WELCOME to the KU Department of Environment, Health & Safety!

Anyone working (or playing) in cold weather needs to be aware of the effects that extremely low temperatures have on the body. Cases of cold stress, hypothermia, and frostbite have declined slightly in the past 20 years due to education and the availability of better types of outdoor clothing, but for employees who need to work outdoors in bad weather, the risk of these injuries is still very real.

When Mother Nature whips up a wicked winter wind-chill factor it creates a real health risk for outdoor workers if they don’t take precautions against what OSHA calls “cold stress:” hypothermia, frostbite, and trench foot—a nonfreezing injury to wet, cold feet. Hyperthermia occurs when body temperature dips from the normal 98.6 degrees to less than 95.

Follow these tips to help you and your family stay safe and healthy this autumn! Keep your kids safe and healthy. Get involved with your kids’ activities at home and at school to help ensure they are safe and healthy.

KU LAWRENCE CAMPUS -- The Department of Environment, Health & Safety (KU-EHS) held two Fire Safety and Extinguisher Labs on September 26, 2024 with the Medicinal Chemistry Department students and postdocs. Professor Zarko Boskovic, Med. Chem. Safety Officer, coordinated the labs with EHS to further educate students how to handle fire emergency events and safe extinguisher usage while working in their labs.