Workplace Safety

The UC Berkeley campus has hundreds of buildings and each building performs differently based on its design, age, equipment, and critical human factors.

We can't stress enough the importance of keeping doors and windows closed when it's smoky outdoors. Indoor air will commonly smell of smoke during a wildfire event, but when we test it, we find it’s consistently better (i.e., containing lower particulate matter) than being outdoors. Most buildings contain MERV-rated filters that reduce harmful particulate pollution, but do not have charcoal...

There are more than 50 shops on campus and at field stations that conduct work in support of research and maintenance activities. Work includes model-building, carpentry, machine building, electrical/electronics, concrete work, glass blowing, metal working, vehicle maintenance and more. The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) has developed this Shop Safety Program to manage the hazards associated with various shops and their work activities to comply with Cal-OSHA and other regulations concerning shops.

This program applies to any department on campus, at field stations...

When an earthquake shakes unrestrained objects, they can slide, swing, overturn, or strike people or other objects. File cabinets, freestanding bookshelves, office equipment, and items stored on shelves or racks can all cause serious injuries by their movement during an earthquake.

Most injuries that occur during earthquakes are caused by the movement of the building’s contents, not by the movement of the building itself.

The...