A researcher walking towards an optical table was exposed to a laser beam that reflected off a hex ball driver tool. Another researcher at a nearby bench was installing an optical component on a breadboard when the hex ball driver he was using inadvertently moved into an active beam path. The hex ball tool had a reflective surface.
The annual material handling and storage safety self-inspection period is here! As a reminder, facilities are asked to conduct self-inspections each year to supplement EH&S inspections in order to promote safety awareness and safe work practices. These inspections are also in compliance with the UC Berkeley Workplace Safety Program and thus, Cal/OSHA annual safety inspection requirements.
Complete a self-inspection via RSS Inspect by Friday, June 7, 2024.
Working in high temperatures can be dangerous and potentially life-threatening. It is important to take precautions and to be prepared for high heat conditions. Please share this information with supervisors and employees in your department that work outdoors or may be exposed to high temperatures indoors during their workday.
Get your clean coat via campus mail:
Fill out the Lab Coat Request Form to request a clean lab coat.
A NEW Field Hazards section is now live in UC Berkeley's Lab Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT)
During recertification of existing assessments, PIs will see a new fieldwork screening question. If any members of your research group conduct fieldwork or research off-campus, mark "Yes."
specimen collection
Following these simple steps supports safe and successful research.
Register all University travel >100 miles via UC Away (Calnet login required) for travel insurance documentation, 24/7 travel assistance, and a destination-specific trip brief.
The California Retail Food Code regulates food service for Non-Profit Charitable Organizations. This includes Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) at UC Berkeley. The Code restricts organizations from holding more than four events per calendar year where food is served to the public and requires approval by a Local Enforcement AGENCY (LEA).
The annual shop safety self-inspection period is here! As a reminder, shops are asked to conduct self-inspections each year to supplement EH&S inspections in order to promote safety awareness and safe work practices.
In response to a directive from the UC Office of the President on December 15, 2023, Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) will be working closely with campus departments to establish appropriate practices for both initial tagging and ongoing maintenance of chemical inventories as part of multiyear implementation of UCOP’s
Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) lab safety specialists are in the process of scheduling an in-person inspections for labs.
The Biological Use Authorization (BUA) submission process is moving to the Risk & Safety Solutions (RSS) software system, RSS BUA, in time for the April CLEB Meeting! EH&S will be transferring your existing BUA data into the new system.
The beginning of the year is the perfect time to review the following key points to help prevent contamination of food and beverages.
Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) is preparing the 2024 Manufactured Nanoscale Materials Disclosure for the City of Berkeley.
If you use nanoscale materials in your lab, and
a. you have never filled out the Nanoscale Materials Information Form,
or,
b. you have begun using new nanoscale materials, or a new class of materials, in your lab,
Leaking cylinders can pose serious hazards, including: oxygen displacement, release of toxic or other hazardous gas, and/or fire/explosion due to flammable or reactive gas release. If your lab works with compressed gas, please be aware that older cylinders are prone to leaking at the valve.
Please follow the precautions below to prevent gas cylinder leaks:
We are modernizing the Biological Use Authorization (BUA) submission process by moving to the online UC Risk & Safety Solutions software system (“RSS BUA”).
When researchers leave the lab or the university, many lab coats are left behind and remain unused. This occupies valuable space and prevents EH&S from reissuing coats.
To sustain our campus-funded lab coat program, please return any surplus coats by following the instructions.
Earlier this fall, Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) launched a new lab coat laundry process.
Please perform the following steps if your lab coat is in need of laundering:
The following lessons learned reports detail what went wrong and what corrective actions have been taken or will take place to address the incidents.
A researcher was heating a small volume (<30mL) of hexanes/ethyl acetate containing approximately one gram of an organic azide. The solution was placed in a capped, 40mL pyrex media storage bottle. Holding the bottle of the azide solution in their left hand, the researcher was heating it with a heat gun with their right hand behind a horizontal fume hood sash protecting their face and torso.
Using dry Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent, a reaction between an organic macrocycle and bromoethane was placed in a round bottom pressure vessel. The reaction was heated using armor aluminum beads in a stainless steel bowl sitting atop a hotplate. The setup was briefly left unattended inside a fume hood with the sash closed.