When Christine Lopez came to UNM 27 years ago, she probably never thought she would represent the face of safety at UNM. Lopez is the building coordinator for the Latin American & Iberian Institute, a task beyond her regular duties as an administrative assistant at LAII. Even before the building coordinator program started in 1996, Lopez saw safety as a priority and made that a part of her job.
A building coordinator is a volunteer who agrees to be the eyes and ears of safety in the building where they work. UNM Safety & Risk Services began this program to increase communication about safety, reduce losses and make UNM safer.
When a student confined to a wheelchair came to work in her building, Lopez had the water fountain lowered, the ramps fixed, the doors widened and the bathroom fixtures adjusted. When working late one night, she noticed that the outside lighting was not adequate, so she arranged with the Physical Plant Department to install additional lighting. She works with Safety & Risk Services on building inspections and takes the lead in making sure exit signs are clearly marked, fire extinguishers are current and any other safety issues are resolved immediately.
Lopez never misses building coordinator meetings, held at least twice a year to provide training and updates on safety issues such as insurance and workers’ compensation, emergency management, fire safety, chemicals on campus, smoking policy, air quality and sustainability.
SRS Safety Specialist Grandon Goertz said, “She gets all the fire marshal and safety requests done. She is helpful and manages several buildings, plus she shows concern for her staff and their safety.”
She said she loves her job at LAII because her duties are so varied. Since LAII receives grants to fund field research, she makes travel arrangements for students and staff doing research and visitors from Spain, Brazil and other nations. She sometimes provides transportation – she’s trained to operate a 15 passenger van. She said she enjoys working at UNM because of the camaraderie and because “UNM feels like home.”
For information on safety or the building coordinator program, visit Safety & Risk Services.
Story by Serena Pearson
Posted by scarr at November 23, 2009 12:53 PM