The University Committee on Health and Safety (UCHS) held its 2004 annual public meeting in July. Please take a look at the new UCHS web page on our EH&S website that has information about the committee’s charge, membership, and meeting presentations.

Presentations were given on progress and challenges of a number of Stanford University programs including Environmental Health and Safety, Environmental and Conservation Programs, Planning for Sustainable Development, and Alternative Transportation.

Office Depot and Hewlett Packard are teaming up to provide consumers a free and convenient method for disposing of their unwanted computer equipment.

Between July 18 and September 6, 2004, Office Depot will collect electronic products from any manufacturer, including desktops, notebooks, keyboards, mice, printers, scanners, handhelds, digital cameras, fax machines, desktop copiers, flat panel displays, monitors, TVs (27" or smaller), TV/VCR combos and cell phones. One computer system per person per day will be accepted.

For more information on this exciting opportunity, see the HP Press Release. Stanford-owned electronic equipment is not eligible for this offer and must be managed through your Department Property Administrator.

Whether you realize it or not, Stanford has a fire plan for college residences. For the past twelve years steady progress has been made renovating the student residences on campus. New paint and furniture, yes, but the renovations go much further than that.

Stanford University has made student safety a #1 priority by retrofitting residences with automatic sprinkler systems and installing new fire alarm systems. Residences are inspected regularly for safety and each fall students participate in evacuation drills. Each sleeping room has been equipped with a smoke detector and an emergency evacuation plan has been posted on or near the door.

Stanford is determined not to experience the tragedies that occur at education institutions each year. That determination has been translated into a serious commitment, one that will span 16 years of renovation projects. At the end of that span Stanford University will be able to claim that 100% of their undergraduate student housing residences are equipped with automatic sprinklers!

Mercury thermometers, once widely used across campus, have largely been replaced by equally accurate and environmentally preferable alcohol-based thermometers. While non-mercury thermometers have gained widespread acceptance by the research community, they are not without limits. They must be used and stored upright or the alcohol column can separate, rendering them unusable. The alcohol can be reunited by careful heating or cooling; directions for doing so can be found at our Mercury Thermometer Program web pages.

If your laboratory is still using mercury thermometers, EH&S will exchange them for non-mercury equivalents free of charge. Contact EH&S at 3-1308 or hperry@stanford.edu.