Increased public concern over environmental issues and occupational safety has led to a major expansion of federal, state and county environmental health and safety laws. Of crucial concern to CSUSB is that over the past several years regulatory agencies have announced their intention to focus more compliance activity on academic institutions.
Numerous legislative bills that have passed in recent years, and those introduced as upcoming legislation, all combine to include the following requirements
Quite clearly, CSUSB needs to meet these challenges offered by new legislation and requirements. The following E H & S policy was designed specifically to address these regulations. And therefore should be accepted as an umbrella program which incorporates the elements of current requirements, while retaining flexibility needed to address future E H & S mandates as they arise.
Effective utilization of this policy would generate:
Including, but not limited to: Code of Federal Regulations, California Code of Regulations, California Codes, Uniform Fire Code, Uniform Building Code, American with Disabilities Act, and South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Federal, State and Local agencies assigned to ensure compliance with all E H & S laws and regulations.
Although the provisions of this law and the implementing regulations apply only to employees. The University is committed to providing for the health and safety of students and visitors as well.
When properly designated and implemented, an effective E H & S Program will assist management in determining what hazards exist in the workplace, how to correct hazards that may occur, and what steps to take to prevent them from occurring. The establishment of an effective system for providing employee injury and illness prevention, will achieve the following objectives:
The ultimate responsibility for establishing and maintaining effective policies regarding environmental health and safety issues specific to campus facilities and operations rests with the University President. General policies which given the activities and responsibilities of the E H & S program are thereby established under the final authority of the President.
Committees have been established to achieve and maintain beneficial relationships through continuing communications on issues relating to occupational health and safety. The committees discuss, explore, study, and make recommendations on the issues. Committees will also provide employees with the opportunity to voice concerns relating to hazards without fear of reprisal. Committees are established for specific areas or function as required and identified by the E H & S Department. Currently, committees (i.e. Art Safety Committee, Chemical Hygiene Committee, Facilities Services Safety Committee, SETC Safety Committee) consist of representatives from the E H & S department and department assigned designated safety coordinators.
The responsibilities of these committees are as follows:
It is this department's responsibility, under the guidance and policies of Administrative Council, to develop, implement and manage the E H & S programs. To effectively accomplish this goal, EH&S has the authority to request that Deans, Directors, Chairpersons, Supervisors, and other individuals abate unsafe and/or environmentally unsound conditions that are in noncompliance with federal, state and local laws. In addition to program areas in Appendix A, further responsibilities shall include, but are not limited to the following:
It is the responsibility of Deans, Directors, Department Chairs and Department Heads to develop department procedures and to maintain compliance with the E H & S Policy and other university health and safety programs as they relate to operations under their control. Specific areas include employee training and student education, identification and correction of unsafe conditions, and recordkeeping, specifically these individuals will:
It is the responsibility of faculty and supervisors to work directly with employees and students in the implementation of the E H & S Policy. These individuals will:
Department Safety Coordinators are appointed by each Dean, Director, Department Chair or Department Head and are critical to the effective implementation of this program while ensuring CSUSB's compliance.
These individuals will:
Students are expected to adhere to safety practices presented by faculty, technical staff, student assistants, graduate assistants or other authorized individuals. They also must report workplace hazards to their supervisors or other responsible parties.
All employees shall adhere to safe and healthful work practices as defined by established campus and departmental health and safety guidelines. Failure to do so may result in the initiation of disciplinary measures.
Several methods of communicating with employees on matters relating to health and safety have been established. Managers and supervisors will encourage employees to report, without fear of reprisal, any unsafe or unhealthful conditions they discover.
Departments will schedule regular safety meetings at which health and safety issues are freely and openly discussed by employees of the department. Management will attempt to schedule the meetings at a time when most employees can attend and will keep minutes to document who was in attendance and what topics were discussed, while providing copies to the E H & S Department.
Departments will provide specific training programs for employees either on a periodic basis or prior to assignment on a new job or when work assignments change.
Faculty and staff are responsible for providing specific training programs (e.g., lab safety, art safety) applicable to the student prior to any activities.
E H & S can provide departments with sources for a variety of posters and safety materials to be used in promoting a safe and healthful workplace and work practices. It is required that posters be displayed in highly visible locations within each applicable workplace.
Any concerns or issues that an employee feels need attention may be referred to the EH&S Department (extension 7 5 1 7 9).
The campus President has issued a safety policy statement which informs all employees of the University that safety is a priority issue among his / her executive level administrators. This policy urges all faculty and staff to actively participate in the E H & S program for the common good of the entire campus community.
A health and safety inspection program is essential in order to reduce unsafe campus conditions, which may expose faculty, staff, students and the public to incidents that could result in injury to individuals or property damage.
Many hazards can be prevented from occurring through documented self-inspections. An effective hazard control system will identify hazards that exist or develop in the workplace, how to correct those hazards, and steps to take that will prevent their recurrence.
Upon completion of scheduled or unscheduled inspections, all findings will be prepared in writing and submitted to respective department heads and E H & S. Corrective action or a suitable timetable for elimination of a hazard (where appropriate) is the responsibility of the department supervisor.
Once identified, hazards will be ranked according the severity as defined in Table 1. Prioritization of abatement actions will be based on the ranking scheme. Serious violation and hazards should always be given top priority and be corrected immediately. Consideration should be given to stopping operations affected by the violations or hazards. All identified hazard will be issued a deficiency notice until it is abated.
| Order of Priority | Consequence (Severity) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Imminent danger exists. Capable of causing death, possibly multiple deaths, widespread occupational illness and loss of facilities. |
| 2 | Severe injury, serious illness property and equipment damage |
| 3 | Minor injury, illness or equipment damage may result |
| 4 | First aid care |
Individuals conducting a safety inspection shall immediately notify the Department Chair/Head or the E H & S Department, as appropriate, if a condition exists that presents an imminent hazard to health or safety. The Department Chair / Head shall inform all employees of any such imminent hazard(s) that cannot be immediately corrected and ensure that all necessary precautions are taken to prevent mishaps.
An imminent hazard is any condition or practice that can be expected to cause death or serious physical harm before the hazard can be eliminated through normal corrective measures; e.g. an employee working on an electrical line without shutting off the power. A conspicuous notice or "red tag"" will be attached to the hazardous condition prohibiting use of the area, machine, or equipment which presents the hazard to employees or students. The "red tag" may not be removed until the hazardous condition no longer exists and required safeguards and safety devices are implemented. Only the E H & S Director or designee can remove a "red tag." Personnel who continue to use an item that has been so tagged, or who willfully remove a tag before the unsafe condition is corrected, may be subject to disciplinary action. Entry or use may be allowed with the E H & S Director's or designee's knowledge and permission, only for the sole purpose of eliminating the hazardous condition.
Effective dissemination of safety information lies at the very heart of a successful E H & S Program. It is necessary to provide training for employees concerning general safe work practices (Safety Training Program) as well as specific instruction with respect to hazards unique to each employee's job assignment.
Specialized safety training sessions dealing with an employee's unique job assignment must be developed by each supervisor. It is the responsibility of each supervisor to understand his/her employee's job tasks and related hazards.
A long-range departmental training plan should be developed with the assistance of E H & S Department, which sets priorities for training sessions, including a schedule of presentations. Consideration should also be given to the frequency required for retraining employees. These refresher programs should also be incorporated in the long-range plan.
Many standards and regulations contain requirements for the maintenance and retention of records for occupational injuries and illnesses, medical surveillance, exposure monitoring, inspections, transportation, training, and other activities and incidents relevant to environmental health and safety. These records shall be maintained by each department with copies at the E H & S Department.
To properly protect the University, it is essential that records of all accidents, injuries and illnesses occurring either on University property or at off-campus University-sponsored events are maintained and analyzed by the E H & S Department. Complete records of all incidents involving bodily injury and/or property damage accidents involving faculty, staff, students, and/or the public are maintained and analyzed for accident prevention and campus liability purposes by E H & S and other designated departments. It is essential that all such incidents be reported immediately and / or in writing to the University Police or E H & S Department.
Reports of accident and injury incidents may be generated by, but not limited to, University Police (STD. Form 268 for accidents involving the campus community, traffic accidents, state driver accidents, etc.), Radiation Safety Office, Housing Office (resident accidents, intramural sports, etc.), Athletic Department and Student Health Center (student injuries, doctor's first report of industrial injury or illness, etc.). Statistics and other information from these department records will be available to department heads for use in accident prevention efforts. In addition, departments also should maintain and analyze records of accidents occurring in their own area of operations.
As required by law, it is the responsibility of each department to ensure that they have an M S D S for all existing inventory and any new material orders. Each M S D S received by the campus must be maintained for at least thirty (30) years unless some record of the identity (chemical name if known) of the substance or agent, where it was used and when it was used is retained for at least thirty (30) years. Copies of all M S D S's must be sent to the E H & S Department for inclusion in the master log and business plan.
Each employee exposure record will be preserved and maintained for at least thirty (30) years except for certain background data on workplace monitoring and certain biological monitoring results. Such records include workplace monitoring or measuring of a toxic substance or harmful physical agent; biological monitoring results which directly assess the absorption of a toxic substance or harmful physical agent by body systems; material safety data sheets; and, in the absence of the above, a chemical inventory or any other record which reveals where and when used and the identity of a toxic substance or harmful physical agent. It is the responsibility of departments (with E H & S coordination) using any regulated carcinogens to comply with the additional reporting and record keeping requirements under Cal/OSHA.
The medical record for each employee will be preserved and maintained for at least the duration of employment plus thirty (30) years except for certain health insurance claims records, first aid records or the medical records of employees who have worked for less than one (1) year if they are provided to the employee upon termination of employment. Such records include medical and employment questionnaires or histories; the results of medical exams and lab tests; medical opinions, diagnoses, progress notes, and recommendations; first aid records; descriptions of treatments and prescriptions; and employee medical complaints. All such employee medical records shall be kept confidential.
Each analysis using exposure or medical records will be preserved and maintained for at least thirty (30) years.
Essential records, including those legally required for workers' compensation, insurance audits and regulatory inspection shall be maintained for as long as required. The departments will keep records of steps taken to establish and maintain programs. They must include:
The University recognizes that employees and their designated representatives and authorized representatives of the Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal / OSHA) - have a right of access to relevant exposure and medical records. Such access is necessary to yield both direct and indirect improvements in the detection, treatment and prevention of occupational disease. Whenever an employee or designated representative requests access to a record, the University shall assure that access is provided in a reasonable time, place and manner.
"Approval by Administrative Council February 3, 1992"
California State University, San Bernardino
5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 9 2 4 0 7
Phone: (9 0 9) 5 3 7 - 5 1 7 9, Fax: (9 0 9) 5 3 7 - 7 0 4 9, Email: allehs@c s u s b . e d u
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