Evaluating the relative status of health and safety programs for minority academic and research institutions

The health and safety programs that support academic and research instituti ons face many challenges because of the wide variety of potential hazards p resent and the possibility of simultaneous exposures to several agents. Thi s study investigated whether differences in health and safety programs exis t between minority and nonminority state-funded academic and research insti tutions. A cross-sectional mail survey was conducted that included 24 minor ity and 51 nonminority schools. Questionnaires solicited information on des criptive institutional parameters, health and safety staffing, the hazards present, programs in place to address hazards, and medical surveillance ser vices. The hazard types identified as present on both campus types were fou nd to be very similar. The mean number of health and safety staff serving m inority institutions was lower (1.14 versus 3.12), with the difference reli ably predicted by the number of institutional employees, not minority statu s or regulatory environment. Other targeted parameters were found to be sim ilar. with a consistent lack of awareness of specific medical evaluations n oted for both groups. Since on average a single person is charged with cont rolling a diverse set of potential hazards on the minority campuses studied , the need for a comprehensive awareness of a variety of health and safety issues is discussed.