Introducing Occupational Health Services (OHS) at Tufts University

Tufts University is creating on-site, university-wide Occupational Health Services (OHS) to promote safety in the workplace for all faculty, staff, and post-doctoral scholars and to minimize injuries and accidents by providing convenient access to services such as vaccinations, medical clearances, and treatment of work-related injuries and illnesses.  

Co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Human Resources, Tufts OHS is based on a year-long needs assessment conducted by the Occupational & Environmental Health Network (OEHN) and involving more than 80 stakeholders from all campuses.  

Tufts OHS will open early next year on the Medford/Somerville campus in the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center. A location, to be announced at a later time, will open on the Boston Health Sciences campus in mid- to late-2022, followed by expanded services on the Grafton campus in 2023. Future announcements will be forthcoming as the timeline for operationalization is finalized. 

Tufts OHS will offer: 

• A single phone number and department to call with occupational health questions 

• Consistent and clear protocols for where to go for treatment if injured at work, how to manage a work-related injury claim, and how to return to work quickly and safely 

• Convenient access to no-cost vaccinations to protect against exposures in the workplace 

• Enhanced preventative services for people working in laboratories and with animals 

• Standardized responses to laboratory exposures 

• Best practices in health and safety services