c:

Executive Staff, Office of the Chancellor
Vice Presidents/Provosts, Academic Affairs
Campus Environmental Health & Safety Directors
Human Resource Directors
Risk Managers

 

1. INTRODUCTION

This executive order is issued pursuant to authority of Section II of the Standing Orders of the Board of Trustees of the California State University. Through adoption of the following statement of policy, The California State University recognizes Occupational Health & Safety (e.g. Environmental Health & Safety or EH&S) as an integral function throughout The California State University system.

EH&S includes policies and practices designed to mitigate the risk of injury and illness to California State University employees and to promote campus health and safety programs. These injuries and/or illnesses may arise from work related activities in the form of accidents, or exposure to potentially harmful practices, conditions, substances and equipment.  Certain types of student activities are also addressed.

The California State University, its officers, and employees are responsible for developing and maintaining injury and illness prevention programs, and ensuring that activities and tasks are performed in a manner that reasonably control hazards that can cause injuries or illnesses.


2. RESPONSIBILITIES



1. Systemwide Office of Risk Management

The chancellor has designated that the Office of Systemwide Risk Management has administrative oversight responsibility for developing risk management programs, resource documents and training programs. EH&S is an important component to the campuses of the California State University in developing programs, resource documents and training programs for the California State University employees. The chief risk officer, Systemwide Risk Management shall provide guidance on the application of EH&S policies and procedures appropriate to the CSU and in accordance with applicable regulations.

2. Campus Presidents

Campus presidents will designate a campus EH&S program administrator and provide authority to the program administrator to develop and maintain the campus health and safety program.


3. Campus EH&S Program Administrator

Campus EH&S program administrators are responsible for developing and maintaining a campus health and safety program that meets the requirements of the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) (California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 8, section 3203) as well as other applicable California and Federal Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA) requirements.


4. Campus Departments

Campus deans and department chairs should promote healthy and safe classrooms by assisting the EH&S program administrators in evaluating the need for student health and safety training, with a focus on those courses wherein there is a potential for exposure to biological, chemical and/or physical hazards.


3. REQUIREMENTS



1. Campus Health and Safety Program

Campuses shall develop, implement and maintain a health and safety program that includes but is not limited to, the following elements (see title 8 CCR 3203):


• Person(s) with the authority and responsibility for implementing and maintaining the program.
• The health and safety program will be evaluated simultaneously in conjunction with completion of the annual report noted in section III.D. As applicable, any changes being considered in campus health and safety policies and communicated to applicable employees and/or the students.
• Systems for ensuring employees comply with safe and healthy work practices (e.g. training, recognizing safe employee behavior, working with campus health & safety committees and a statement regarding how disciplinary action can be implemented within authority and pursuant to collective bargaining unit agreements).
• Systems for communicating with employees regarding the campus health and safety program.
• Procedures for identifying and evaluating workplace hazards, including scheduled and unscheduled inspections.  Inspections will be documented and should include suggested methods and/or procedures for correcting the hazard and evidence that the hazard has been corrected.
• Procedures for investigating occupational injuries and illnesses.
• Process and procedures for correcting unsafe or unhealthy work conditions.
• Procedures for evaluating the timeliness needed to correct a hazard based on the severity of the hazard.
• An employee health and safety training program that ensures employees receive adequate training for the task they are performing and/or that is included in the job description/scope of work.  Campuses shall consider use of one or more of the following when developing and maintaining an employee training program:
  
  
  • Identification of health and safety training requirements.
  • Use of automated systems such as a Learning Management System (LMS) that should include a system or method for maintaining training records and a system or method for resolving training deficiencies.
  • Maintain training records in accordance with existing CSU records retention policies, currently stated with E.O. 1031.

  In addition to developing an IIPP that includes the above requirements, each campus must evaluate the need to develop other written programs as required by safety and health regulations.

2. Student Health and Safety Training

For educational activities, where there is a potential for exposure to biological, chemical and/or physical hazards (e.g. chemistry or engineering labs), campuses shall evaluate the need for student health and safety training. In cases where student training is determined to be necessary, the following should be considered:


• Developing and implementing student training programs that inform of the potential hazards and the safe educational practices/procedures that must be utilized to avoid injury or illness.
• Student training should be documented and kept on file.
• A system or method for resolving training deficiencies.



3. Medical Monitoring

Campuses shall develop and maintain a system for ensuring that employee medical monitoring requirements are met. (CSU EMMPM, §1.3 and §1.4, Title 8 CCR §5208 and CCR §3203) Human Resources, in collaboration with the EH&S Program Administrator, is encouraged to consider the following when managing medical monitoring requirements:


• Determine and establish responsibilities for campus units that have a role in medical monitoring.
• Methods for notifying affected employees and supervisors.
• Documentation and maintenance of medical monitoring activities.


4. Annual Report

Campus EH&S Program Administrators shall provide an annual Health and Safety Program report to the university president with a copy to the Systemwide Office of Risk Management.

Items to consider for the report include:

• Review of significant events
• Program trends
• Status reports for key program areas (e.g. training, inspections etc.)
• Performance data

It will be the University President or his/her designee’s responsibility to ensure the annual reporting requirement is accomplished.

Charles B. Reed Chancellor