Employee Safety and Health

California Senate Bill 198 asserts employers' accountability for the safety and health of employees and amends Section 3023 of the California Code of Regulations to require employers to establish and maintain an injury and illness prevention program.

Accordingly, we have identified a responsible person and a suitable mechanism for

• communicating with employees on matters concerning safety and health;
• identifying and evaluating workplace hazards;
• establishing procedures for injury and illness investigation;
• mitigating hazards;
• training employees;
• record-keeping and, where appropriate,
• establishing criteria for membership on a labor-management safety committee.

I have reassigned the Office of Environmental Management-Health and Safety to report to Gordon Fercho, Vice President for Business and Administration, and I have appointed Mr. Fercho as the responsible person for developing and managing the injury and illness prevention program.

Our next step will be to rewrite the University's current safety and health plan to meet the new requirements. The Department of Environmental Management­ Health and Safety will be in contact with campus units to implement a comprehensive operational program.

Your assistance and cooperation will help us to produce a campus environment conducive to the health and safety of faculty, staff, students, and the public.