How Do I...
We Offer Services For...
Contact Us
EHS is always available to provide assistance. If you need to contact us for any reason, please refer to our staff directory. In addition, we can be reached by using the information below.
Environmental Health and Safety Weill Cornell Medical College
402 East 67th Street
Room LA-0020
New York, NY 10065
Phone: (646) 962-7233
Fax: (646) 962-0288
ehs@med.cornell.edu
Create an EHS Incident to track your request. (more info)
2020 Training Dates Now Available
December 30, 2019All our onsite training and certification programs now have new sessions available for 2020. As announced last month, the Annual Hospital Training (AHT) now fulfills the Clinical and General Safety Training requirement, as it provides Joint Commission and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-required training in one targeted session.
Please visit our Instructor-Led Training Schedule page for training session information.
Annual Chemical Inventory Due January 17, 2020
December 10, 2019Who this message is for:
Laboratory Supervisors, Designated Laboratory Safety Coordinators, Chemical Owners
What is happening:
Weill Cornell Medicine is required to submit Annual Chemical Inventory Reporting of all hazardous chemicals on campus, in order to comply with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NYC Fire Department, and US Environmental Protection Agency Community-Right-to-Know requirements; as well as US Department of Homeland Security Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism regulations.
Supervisors of all locations storing and/or using hazardous chemicals must maintain a chemical inventory in Salute, the new web-based EHS management system.
What you need to do:
Review and update your chemical inventory in Salute by January 17, 2020. Your inventory in Salute is based on your last inventory in ChemTracker, the previous platform, and any updates you have made since Salute launched, so all you need to do is enter any changes since the last record.
To update your Chemical Inventory:
- Sign-in to Salute at https://wcmc.salutesafety.com using your WCM email, and then your CWID and password.
- Select Chemical Safety from the menu on the left-hand side of the page.
- Choose the inventory to view based on the Chemical Owner.
- Make any changes needed to your inventory. Please visit the EHS website for step-by-step instructions.
Please note: some line items in the inventory may appear with a chemical name of “N/A”. These are legacy entries from the migration of ChemTracker data into the new Salute inventory system. Please do not delete these items from your inventory. EHS is working with Salute to reconcile these data entries. - When you are finished, use the Status drop-down menu to change the Inventory Status to Complete.
Contact us:
If you need access to Salute, need assistance in managing your inventory, or have any questions, please contact EHS at 646-962-7233 or ehs@med.cornell.edu.
We appreciate your cooperation in our efforts to inform regulatory agencies of chemical hazards present in our facilities.
Is Your Lab Prepared for a Biological Spill?
October 31, 2019As National Biosafety Month draws to a close, we want to make sure your lab is prepared to handle a biological spill. Here are a few things you can do to be ready:
Read the updated Biological Spill Planning and Response Manual on the EHS website
The updated and revised Biological Spill Planning and Response Manual includes:
- How to prepare a biological spill kit for your lab
- When you must report a biological spill to EHS and the IBC
- Improved spill cleanup procedures
Display vital spill response procedures
Ensure you and your colleagues can easily access the information you will need in the event of a biological spill. Resources are available at the EHS website.
Contact EHS for copies of the following posters:
- Biological Spill Response (recently updated)
- Lab Exposure and Spill Response Guide
- Medical Assistance Map
Review your Biological Spill Kit
Your kit should contain:
- Mucous membrane protection for eyes, nose, and mouth
- Fluid resistant disposable lab coats or tie back gowns
- Nitrile gloves in various sizes
- Water-resistant shoe covers
- Small dustpan, small broom, and forceps for cleaning up broken glass
- Large and small autoclavable red Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) bags
- Disinfectant appropriate for all pathogens in use in the lab (e.g., household bleach)
- Absorbent material (e.g., paper towels)
- Copies of the spill response posters listed above
Contact us
If you have any questions or need assistance with training or equipment, please contact EHS at 646-962-7233 or ehs@med.cornell.edu.
FDNY Weekend Lab Inspection on Saturday, October 19
October 10, 2019The NYC Fire Department (FDNY) will conduct an off-hours laboratory inspection on Saturday, October 19, 2019.
While the inspection will mainly focus on the presence of an FDNY C-14 Certificate of Fitness (COF) holder when someone is working in the laboratory, the FDNY can issue violation(s) to the laboratory for any issues that they observe during the inspection. The FDNY requires that a C-14 certificate holder be present in the laboratory at all times when the laboratory is in operation.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact your Safety Advisor or the EHS office at 646-962-7233 or ehs@med.cornell.edu.
Now Available: Salute
October 1, 2019Environmental Health and Safety is pleased to announce launch of Salute, a new system that allows principal investigators, lab managers, and other staff to manage their lab safety needs in a single, easy-to-use web portal. EHS designed and developed Salute based on decades of experience helping the Weill Cornell Medicine community foster a culture of safety. Learn more.
Mission Statement
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is responsible for developing, maintaining and promoting policies, procedures, training and educational programs necessary to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our students, faculty, staff and visiting public. We are committed to developing a culture where safety and health are core values, and provide high-quality services that facilitate Weill Cornell Medicine's education, research and clinical missions.
EHS serves as the WCM biological, chemical and radiation safety office, coordinating comprehensive hazardous material and workplace safety programs. EHS takes appropriate steps to ensure that problems are identified and resolved in a timely manner. We coordinate reviews and responses to external agencies, many of which have the authority to cite, impose civil penalties, restrict or rescind operations, and remove or disapprove accreditation. EHS provides an emergency response for college situations that may include exposure to or the release of hazardous materials, and fire scenarios. We implement programs and services to minimize injuries or illnesses, and reduce safety, health and environmental risks in a manner consistent with fiscal and environmental stewardship. Read More
Emergency Information
Requesting Assistance & Reporting a Problem
Contact WCMC and NYP departments providing safety, security, waste and health services.
Information Resources
Safety Data Sheets
Chemwatch: a database of > 20,000,000 SDSs, obtained directly from manufacturers, suppliers and other chemical safety databases
More Information
Newsletters
Check out our newsletters for EHS updates, reports, news and tips.
Cornell Hotline
Anonymously report health and safety concerns.