Employee Safety

Safety First

Building a safety culture focused on continuous improvement requires the sharing of information, processes, tips and learning opportunities. Be sure to check back for new content as this site is developed into a safety resource repository.

Did you know that safety is one of AO’s guiding principles? It is critical to the success of AO and the campus community.

Your Role in Safety Improvements

Improving safety within AO and across campus does not have a designated start and end point. The goal is to continuously improve practices and processes, and everyone contributes to that effort. Incorporate these actions into your daily work routine, and encourage your coworkers to do the same:

  • Look for and share opportunities with your direct supervisor and team members to enhance safety practices and reduce risk
  • Be preventative and report safety hazards to your direct supervisor so they can be addressed early on
  • Keep open lines of communication at all levels regarding safety incidents and solutions
    • Record what happened, where it happened, the root cause and corrective actions

Be creative and innovative with solutions. Remain open to the ideas of others. Apply safety practices to your work and take accountability.

Meet the Workplace Safety Team

AO has its own occupational and facility safety team that is dedicated to driving safety improvements within the organization. 

The team is led by Mike Silanskis, director of occupational safety and facilities safety, and consists of Jennifer Kraus and Kristi Evans. This group is part of the Environmental Health and Safety department. 

The team is responsible for assessing current safety practices, reducing risks, implementing a safety management system and developing tools and resources to collect safety data and measure results. They also oversee occupational safety training programs such as ergonomics.

The safety team directly supports AO’s goal of safety and decreasing workplace risks and incidents.

Delivering Results

The safety team works with many labor-intense Facilities Operations departments and coordinates with those in Physical Facilities and Public Safety.

FY24 data shows that total injury rate (TIR) decreased significantly compared to FY23 due to various safety efforts implemented, including engaging employees, early intervention of potential injuries, proactively addressing risk and increased awareness about reporting potential hazards.