Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.40
Liaison C Jane Hagen
Submission Date Aug. 27, 2021

STARS v2.2

Virginia Commonwealth University
PA-15: Workplace Health and Safety

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.64 / 2.00 Jake Holweger
Sustainability Intern
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Health and safety management system

Does the institution have an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS)?:
Yes

Does the system use a nationally or internationally recognized standard or guideline?:
No

The nationally or internationally recognized OHSMS standard or guideline used:
---

If no, provide:

A brief description of the key components of the custom OHSMS:
Enterprise Risk Management
We at Virginia Commonwealth University are committed to operating ethically and efficiently in every way. That includes doing everything we can to foresee, manage and mitigate potential risks before they occur.

VCU's enterprise risk management (ERM) program is a comprehensive approach to identifying and mitigating risks that could severely impact the university and prevent us from meeting our goals. VCU is committed doing everything possible to prevent potentially significant “surprises” before they happen. ERM is a dynamic process. We continually assess and mitigate the risks we face.

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is the process of purposeful planning, organizing, leading and controlling the activities of an organization to minimize the effects of unwanted risk upon the organization. The ERM process, based upon a modified COSO model, helps VCU’s leadership identify and manage potential risks to provide reasonable assurance that VCU can achieve its objectives and create value for its stakeholders as well as prevent losses. Regardless of where risk exists across VCU, these risks can impact our organization’s reputation. ERM is an organization-wide holistic approach integrating risk management with strategic planning.

VCU's modified COSO model focuses on:
Strategic: high-level objectives aligned with VCU's mission and in support of strategic goals
Operational: ongoing management processes
Compliance: adherence to applicable laws and regulations
Financial: protection of institutional assets
Research: promotion of research innovation

Safety Framework
Our safety framework is based on the belief that we all want to go home at the end of our work day as healthy and as safe as when we arrived at work.
To accomplish this, we provide:
- Comprehensive safety systems and practices
- A dedicated safety organization
- Line ownership of safety
- Multifaceted involvement in safety activities
- Training to provide the knowledge and skills that achieve desired outcomes

URL: https://srm.vcu.edu/enterprise-risk-management-/

Part 2. Incidents per FTE employee

Annual number of recordable incidents of work-related injury or ill health:
24

Full-time equivalent of employees:
7,931

If the institution wishes to report on other on-site workers, provide:

 

Full-time equivalent of workers who are not employees, but whose work and/or workplace is controlled by the institution:
---

A brief description of the methodology used to track and calculate the number of recordable incidents of work-related injury or ill health :
Tracking injuries is done via a third party worker's compensation team. Each injury is counted once after an accident report is filed and submitted to the third party. Reports can be generated using the third party software

Annual number of recordable incidents of work-related injury or ill health per 100 FTE employees:
0.30

Optional Fields

Website URL where information about the occupational health and safety program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Calendar year 2020 OSHA recordable injuries: Christine Blakey - Occupational Safety, Virginia Commonwealth University

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.