Dean of engineering reaffirms college's commitment to safety
Published: Apr 22, 2024 9:10 AM
By Joe McAdory
Safe engineering is good engineering. That’s the message Mario Eden, dean of engineering, reaffirmed to faculty and staff in a recent memo.
“Prioritizing safety for ourselves and those around us is paramount,” Eden said. “Whether you are a faculty member, staff member or student of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, your actions impact the lives we touch daily. Therefore, we acknowledge that our collective aspirations hinge on your unwavering commitment to health and safety for yourself and those around you.”
The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering was the only academic institution recently recognized among 36 National Safety Council Green Cross Award semifinalists, setting the safety standard in higher education.
Safety in the classrooms. Safety in the laboratories. Safety all around.
“Achieving this objective can only be attained through a diligent review of our activities,” Eden said. “As engineers our essence lies in problem-solving, making it crucial to consistently ask ourselves these questions: Do our tasks or processes entail any potential hazards? What can go wrong with these hazards? How will their failure impact us and those around us, and have we instituted appropriate measures to mitigate or eliminate the potential risks to an acceptable level?”
The college’s safety statement, signed by the dean and all the college’s administration, reaffirms this commitment.
“Dr. Eden is always asking for us to improve operations and make things easier for faculty, staff and students,” said Emmanuel Winful, the college’s health and safety manager. “His message — a reaffirmation toward safety excellence at the college — is consistent with the way things have been. Like he said, engineering is all about problem-solving and what better way to solve a problem than to make sure that the problems you are solving do not impact the health, safety and wellbeing of yourself and somebody else?”
Winful noted it was important to continue to pursue cutting-edge research, "But most importantly that we continue to work with faculty, staff and students to make sure that we have better processes and systems in place that ensure their class or lab activities, experiments, projects or outreach activities function properly and safely. Striving for safety excellence doesn’t inhibit research progress,” Winful said. “Safety excellence allows us to find ways to do things better.”
Eden encourages faculty, staff and students to engage in ongoing discussions around process improvement within their projects or tasks, along with the steps that can be taken to enhance them.
“Our purpose extends beyond education; we are shaping the future cohort of engineers with a safety mindset,” Eden said. “Let's commit ourselves to embodying the principles and ethics of professional engineering, where safety, health and welfare are paramount. As the dean, I reaffirm our commitment to safety and ask every college member to do the same.”
Susan McCallister, director of Campus Safety and Compliance, values the college’s commitment.
“Saying that safety is a top priority is easy. When leadership visibly lives the value of safety through consistent words and actions, it transforms the culture and inspires the community to take responsibility for creating a safe campus for all,” she said.
Media Contact: , jem0040@auburn.edu, 334.844.3447
The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering was the only academic institution recently recognized among 36 National Safety Council Green Cross Award semifinalists, setting the safety standard in higher education.
