Workplace Safety

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

Required Heat Illness Prevention Training

March 4, 2025
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety

A new Cal/OSHA Indoor Heat Illness Standard went into effect July 2024 to protect workers in areas where temperatures may exceed 82°F. During Bay Area heat waves, our building ventilation systems may be challenged to maintain temperatures below this threshold, potentially affecting all campus employees.

Action Required

Complete the Heat Illness Prevention Training by Friday, April 4...

Important Updates to Drain Disposal Restrictions

February 27, 2025
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety

The campus Drain Disposal Restrictions have been revised in an effort to simplify the guidelines and mitigate improper disposal practices. Discharge of hazardous chemical wastes into the municipal sanitary sewer system is prohibited by campus policy and is regulated by federal, state, and regional laws. UC Berkeley is committed to the protection of the local community and the environment.

Action Required

Review the revised ...

Welding and Hot Work Program

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2024

The UC Berkeley Hot Work Program provides procedures and supplemental information for welding and other hot work on campus. This program is designed to prevent injuries, prevent fire, control hazards, and to ensure compliance with Cal/OSHA safety regulations and the California Fire Code. The procedures outlined in this program must be followed by staff who perform welding and other hot work on UC Berkeley property.

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Ladders

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2021
Ladder Safety Program

UC Berkeley has developed this Ladder Safety Program to manage the safe selection, procurement, safe work practices, inspection, inventory tracking and record keeping of all ladders. The Ladder Safety Program applies to any department on campus, at field stations, or on leased property where any type of ladder three (3) feet or more in length/height is used. Roles and responsibilities for safe use of ladders by employees (including temporary employees and graduate students performing research related activities in field stations and remote research facilities) are...

Crane/Hoist Safety Program

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2012

The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) owns many cranes and hoists ranging from fractional ton chain-falls, come-a-longs and chain-hoists, to multi-ton overhead cranes. This Program assures compliance with Cal/OSHA regulations for Crane/Hoist Safety.

Job Safety Analysis

Job Safety Analysis or JSAs 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.

Getting Started with Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

How do I write or find a JSA? The objective of providing this library is to:

Improve safety awareness among staff Decrease injury rates Make effective JSA resources available to the entire UC Berkeley campus

Lab Managers & Safety Coordinators

Laboratory managers and Laboratory Safety Coordinators (LSCs) are typically selected by a lab’s principal investigator, and serve a critical role with regards to lab safety. In many cases, the LSC is also the lab manager, though not always. LSCs serve as delegates for the principal investigator for many safety programs and applications including Lab Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT) and Inspect.

Lab Safety Awareness Week: Makerspaces

February 10, 2025

CSHEMA's Lab Safety Awareness Week is held from February 10-14, 2025, and is intended to promote laboratory health and safety programs and offer information and ideas on how to keep our faculty, staff, and students safe.

Makerspace Safety at UC Berkeley

Makerspace safety is best achieved via a collaborative relationship between the responsible person and Environment, Health and Safety. Elements of safety-by-design, user training, and strategies for monitoring and access control are essential for...

N95 Respirator Voluntary Use Training

Risk & Safety Training, University of California
2022

Information and Training for Employees Regarding the Use of Respirators

Download N95 Respirators Guidance - English (PDF) Download N95 Respirators Guidance - Spanish (PDF)

This information is based Cal/OSHA's regulation for worker use of respirators (Title 8 CCR.5144).

Rooftop Work Safety Plan Checklist

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2020