CCM Senior Custodian Receives Statewide Health and Safety Award

NJCHESS Honors Richard ter Linden at Annual Luncheon – Posted 6/26/14

Richard ter Linden, senior custodian at County College of Morris (CCM), has been recognized by the New Jersey College Health and Safety Society (NJCHESS) with its 2014 Knighthood Award for his exemplary work in health and safety at the college. The honor was presented at the society’s June 18 awards and scholarship luncheon held at Pantagis Renaissance in Scotch Plains.

“It is a great privilege to receive the Knighthood Award from NJCHESS,” ter Linden said. “I am delighted to be honored for the work I do at the college related to the health and safety of the CCM community.”

Ter Linden, of Andover, was recognized in part for his exceptional work in maintaining the New Jersey Department of Health’s Right to Know (RTK) Inventory for CCM’s Plant and Maintenance Department, which includes annual updates of the chemicals and product ingredients used by CCM’s electricians, maintenance, grounds, automotive, HVAC and custodians. He also developed a chemical labeling program used to train all departments on campus.

Ter Linden monitors employees who use chemicals to make sure they wear the required protective equipment. He also collects and organizes the Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals into binders based upon the area of use. This information is used in part to create a central RTK file for the entire college campus which is distributed to the state, as well as emergency responders on the county and local levels.

NJCHESS was established 26 years ago by representatives responsible for the administration and implementation of environmental health and safety policies and procedures in public and private New Jersey institutions of higher education.

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Photo: Richard ter Linden, senior custodian at County College of Morris (CCM), left, receives the 2014 Knighthood Award from the New Jersey College Health and Safety Society (NJCHESS). Presenting the award at right is Lora Lekos, president of NJCHESS and CCM’s environmental health and safety coordinator.