Health and Safety Program; Superceded by EM 04-002

To: Campus Community

From: Manuel A. Esteban, President

Subject: Health and Safety Program; Superceded by EM 04-002

HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM

Background

The Board of Trustees recently conducted an extensive health and safety audit of CSU, Chico's safety programs. The purpose of the audit was to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations and to reduce accidents and claims associated with safety-related incidents.

The Board of Trustees has requested that each department comply with the audit recommendations and maintain an ongoing safety program. Environmental Management, Health and Safety (EMHS) and your representatives on the campus Health and Safety Committee are coordinating this effort and assisting in developing safety programs to fit the specific needs of the department. This approach includes a campuswide effort and participation from every employee and supervisor. However, the ultimate responsibility for developing policies and procedures, conducting and following up on semi-annual inspections, and providing training to employees and students rests with the deans, chairs, and department administrators. This policy affects every employee and student on the CSU, Chico campus, and every supervisor has a legal and moral responsibility to provide these basic services to our employees and students.

Policy

Each campus department or functional unit will develop and maintain health and safety policies and procedures. These policies and procedures will be specific to the department or functional unit and cover the following areas:

• Develop departmental policies and procedures to ensure adequate training is provided for employees and students when working in a hazardous environment and to avoid unsafe conditions and hazardous equipment
• Conduct safety inspections of all areas at least one time per semester
• Develop a system to track records of training, injuries, incident reports, and safety complaints
• Maintain hazardous materials inventory for each room and provide an updated chemical inventory to EMHS on an annual basis
• Request an MSDS when ordering a chemical and maintain an MSDS file for every chemical substance under the department's control
• Periodically post safety notices, inspection reports, and departmental policies and procedures
• Notify contractors and employees of unsafe conditions within the department
• Designate a department safety coordinator
• Ensure compliance with the campus Illness and Injury Prevention Program (IIPP)

Written policies and procedures should already be in place and signed by the dean or department administrator. Inspection of all areas shall be completed by the department no later than February 28 and September 30 of each year. Copies of the inspection reports shall be provided to EMHS.

When a hazard in a department is identified, the area supervisor shall ensure that corrective measures are taken to abate the hazardous condition. Hazards requiring repairs shall be corrected internally or by developing a work order to have FMS complete the repair. A copy of the repair request or the FMS work order will be forwarded to EMHS. The area supervisor is also responsible for securing the hazard so exposure to employees and students is eliminated. Safety-related repairs will be given the highest priority in the department's and FMS's repair schedule. The infrequent but serious hazards that pose a risk to life, or create the potential for serious injury, will be locked out by EMHS until the repair can be made. Every attempt will be made not to disrupt the academic mission of the University.

The supervisor shall report an injury immediately to the Benefits Office and to EMHS. The supervisor shall not disturb the accident area or any equipment associated with the accident until EMHS has had a chance to conduct an inspection. If the equipment is found to be faulty, it will be taken out of service until it can be repaired. In the case of work-related injuries, a written description of the injury shall be submitted to the Benefits Office on the Supervisor's Report of Injury form within 24 hours of the injury. This form can be found on the Human Resources website.

Environmental Management, Health and Safety and the campus Health and Safety Committee will assist you in completing and maintaining your departmental safety program. However, the ultimate responsibility for conducting semi-annual inspections, providing and documenting safety training, and complying with the nine items listed above are the responsibility of the deans, chairs, and department administrators.