A group of six people standing in a row against a plain wall. Two individuals in the center are holding glass awards. The group is dressed in casual and business-casual attire, including polo shirts, sleeveless tops, and pants in various shades of blue, gray, and beige. — From left: Hank Mayes, environmental specialist; Val Freeman, laboratory safety program manager; Kim Southworth, director; Jerry Petre, university fire marshal; and Janell Kautz, laboratory safety specialist.

OSU Environmental Health and Safety wins awards at collegiate safety professional conference

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Media Contact: Alex Christy | Communication Specialist | 405-744-7241 | alex.christy@okstate.edu

In mid-July, the Oklahoma State University Environmental Health and Safety Department was recognized at the 72nd annual Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association conference in Seattle.

There, Kim Southworth, EHS director, and Jerry Petre, university fire marshal, accepted two awards on behalf of the department, recognizing its efforts over the last calendar year.

CSHEMA is a national organization that provides support, networking and educational opportunities for collegiate professionals in the environmental, health and safety sectors. Every year, CSHEMA celebrates the work of EHS departments nationwide by encouraging them to apply for various awards, in categories ranging from process improvement to communications.

EHS won the Resource Enhancement Innovation Award for its work on an exposure control plan designed to limit the amount of dirt and chemicals that leave construction sites on campus. Lastly, for the third year in a row, EHS won the Comprehensive Marketing and Communications Award for its sustained efforts to improve OSU's safety culture through skillful branding.

To be considered, the EHS team had to provide supportive data and details on the impacts and methods of measurement, which were then compared to submissions from other EHS departments across the country.

The EHS team members who attended the conference also presented and played key roles within CSHEMA. Southworth, who leads the scholarship committee, gave a presentation on engaging campus partners through technology and on demonstrating the value of environmental health and safety programs on college campuses. As the fire and life safety community of practice co-lead, Petre presented on OSU’s building review process and its effectiveness.