Keeping Environmental Health and Safety Happy (and Off Your Back) from Design Through Construction
Melissa McCullough, CHMM, CIH, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute
Kristen Dynia, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
After decades of butting heads during laboratory construction and renovation projects, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), and Planning Design and Construction (PDC) departments decided to sit down and listen to each other. EH&S determined that PDC is not an unsafe, earth-destroying machine, and PDC realized that EH&S was not just out to cost them more money! Most importantly, the departments actually have the same ultimate objectives: to construct the laboratory in the safest, cleanest, and most efficient manner while coming in under time and budget. After this realization, the departments were able to determine a method so that all needs were met. The outcome was a tool of sorts that defines the who and when of the process, from design to project turnover. The speaker will present on the process and the tool, as well as highlight the barriers to effective communication between these groups and provide methods to eliminate these barriers. Finally, the speaker will present the laboratory construction process tool and an example of how it was used.
Biographies:
Melissa McCullough was named director of Environmental Health and Safety for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard teaching hospital and research center in Boston, after working through the ranks there for 12 years. Recently, Environmental Services was added to the departments under Ms. McCullough's direction. So, if you are at Dana-Farber and want to know who is in charge of something that is dirty or dangerous, the answer is probably Ms. McCullough. Ms. McCullough has a master's degree in environmental science and holds both certified hazardous materials manager and certified industrial hygienist certifications. Ms. McCullough's pet projects at Dana-Farber include anesthesia safety in animal workers, hazardous drugs, implementing a virtual environmental management system, research animal waste, mercury in wastewater, waste reduction, and the design phase through the operation of a LEED® Certified building that was completed this year.
Kristen Dynia is a project manager in the Planning, Design, and Construction Department at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She has more than thirteen years experience working as an Owner's Project Manager for a number of Health Care Facilities in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. Ms. Dynia also spent nearly half of her career at Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network in her hometown of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Ms. Dynia has a Bachelors of Science in construction management from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. She also spent time in the Roger William's School of Architecture program, where she gained her appreciation for the architectural profession. She is currently working on a relocation of Dana-Farber's Clinical Lab and has most recently completed a 10,000-square-foot wet laboratory facility that includes chemistry space at Dana Farber's Harbor Campus in South Boston.