Workplace Safety

The campuswide Workplace Safety Program serves as the university’s central program for creating a safe and healthful work environment. 

Department Safety Committees

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2023

To comply with state injury and illness prevention statutes, the campus requires every department to have a safety committee. This Fact Sheet will tell you what department safety committees do and how to start them.

Download Department Safety Committees Fact Sheet

Laboratory Safety Self-inspections

Each year, EH&S initiates and tracks the completion of lab safety self-inspections, which are conducted by principal investigators or their delegates. The topics covered are designed to supplement inspections conducted by EH&S in order to facilitate safety awareness and ownership within the lab.

The self-inspection questionnaire can be viewed prior to initiating the self-inspections: Lab Safety Self-inspection Questions.

Compliance Requirement

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Electrical Safety Program

Electrical Safety at UC Berkeley

The UC Berkeley Electrical Safety Program provides information about electrical hazards, guides University safe-work policy, electrical safety procedures, equipment design, development and installation for all electrical work, equipment and systems at UC Berkeley. All faculty, staff, students, visitors and contractors must comply with the requirements of this program as it ensures their safety by:

Defining safe work practices and use requirements for...

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Labs

EH&S provides campus researchers with lab coats, safety glasses, and goggles. We also provide shared protective equipment to labs, such as face shields and protective aprons.

Please contact the PPE coordinator at ppe@berkeley.edu or by calling (510) 642-3073 if you have any questions or comments about personal protective equipment for your lab.

Hazardous Materials Facility

Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) manages hazardous materials at the Hazardous Materials Facility, located on Frank Schlessinger Way, just east of the Hellman tennis complex. Hazardous materials are collected, reusable materials are stored, and waste is sorted, labeled, packaged, and then transported to various off campus treatment facilities depending on the waste type.

The Facility also operates to distribute N95 masks during Wildfire Smoke events for the UC Berkeley campus community.

Equipment and Tool Safety

Providing resources and guidance for the safe use of tools by UC Berkeley personnel.

Needles and Sharps: Safe Handling, Injury Response and Disposal

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2020

A sharp is any device with corners, edges, or projections capable of cutting or piercing. Sharps include,
but are not limited to, the following:

Needles Needles with syringes and attached tubing Blades (razors, scalpels and X-acto®) Glass pasteur pipettes Broken glass, glass slides, and coverslips

Changes to Notification of Potential Workplace Exposure to COVID-19

July 10, 2023
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety

UC Berkeley faculty and staff can now stay updated on potential COVID-19 exposures by accessing the UC Berkeley Potential Worksite Exposure Information Website. This will replace the previous practice of sending a COVID-19 potential workplace exposure CALmessage to all employees within one business day of a potential COVID-19 exposure in campus buildings.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the...

Working in Hot Weather: Reminders for Employees & Supervisors

June 29, 2023
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety

It’s summertime and warmer temperatures are returning. The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for the region starting Friday. Heat 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.

Outdoor work when temperature exceeds 80°F

Workers performing job duties outside...

Rooftop Safety Plan

Soheila Khaligh
2020

This plan is a source of information for workers that will perform invasive or non-invasive work on roofs of UC Berkeley buildings. These are general guidelines to help you work safely in and around vent systems on the roof.