News

On Friday, September 9, 2022, Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) responded to a fire incident at 2000 Carleton Street resulting from a defect in a recalled “SMC” brand pedestal oscillating floor fans.

Institutional Review

• For international travel, follow CDC guidance and the two-step approval process posted on the UC Berkeley Global Engagement website.

General precautions and considerations:

Symptoms

• Stay home if sick with a fever or cough or close contact with COVID cases within the last 14 days.

Travel Registration

Overview

The risk of getting infected with Monkeypox (Mpox/MPX) is very low for the general public.  However, as this comes on the heels of the Coronavirus and all the public health concerns that it has raised, it’s important to get informed about the risks of MPXand what you can do to protect yourself.  

Be Prepared to Help

First Aid Training Opportunity

Urgent Field Action Notice: Getinge ULTIMA Washer/Dryer

Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) has been advised of a defect with ULTIMA washer/dryer models that may be in use in your lab.

The manufacturer, Getinge Life Science, has received complaints where the screed/cylinder link of the ULTIMA washer/dryer was broken, leaving the door unlatched when opened. This may result in an unreasonable risk of harm to the user.

Updated UC Berkeley COVID-19 Training

UC Berkeley Guidelines on Protecting Workers from COVID-19

Cal/OSHA recently made its third and final revision to the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard. The Campus COVID-19 Prevention Plan is being updated accordingly. The new ETS will go into effect on May 6 and will remain in effect through December 31, 2022.

Live Fire Extinguisher Training classes are available the first Thursday of each month. Sign up today! 

The previously announced changes to mask guidelines are now in effect.

Effective Monday, March 7, 2022

Each year, law requires that the Cal/OSHA Annual Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses Form 300A be posted in each department. The summary must be posted in a visible place, such as where notices to employees are displayed. Departments must have the summary posted through April 30, 2022.

Please work with your department(s) to ensure that this summary is appropriately posted.

Reuse & Disposal of Face Coverings

What happened?

A researcher was exposed to a 1 watt continuous wave beam from a Ti-Sapphire (852 nm) laser while visually inspecting a non-linear crystal on the optical table with a dielectric mirror. The researcher was unaware that the beam was present and it was directed into their right eye. The researcher was not wearing laser eye protection because they thought the laser was off.

Keeping EH&S Applications Secure

EH&S has implemented temporary security parameters to reduce vulnerabilities across our applications. In order to use EH&S applications, you will now need to either 

If unvaccinated people need to work closer than 6-feet apart for lab work, training, maintenance or other activities with others, the following process needs to be applied:

Originally posted in UC Berkeley’s Response & Recovery Newsletter.

Response & Recovery, July 2, 2021 Issue

The return to campus section of the coronavirus site has been updated with new information regarding face coverings, meetings, physical distancing and more. Here are the highlights:

On March 31, 2021 Alameda County and the City of Berkeley transitioned to the Orange (“Moderate”) Tier in the State Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Given low rates of COVID-19 cases among on-campus researchers and rising availability of vaccines in the community, campus leadership has approved additional on-campus research access under a new Phase 4.

CAL FIRE Information Bulletin
Office of the State Fire Marshal
Issued: December 15, 2020

UC Berkeley researchers have developed a unique, easy, and effective method for testing the presence of the COVID-19 virus in the wastewater flowing through municipal sewer systems.