University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
PA-12: Workplace Health and Safety

The workplace health and safety baseline was adopted in the year 2012. It is the policy of the University of Texas Pan American (UTPA) to provide a safe and healthy working and learning environment for all faculty, students, employees, visitors, and contract employees. To comply with applicable local, state, and federal rules, regulations and best management practices pertaining to occupational health and safety and the environment. All employees potentially involved in responding to an emergency (DEHS, Physical Plant, University Police, Residence Hall employees) or involved with activities that involve the use of ignition sources are mandated to attend Fire and Life Safety Training which include evacuation assistant training and fire extinguisher training. In addition, fire safety training is included in other mandated course such as laboratory safety. For those employees that are not directly related to emergency response a variety of fire and life safety training programs are available to all UTPA on a voluntary basis. DEH&S maintains a library of videotapes that are available on loan to departments, free of charge. Routine fire safety training is provided on a monthly basis and all UTPA faculty, staff and students are invited to attend. The training includes fire and life safety, emergency planning, emergency evacuation and portable fire extinguisher.

Community Policing UTPA PD utilizes a community policing philosophy with the goal of: Establishing positive contacts with the campus community Identifying real and/or perceived problems that exist in the campus community Developing programs that aid in resolution of identified problems To assist in its community policing efforts, UTPA PD uses various modes of transportation including patrol cars, utility cars, bicycles and foot patrol. My PD App: The My PD app is a smartphone application that is used by the UTPA Police Department and can be downloaded free of charge. This app can be used to send and receive information from the Department on your smartphone. Some of the My PD apps features include receiving news and alerts from UTPA PD, submitting tips about criminal activity or other public safety issues to the Department, filing a police report, asking questions and receiving feedback from UTPA PD, placing a call to the University’s Police Communications Center or to commend a UTPA officer for a job well done. Crime Prevention Presentations: The UTPA Police Department works closely with Residence Life, Students Rights and Responsibilities and some UTPA student groups to develop and schedule presentations about crime prevention presentations pertaining to personal safety, sexual assault prevention, acquaintance rape, women’s self-defense, alcohol and drug awareness, burglary and theft prevention and office safety are conducted as needed for faculty, staff and students. Emergency Phones: Over 30 emergency phones are located throughout the UTPA Campus, providing a direct line of communication to UTPA PD for individuals in need of emergency assistance. These phones are strategically positioned along pedestrian walkways, in parking lots and near many building entrances. UTPA PD responds to all activated emergency phones even if no words are spoken. Look for the blue lights atop a blue metal column. Community Service Officers: Student Patrol operates Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. Student Patrol members are employed and trained by UTPA PD. They are easily identified by grey uniform shirts and orange cross belts. Campus Security Officers (CSOs) assist UPTA PD in patrolling the campus, including parking lots and reporting suspicious activity. Crime Awareness and Prevention Programs: UTPA PD and the Division of Student Affairs present information to prospective students and their parents about UTPA safety programs and general safety tips. Safe Walk: UTPA PD is available 24/7 to safely walk to students to any location on campus to help them feel secure. Call (956) 665-7151 to request a safe walk. Lighting: UTPA recognizes the importance of maintaining a well-lit campus and now all 11 parking lots and walkways are illuminated during night-time hours; this includes the main campus and all non-campus locations. Parking Lot Cameras: There are over 90 exterior closed-circuit television cameras located throughout campus which monitor and record their respective areas 24 hours a day. These include fixed cameras as well as pan-tilt-zoom cameras that are controlled from the University Police Department’s Communications Center. These security cameras act as a deterrent to criminal activity as well as assisting University police officers in their investigations. Bronc Alert: UTPA maintains multiple systems, collectively known as BRONC ALERT, for alerting the University community about campus emergencies, including via telephone, text messages, email, visual displays on computer and television screens throughout campus. These notices also post to the University website. In the event of a campus emergency, a BRONC ALERT message will give pertinent emergency information and protective actions to all members of the UTPA campus community. Building Sirens: In the case of an emergency the University can activate an announcement via a public announcement system (sirens) and can communicate with many buildings through voice announcements from the UTPA PD communications center. Employee Assistance Program: The UT-Employee Assistance Program (UTEAP) is a service available to all employees of UTPA. It provides confidential, professional assistance to help employees and members of their households resolve problems that affect their personal lives or job performance. Prevalent safety services provided include: emotional/psychological services and substance abuse/recovery services