EH&S Archive of News and Information (by date)

Bike To Work Day
May 14, 2009, Thursday

April 16, 2009, Thursday,
10am -2pm, 775 Tan Hall

9/24/08 Reminder: Laboratory and Shop Self-Assessments Due

Please remember to turn in your laboratory and shop self-assessments to EH&S this week!

9/18/08 New Online Service

EH&S is now accepting food permit applications using a new online submittal process. Click on "E-application for Food Permit" to get started!

9/4/08 Thursday, September 4 and Friday, September 5 are Spare The Air Days!

To plan your commute online, visit www.511.org and to monitor current air quality conditions, visit www.sparetheair.org.

4/28/08 Q-Brace Matching Funds Available

In past years, over 100 departments have participated in the program, receiving over $400,000 in matching funds.

The United States Geological Survey has predicted that there is a 62% probability of a 6.7 or greater magnitude earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area before 2032. By taking advantage of the Q-Brace program, your department can minimize the direct losses associated with an earthquake and expedite the business resumption process.

Please discuss this program with your Department Safety Coordinator (or other appropriate contact) to develop a request for Q-Brace matching funds while program funds are still available. As campus funding is expected to be limited for FY08-09, applying for Q-Brace funds now can help you address a safety risk and mitigate the potential impact of the risk to your annual budget request.

More information and all the materials necessary to apply for the matching grants are available online at http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/qbrace.html. The instructions and procedure have been streamlined to make it even easier to participate in the program.

Please contact Steve Maranzana (643-1208, stevemar@berkeley.edu) if you have any questions about the Q-Brace program.

8/28/08 Thursday, August 28 & Friday, August 29 are Spare The Air Days!

7/18/08 New 2008-09 Laboratory and Shop Inspections information and new Lessons Learned are up on web site.

6/12/08 Spare The Air Day TODAY

5/15/08 Bike to Work and Spare the Air TODAY

Bike to Work Day Web Site

Spare the Air Organization Web Site

1/23/08 Focus The Nation - January 31, 2008

The UC Berkeley campus to host event addressing climate change through the lens of research and policy as well as the frame of collective and individual action.

"Focus the Nation-Global Warming Solutions for America" is an all-day symposium consisting of faculty presentations, panel discussions, and student-led working sessions. More than 1,000 U. S. colleges and universities will hold Focus the Nation events on the same day.

The event will take place from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the International House. On the same day, many faculty members will include climate-related topics in their classroom discussions and student groups are planning activities across campus to supplement the events at I-House.

Visit http://bie.berkeley.edu/ftn for more information.


11/1/07 NOTICE of University of California, Berkeley Sewer System Management Plan

10/22/07 2007-08 Lab & Shop Self-Inspections

8/7/07 DSC E-mail - Laser Printers in the Media

Dear Department Safety Coordinators,
As many of you know, a story on laser printer particle emissions was given wide attention in the media last week. The Office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S), in conjunction with the Occupational Health Clinic at University Health Services and Human Resources, has drafted this assessment and we ask that you forward this on to faculty and staff in your department.

Last week's stories in the newspapers, and on radio and television, referred to a research study in Australia that measured the number of small airborne particles emitted by various common laser printers. The stories seemed to indicate the study had determined that there were health effects from these particles, when in fact the research was strictly about particle emissions and did not directly study or link health effects with the laser printer generated particles.

The Australian researchers studied particle levels in an office environment and came to the conclusion that the primary particulate source was laser printers. The study makes no mention of whether other sources of particle emissions were considered that could have also contributed to the total particle count. Only three of the many printers listed in the media were tested under controlled laboratory conditions.

An unfortunate and perhaps irresponsible comparison to cigarette smoke particles made in some media stories has expectedly caused some alarm. While there are similarly sized particles in cigarette smoke, there are also hundreds of different chemicals in cigarette smoke, many of them with known health effects. The chemical composition of the particles described in the printer study are not yet clear, and the study did not examine or find long term health effects of being exposed to printer particulate.

As no tie to health impacts has been determined, neither federal nor state health agencies have established rules limiting exposures to the particles measured by this study. Agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that have established extensive guidelines on indoor air quality are closely monitoring these types of studies. As noted in the media coverage, adequate building ventilation can control the amount of particles in the workplace from all sources.

Due to the lack of an established link to health effects, employees and supervisors should not be concerned by the presence of a laser printer in their work area. However, if concerns persist, supervisors might consider relocating laser printers to areas with good ventilation.

In closing, particles such as those studied by the Australian group have been present in the air for a very long time (from furnaces, fires, cooking, candles, toaster ovens, combustion engines, and other sources) and much of the scientific community is evaluating potential impacts on human health. This single study provides additional information on the prevalence of such particles, but does not establish a health impact that requires action in the workplace.

If you have specific concerns or questions regarding this issue please contact EH&S at 642-3073. Managers and supervisors who have questions regarding the related media stories and their impact on the workplace may contact their campus Human Resources Employee Relations Specialist. EH&S will keep you posted if we learn of related information that could be helpful.

Brandon DeFrancisci, CIH Associate Director for Health & Safety Office of Environment, Health & Safety 317 University Hall MC #1150 Berkeley, CA 94720-1150

8/1/07 Two New Lessons Learned

Two new lessons learned have been added to EH&S's Lessons Learned web page.

Exploring Cylinder in Garbage
Missing Guard on Incubator Fan Injures Post Doc

7/17/07 2007-08 Laboratory and Shop Inspection Program

In July, the Office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) will start the fifth year of the campus Laboratory and Shop Inspection Program (LSIP), designed to help ensure safety and compliance in laboratories and shops. This year's inspections will focus on compressed gasses, clutter in labs, hazardous materials door signs, and unwanted hazardous material management. The inspections will be brief - approximately 15 minutes each - and will be coordinated with campus units to minimize interruptions to operations. As in previous years, the inspections will focus on issues that can be corrected by laboratory and shop personnel. For further information on the Laboratory and Shop Inspection Program for 2007/08, please visit http://ehs.berkeley.edu/labshopinspection.html.

6/4/07 New Laser Safety Training Requirements

The campus laser safety training requirement for new laser users including Principal Investigators (PIs) has been revised. The present "read, sign, and quiz" certificate requirement has been replaced by an in-person training class provided by EH&S on a monthly basis. This revised training requirement has been approved by the Non-Ionizing Radiation Safety Committee (NIRSC) and goes into effect June 4, 2007.

Campus personnel, including PIs, whose work will involve unsupervised use of Class 3b or 4 lasers will be required to complete this class prior to operation of the laser(s). Laser users and PIs who have met the current campus laser safety training requirement prior to June 4, 2007 will not be required to take this class though it is strongly recommended.

Also new is the campus laser safety refresher training requirement. This web based training will be launched later this year and will be required every 3 years after initial training is completed. All personnel, including those meeting the "read, sign and quiz" requirement will be advised by email when it is time to take this training. Please note, the revised campus laser safety training is equivalent to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (LBNL) EH&S 280-Laser Safety Training class. Those who complete the campus training class will have met LBNL's laser safety training requirement and similarly, personnel who have completed the LBNL EHS 280 training class will be given credit for meeting the campus training requirement.

For class information and registration, visit the Environment, Health and Safety - New User Laser Safety program web page.

Please contact Eddie Ciprazo, campus laser safety officer if you have special laser safety training needs or circumstances or if you have any questions regarding the revised campus laser safety training requirement. Eddie Ciprazo can be reached at 643-9243 or at racerx@berkeley.edu

For information on the LBNL's EH&S 280 laser safety training class, please contact the LBNL Laser Safety Officer, Ken Barat, at 495-2544 or KBarat@lbl.gov or visit the LBNL EH&S training website at http://www.lbl.gov/ehs/training/index.shtml

5/19/07 Cal Overstock & Surplus Den Showroom Sale and Computer Recycling Extravaganza
Date/Time: May 19, 2007, 8:00am-12:00pm, 510-642-1186, http:/overstock.berkeley.edu
Location: 1000 Folger Ave., Berkeley, CA 94720
RECYCLING: Community Computer Recycling "drop-off" available for Monitors, Laptops, CPUs, TVs, Keyboards, and Mice
SALE: Office furniture, computers and MORE.
Bring your Trucks and SUVs. Bring this ad on 5/19/07 for a 15% discount on that day on any single item (not valid on vehicles)
VISA, MC, Cashier's Checks, Money Orders ONLY

5/17/07
Bike to Work Day!

 

5/16/07
Meet our staff!

3/27/07 Sustainability Summit
The Fourth Annual UC Berkeley Sustainability Summit has been scheduled for: April 27, 2007 9am - Noon. More information at http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/summits/index.html

3/5/07 New Requirements for the Use of Controlled Substances in Research
In order for UC Berkeley to comply with DEA regulations and maintain an institutional DEA license for use of controlled substances in research, strict adherence to the Campus Controlled Substances Program is required by all researchers. See the new program requirements and resources at http://ehs.berkeley.edu/healthsafety/controlsubs.html

2/12/07 New EH&S Accident Investigator
The Office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) has received funding to implement a one-year pilot program for a professional Safety Specialist to assist campus departments in investigating work-related injuries and illnesses.

Mike Baldinelli has joined EH&S as our campus injury investigation specialist. In this position, Mike will provide guidance to supervisors on accident investigation techniques. He will also work closely with EH&S and Disability Management Services at University Health Services to examine injury trends with an eye towards reducing work-related injuries across the campus.

Mike will provide the following services:

• Assist all levels of campus staff to investigate work-related injuries, identify root causes and actions needed to prevent recurrence.
• Help track management actions that address conditions which are causing injuries.
• Analyze historical injury data and make recommendations.
• Develop tools to enhance the effectiveness of the injury investigation process.
• Develop "lessons learned" messages for dissemination across the campus.
  

Mike is a Certified Safety Professional with prior UC Berkeley EH&S experience and is uniquely qualified to undertake this assignment. In this role he will be contacting you to discuss work-related injuries and their follow-up. He may then wish to contact directly the supervisor(s) and employee(s) involved in those injuries.

We are confident that you will find Mike's input in helping identify the causes of work-related injuries valuable to your unit's safety program. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Mike at 2-9845, or baldinelli@berkeley.edu.

2/5/07 New Lesson Learned
A valuable lesson was recently learned when a forklift accident occurred on campus. For photos and a full description of the lesson learned, please see http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/lessonslearned/lessons1.html

This information, as well as more Lessons Learned, can also be found at: http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/lessonslearned.html

1/16/07 MANDATORY TRAINING: Working With Hazardous Materials in Laboratories
This safety training is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for all graduate students and employees who are new to campus laboratories this semester. Please note that any other interested students, staff and faculty are welcome to attend these classes, though the material presented is of particular interest to Principle Investigators, Department Safety Coordinators, Laboratory Managers, and Laboratory Safety Officers.

The Spring 2007 schedule of mandatory training sessions for new graduate students and employees is available below.
Location: 150 University Hall

January	February	March
Monday, January 22 2 PM - 4 PM	Thursday, February 1 2 PM - 4 PM	Tuesday, March 20 2 PM - 4 PM
	Friday, February 2 9 AM - 11 AM	Wednesday, March 21 2 PM - 4

You are encouraged to select a session for any new graduate students and employees in your laboratory to attend. Please direct them to enroll on ICE, the campus Interactive Course Enrollment System. If your chosen session is not convenient, they are welcome to sign up for any class that best fits their schedule.

The class is titled "Laboratory Safety for New Graduate Students and Employees." The link to ICE is http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/ice/home/.

You may also reply with an email to ehs@berkeley.edu, with the following information by Friday, January 19, 2007:

1. Name and department
2. Session of choice
3. Number attending

2006 News

12/21 Lesson Learned - Peroxide Explosion

Hazardous peroxide contaminants formed in old solvent and exploded after concentration injuring a campus researcher. See the complete lesson learned at http://ehs.berkeley.edu/lessonslearned.html.

11/21 Cal Climate Action Partnership (CalCAP)

Fahmida Ahmed is the new project manager for the California Climate Action Partnership (CalCAP) at UC Berkeley. She is conducting the Cal Climate Feasibility Study and Action Plan for the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability in 2007.

Fahmida works with the environmental protection team at Environment, Health & Safety along with many other campus groups to partner, develop and implement a long-term strategy to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the campus. CalCAP was jointly developed by a partnership between the (CACS) and the Berkeley Institute of the Environment (BIE).

For more information about CalCAP and related projects go to: http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/calcap.html

For the campus press release on joining the State Climate Registry go to: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/11/03_registry.shtml

11/9 Laboratory and Shop Self-Inspections Due November 9!

Campus laboratory and shop self-inspections are due back to the Office of Environment, Health & Safety TODAY, November 9, 2006. Additionally, while EH&S does not collect forms for inspections of office areas, they too should be done at a part of a yearly self-inspection cycle. If you have any questions or concerns, write or call Brandon DeFrancisci at 643-6394 or defran@berkeley.edu

10/6 New Strawberry Creek Fund to Benefit Strawberry Creek

The Environmental Protection team at EH&S has established, through the University Relations’ Development and Campaign office, a new Strawberry Creek Fund and have published a web site through which potential donors can learn about the fund and the projects it will benefit. If you are interested in learning more, or know anyone who may be interested in making a donation, please visit our newly redesigned Strawberry Creek web site at http://strawberrycreek.berkeley.edu. Donations can be made by check or online through the web site, and are fully tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

10/5 Newly revised Special Event Safe Food Handling Practices and Permit

Just in time for all those fun fall special events – new and easy to use guidelines for safe food handling and special events permits. See the web site for easy instructions and downloadable PDFs.

10/3 Annual Self- Inspections for Laboratories and Shops

It’s that time of year again – the beginning of Fall Semester and time to complete your annual lab or shop inspections. Forms are on our website with easy instructions and download. Deadline to submit your self-inspection forms in November 9, 2006. Please call our main number (642-3073) or email us at ehs@berkeley.edu if you have questions.

10/2 How Many Graduate Students Trained This Fall?

As with the beginning of any new semester, EH&S offers training for UC Berkeley’s new employees and incoming graduate students working in laboratories. This Fall, EH&S trained 431 attendees from 16 different departments in basic laboratory safety, UC Berkeley hazardous materials use and waste programs, and environmental protection programs. Listed below are the departments involved in this year’s trainings:

Bioengineering	Chemistry	Civil & Environmental Engineering
ESPM	Integrative Biology	Lawrence Hall of Science
Materials Science	Mechanical Engineering	MCB
Nuclear Engineering	Nutritional Science	Optometry
Plant & Microbial Biology	Physics	Public Health

 

 

 

 

 

 

9/28/06 Strawberry Creek Clean-up (11 am - 2 pm)

Come by Sather Gate Thursday, September 28, and assist in the clean-up of one of UC Berkeley's most beautiful natural resources. You may show up anytime between 11-2 pm and stay as long as you can. Trash bags and gloves will be provided. Please wear appropriate clothing and closed toe shoes. Participants receive a free Protect Strawberry Creek ceramic mug!

Contact: Steve Maranzana at 642-6568 or stevemar@berkeley.edu
Download a PDF flyer of the event.

9/18/06 Campus Bicycle Plan Published

The UC Berkeley Campus Bicycle Plan has been completed. It can be found on-line on the Parking & Transportation website:
http://pt.berkeley.edu/transportation_alternatives/bicycle_information/bike_plan.html

The Plan represents a comprehensive approach to bicycling at UC Berkeley that is guided by the 2020 Long Range Development Plan and builds upon the Campus Landscape Master Plan.

8/21/06 Newly Revised Website!

EH&S now offers a better way to access the information you need most with a newly redesigned website. Take a look around and give us feedback at ehs@berkeley.edu.

8/21/06 New Graduate Students Training

Today marks the the beginning laboratory safety training for new graduate students.
The Fall 2006 schedule of mandatory training sessions for new graduate students and employees working with hazardous materials in laboratories is listed below:

Date	Who May Attend?	Time	Location
Monday 8/21	Open	2PM-4PM	2060 VLSB
Tuesday 8/22	Open	9AM-11AM	159 Mulford
	EECS	11AM-1PM	277 Cory
	ESPM	3PM-5PM	159 Mulford
Wednesday 8/23	MCB	10AM-Noon	TBA
Thursday 8/24	Open	9AM-11AM	2060 VLSB
	Open	2PM-4PM	2060 VLSB
Friday 8/25	Open	9AM-11AM	2060 VLSB
	Materials Sciences	2:30PM-4:30PM	290 HMMB

8/7/06 Flammable Storage Information has been revised.

Flammable & Combustible Liquids Storage In Campus Laboratories