University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
PA-14: Workplace Health and Safety

A workplace health and safety baseline of zero injuries was established in 1997, primarily for the health and safety of the employee but also for the cost reduction.

Program is based on the identification of workplace hazards, evaluations of the applicable rules and regulations, routine training, routine surveys, and accident investigations. The EHSRM department is an open relationship with the employees. All employees are encouraged to report any compiiance issues directly to the department. SAFETY - Community Policing The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Police Department protects and serves the campus community of students, faculty, staff and visitors by providing professional law enforcement service and actively promoting community involvement through progressive community policing partnerships strategies and a commitment to education. To assist in its community policing efforts, UTRGV PD uses various modes of transportation including patrol cars, utility cars, bicycles and foot patrol. Members of the UTRGV community may use a Silent Witness form to provide the UTRGV Police Department with valuable information anonymously. Personal escorts are available, for students, faculty and staff to their vehicles on campus. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley maintains an open-campus policy, but access to the campus facilities may be restricted as necessary to meet safety and security requirements as determined by University officials. Some buildings have late hour access to certain areas that are locked after normal business hours, which will require a special after hour pass. Access to classrooms and office buildings for special events after normal business hours, weekends and holidays is coordinated with the various campus departments overseeing that particular area. Many of the buildings, offices, labs, computer rooms and other areas of campus are equipped with electronic access. Except for Residence Halls, most of the buildings are accessible to members of the campus community, guests and visitors during the hours of 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Most campus buildings are typically locked on Saturday and Sunday. The property or buildings, owned or controlled by The University of Texas System are not open for assembly, speech, or other activities as are the public streets, sidewalks, and parks. Pursuant to the authority conferred upon the Board of Regents by Texas Education Codes Section 51.209, in order to protect the safety and welfare of students, employees, and other participants in the programs and activities of the institution it shall be unlawful for any person who is on the property to refuse to identify himself or herself in response to a request by an institutional representatives. Persons having no legitimate business to enter on campus may be ejected from the campus on his or her refusal to leave peaceably on request. The My PD app is a smartphone application that is used by the UTRGV 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 PDapps features include receiving news and alerts from UTRGV PD, submitting tips about criminal activity or other public safety issues to the Department, filing a police report, asking questions and receiving feedback from UTRGV PD, placing a call to the University’s Police Communications Center or to commend a UTRGV officer for a job well done. The UTRGV Police Department works closely with Residence Life, Students Rights and Responsibilities and some UTRGV 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 are located throughout the UTRGV Campus, providing a direct line of communication to UTRGV PD for individuals in need of emergency assistance. These phones are strategically positioned along pedestrian walkways, in parking lots and near many building entrances. UTRGV PD responds to all activated emergency phones even if no words are spoken. Look for the blue lights atop a blue metal column. There are 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. UTRGV maintains multiple systems, collectively known as VAQUERO 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 VAQUERO ALERT message will give pertinent emergency information and protective actions to all members of the UTRGV campus community. The UT-Employee Assistance Program (UTEAP) is a service available to all employees of UTRGV. 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. More Campus Safety Initiatives and Resources are available via http://www.utrgv.edu/cofa/_files/documents/campus-security-report-2015.pdf

UT System Workers Compensation Report. The Workplace Health and Safety of UTRGV works towards the sustainable development goal of Good Health and Well-Being by ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all its employees.