Lab Safety

Providing support, in the form of risk assessment, review, consultation(link sends e-mail), training, and the necessary resources and guidance for research at UC Berkeley.

Power Failures

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2024

Power Outages: Preparation and Response

This Fact Sheet includes:

General Power Outage information for the UC Berkeley Campus Best Practices for Advanced Preparation Before a Power Outage What to do During a...

Lab Self-Inspection Checklist

Office of Environment, Health & Safety

Reviewing the EH&S lab self-inspection checklist is a good way to prepare for inspections. The department safety coordinator for each department or an EH&S lab safety specialist will reach out to each lab to schedule an inspection time.

Contact the campus chemical hygiene officer at (510) 643-6381 or ucbcho@berkeley.edu with any questions or concerns about the EH&S General Lab Safety Inspection Program.

Alan Bolind

Lab Safety Specialist
Lab Safety
EH&S Inspections

Megan Hall

Lead, UC Chemical Management Safety (Deputy Fire Marshal)
Fire Prevention
Hazardous Materials
UCOP Center of Excellence

Laser Eye Exposure from a Specular Reflection

June 17, 2024
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety
What happened?

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.

Resources and Guides

Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

A JSA describes job tasks in step-by-step fashion, identifies associated hazards at each step, and outlines proper hazard controls that minimize the risk of injury or illness to the individual(s) performing that task.

JSAs Listed by Topic: Body Mechanics ...

UC Berkeley COVID-19 Prevention Program (CPP)

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2024

Reminder: Food and Drink in Laboratories

January 25, 2024
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to review the following key points to help prevent contamination of food and beverages.

Food and beverages are NOT allowed to be stored or consumed in laboratories or other rooms that use or store hazardous materials (e.g., hazardous chemicals, biological hazards, unsealed radioactive materials, research animals, and/or human blood or tissues). Whenever feasible, break rooms or separate office space(s) should be made available for food and beverage consumption. Protect Clean Areas from contamination: Consistent with building,...

Approaching Soon: Annual General Lab Safety Inspections

February 22, 2024
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety
Annual General Lab Safety Inspections will begin soon.

Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) lab safety specialists are in the process of scheduling an in-person inspections for labs.

How to prepare? The inspection checklist has expanded to include additional safety considerations. Please review the inspection questions and visit the General Lab Safety Inspections web page for more details...

Important: New UC Chemical Inventory Requirements

March 20, 2024
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety

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 ...