Chemical Safety

Ensuring the safe and compliant use of chemicals on campus.

Waste Disposal

The Office of Environment, Health & Safety maintains a Hazardous Waste Program (HWP) to develop hazard waste disposal procedures, provide orientation to campus personnel, monitor departmental hazardous waste operations, receive departmental waste and dispose of the waste, and evaluate all hazardous waste disposal activities.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Labs

EH&S provides campus researchers with lab coats, safety glasses, and goggles. Please contact the PPE coordinator at ppe@berkeley.edu if you have any questions or comments about personal protective equipment for your lab.

We also distribute N95 masks to employees when campus is impacted by unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke (when AQI exceeds 150). View distribution schedule.

Controlled Substances

bottle and pill icon Controlled Substances

UC Berkeley’s Controlled Substances (CS) program outlines required procedures pertaining to the procurement, use, storage, inventory, and disposal of controlled substances to comply with Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations. These procedures apply to all research and teaching activities using controlled substances.

Controlled...

Campus Laboratory Safety Policies

The University of California, Berkeley is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for the campus community. Faculty, students, and other personnel in laboratories and other academic settings may work with hazardous materials, equipment, and processes. With regard to safety and environmental protection, this teaching, and research work is governed by state and federal regulations and University policies.

New UC Systemwide Laboratory Safety Policies...

Chemical Inventory Spot Check Inspections

August 22, 2025

The following message is meant for labs:

Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) will be performing audits of groups on campus with chemical inventories to check for chemical inventory accuracy. Maintaining chemical inventories to at least 90% accuracy is a prerequisite to UC Systemwide MAQ compliance

How can I prepare?...

Understanding Sharps Safety and Handling

June 25, 2025
What Are Sharps?

Sharps are any items with pointed edges or projections capable of cutting, puncturing, or piercing the skin. Common examples include:

Hypodermic needles

Syringes with attached needles or tubing

Razor blades, scalpels, and X-Acto® knives

Glass Pasteur pipettes

Broken glass items

Glass microscope slides and coverslips

Sharp instruments...

Self Closing Flammable Cabinets

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2025

California Fire Code (CFC) regulations establish the quantity and methods for flammable and combustible liquids storage in research and teaching laboratories.

Kendall Braun

Assistant Chemical Hygiene Officer / Lab Safety Specialist
Chemical Safety
Lab Safety
EH&S Inspections

Russ Blackmar

Chemical Inventory Specialist
Chemical Inventory
Chemical Safety
Hazardous Materials
Lab Safety