer. The charge to this committee is as follows.

  • Members will serve as liaisons to their respective departments on safety matters;
  • see that appropriate controls are available to protect laboratory workers;
  • assist the Chemical Hygiene Officer, in his or her individual capacity, with annual safety audits of all laboratories and follow-up visits to laboratories not meeting initial compliance by attending such safety audits and/or providing other support to the Chemical Hygiene Officer as necessary;
  • review and approve the purchase and/or use of select agents and toxins and Class II Biohazards upon request;
  • elevate unresolved chemical hygiene and safety issues to the Dean of The College, with final review by the Provost;
  • oversee and support all training required under the terms of the Chemical Hygiene Plan, including, but not limited to providing the Chemical Hygiene Officer with a list of all employees who work with hazardous materials and who are in need of training and determining the frequency of refresher training;
  • assist the Chemical Hygiene Officer, in his or her individual capacity, in annually reviewing and updating the Chemical Hygiene Plan;
  • review and approve all site-specific standard operating procedures upon request;
  • review and approve all plans to renovate or construct buildings in which the use or storage of hazardous chemicals is contemplated; and
  • review accident reports and other safety incidents or issues, make recommendations regarding any necessary changes in laboratory procedures, and periodically communicate with the Safety Committee with respect to identified safety issues on campus that relate to the use of hazardous chemicals in University laboratories.


Philip Trimmer, Chair

Ex officio members

  • Michael Jennings, Director of Environmental Health and Safety
  • Bill Hamilton, Department Head, Biology
  • Emily Falls, Laboratory Technician, Geology
  • Chellie Bergos, Assistant Director, Public Safety
  • Christine Carr, Studio Art Laboratory Technician II, Art and Art History
  • Irina Mazilu, Parmly Professor of Physics and Engineering
  • Sara Gratzmiller, Laboratory Technician II, Cognitive and Behavioral Science
  • Matt Tuchler, Department Head, Chemistry
  • Don Gaylord, Research Archaeologist and Instructor
  • Philip Trimmer, Chemical Hygiene Officer, Laboratory Technician, Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Andrea Lepage, Professor, Art History