From the Frontline: Selvin McLean, Director of Environmental Health & Safety
From the Frontline is an ongoing series highlighting members of the Florida Tech community who are working tirelessly to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
In this installment, Selvin McLean discusses his role at Florida Tech as the Director of Environmental Health and Safety.
Q: Please describe your duties related to the university’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Selvin McLean: I am the director of environmental health & safety. My department basically is similar to a health department where we advise recommended courses of actions either based upon the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations and/or Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
Q: What does it mean to you to play such a key role in assisting the university during this time?
SM: I enjoy helping people. With everything that is going on, individuals want options on how they should do something with what resources are on hand. The key is to communicate those options.
Q: Talk about some successes and challenges during this unique time.
SM: The biggest success has been leadership coming together to ease personnel concerns. The biggest challenge has been filtering needed information to communicate to personnel about COVID-19 – correct information vs incorrect from multiple sources.
Q: From your vantage point, how well has the university responded to this pandemic?
SM: The university has done well communicating information to personnel in a timely manner.
Q: What is a key thing for people to remember during this pandemic?
SM: Be patient, communicate, and listen to personnel.
Q: Anyone on your staff you’d like to highlight?
SM: Charles ‘Sonny’ Cherrito, university biosafety officer. At this time, we’re drawing on his experience from the biosafety/biosecurity world to provide an open line of communication regarding health issues and processes.
Find the university’s latest coronavirus updates and information on the Coronavirus Central webpage.
