Environment, Health and Safety

The management of overall safety is governed by the Injury and Illness Prevention Program Manual (IIPP). In the Manual, the Chancellor states: The University of California at Berkeley is responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy environment for its faculty, staff, students, visitors, and surrounding community members......In order to implement the campus Injury and Illness Prevention Program, each campus department or unit must have a written IIPP, and establish a safety plan with its own procedures, activities, and records.

Departments have different needs for their safety programs depending on the focus of the unit. As a supervisor, you need to be familiar with your department's programs . You are expected to know and understand safe work practices in your occupation. A comprehensive knowledge of job safety is as important as the ability to organize and carry out work assignments.

Implementing the IIPP

  • Have a system for ensuring that employees comply with safety programs.

  • Have a system for communicating with employees about health and safety issues.
  • Have procedures for identifying and evaluating workplace hazards.
  • Investigate on-the-job injuries or illnesses.
  • Correct unsafe or unhealthy conditions.
  • Provide training and instructions and keep written documentation of the training.
  • Keep written records of all of the above for three years.

Making the Workplace Safe

  • Make sure employees know the location of safety information and safety equipment.
  • Make sure employees have the necessary training, licensing, or certificates to perform a job.
  • Do periodic written safety inspections of the workplace, including follow-up entries explaining what was done to mitigate all deficiencies.
  • Make sure all hazardous substances are properly labeled.
  • Make sure that employees are trained about the hazardous nature of substances they work with. Keep a file of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
  • Keep a written inventory of all hazardous substances for inclusion in the Campus' Hazardous Materials Management Program (HMMP) as required by law.

If there is an Accident or Injury

(See also Chapter 18: Disability Management)

  • Get aid to the employee.
  • See that the employee gets the necessary Workers' Compensation forms.
  • Investigate the cause of the accident.
  • Make sure all staff are familiar with departmental emergency response procedures (for bomb threats, fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters).