Environmental Health & Safety

Return to Work Protocols

Find out what you need to know before returning to work/campus, including training, self monitoring symptom tool, and more.

Keep Working

Resources and Tips for Telecommuting: https://keepworking.ucr.edu/
Read the Announcement Regarding Relocation of University Equipment to Remote Works Sites.

Keep Teaching

Resources and tools for teaching remotely:  https://keepteaching.ucr.edu/

Research

EH&S resources and guidance for research operations.

Instructors

Additional FAQ's for Instructors

Disability Management

Guidance on reasonable accommodations during COVID-19.

AB 685 - Request for Anonymity on COVID Notification to Unions

AB 685 requires the University of California to notify exclusive union representatives of the names of employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 and who worked onsite during the infectious period. Under 8 CCR 14300.29(b)(7), employees may request that their names not be included in such notifications so long as such a request is voluntary and independent.

Submit Request 

Frequently Asked Questions:

• What should I expect returning to campus as an employee?

  The Campus Return site (campusreturn.ucr.edu) has all you need to know for a safe return to campus. 

• Do I need a vaccine to return to campus?

  The final SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Policy was launched in order to support the health and wellbeing of the entire campus community, and requires faculty, staff and students to provide proof of vaccination or to request an exception based on medical, disability, or religious grounds or deferral during pregnancy, prior to the start of fall instruction.

  Faculty, staff and students can submit their proof of vaccine via the Employee Vaccine Tracking and the Student Portal. Proof of vaccination or request for an exemption/deferral must be submitted by August 16, 2021. High vaccination rates are essential toward further reducing restrictions on campus and ensuring the health and safety of the UC Riverside community.

  Visit https://campusreturn.ucr.edu/vaccines for more information.

• What if I have an adverse reaction to the vaccine?

  View the Workers' Compensation COVID-19 Vaccine Reactions guidance for employees if adverse reactions are experiences after receiving COVID-19 vaccine administered at a UC Facility. 

• What additional steps should be taken if an employee is suspected to be ill with COVID-19 at work?

  Managers and supervisors should encourage employees to take leave and seek medical assistance from their primary care physician.

  If an employee declines to take leave, managers and supervisors should consult their local human resources (HRBP) or academic personnel offices for assistance in determining whether there is objective evidence of a suspected case of COVID-19. If possible, managers and supervisors should ask on-site employee health services, if available, to assist in making this determination. If there is objective evidence that an employee has acute respiratory illness and that employee refuses to take leave, a manager or supervisor may, over the objection of the employee, require that the employee leave the workplace. In such circumstances, the absence should be recorded as “approved.” Managers and supervisors should seek assistance from their local human resources (HRBP) or academic personnel offices before taking any action, to ensure that all appropriate options have been considered. Action should not be taken based solely on a manager’s or supervisor’s subjective assessment of an employee’s medical condition.

• What steps should be taken if an employee becomes ill with fever, cough or other concerning symptoms?

  Review the When Do You Return To Campus guidance document.

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  Anyone sick and believed to be at risk for COVID-19 infection should be advised to seek medical assistance and follow the CDC recommendations:

  • Stay home except to get medical care.
  • Separate yourself from other people in your home and avoid sharing personal household items.
  • If you have a medical appointment, call the health care provider and tell them that you are concerned about the possibility of COVID-19 infection before going to the doctor’s office.
  • Wear a facemask when you are around other people.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue.
  • Clean your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
  • Avoid sharing personal household items.
  • Seek prompt medical attention if your illness is worsening.
  • If you are placed under active monitoring, or facilitated self-monitoring, follow the instructions provided by your local health department or occupational health professional, as appropriate.
  • Consult with your health care provider before discontinuing home isolation.
• May UCR prohibit an employee from coming to work if the employee is known to have contracted COVID-19 themselves, or to have had close contact with someone who has?

  Yes. UC is obligated to provide a safe workplace and may take necessary and reasonable steps to minimize health risks for its employees, such as requiring that employees not come to work if they have COVID-19.

  If any employment actions are taken as a result of COVID-19, such as requiring that employees not come to work, such actions must be consistent with federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace.

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  Review the When Do You Return To Campus guidance document.

• Should an instructor require a student who is out sick to provide a health care provider’s note?

  Verification of student illness is at the discretion of each instructor. Instructors should use a consistent practice to avoid bias and discrimination in their approach. Students who are uncomfortable providing health information to instructors may work through Student Affairs Case Management.
   

• Where can I find information on employee leave?

  Guidance on COVID-19 human resources questions is available here.

• What is the status of campus services including the Bookstore, Card Services, and Mail Service?

  The status of campus services is as follows: 

  UCR Bookstore

  Books can be ordered online only. For general questions, call x2-4213 or x2-4456, or email sm8106@bncollege.com

  Highlander Service Station

  Closed until further notice. For academic printing or copying needs, email printingrequest@ucr.edu. For general questions, call x2-4443 or x2-4444, or email servicestation@ucr.edu 

  Card Services

  Staff will work remotely to support essential card related services & data. R'card needs may be handled by appointment and/or with contactless delivery by visiting https://ucrcard.ucr.edu. For general questions, call x-2-2273 or x2-1237 or email servicestation@ucr.edu.

  Mail Services

  As an essential function, inbound/outbound mail is still being processed daily between 8am and 5pm. Adjusted delivery routes are in place for departments in need of service. Front lobby/post office will be closed to customers, however pick-up and drop off of department mail can be scheduled with the Mail Services team. Departments should call x26245 or email mailservices@ucr.edu to schedule pick-up appointments and/or have their department added to the delivery schedule. 

  Receiving Services

  As an essential function, processing of inbound/outbound shipments and campus deliveries is occurring daily between 8am and 5pm. Delivery of items on campus is based on accessibility to the building/department that ordered. Receiving Services is still providing the following items/services: gas cylinders, research related alcohol and IDT. Please visit https://cbs.ucr.edu to order (forms under ‘Receiving Services’ menu). Will call pickups are also available at the loading dock in the Corporation Yard. For general questions, please call x23134 or email receivingservices@ucr.edu 

  ScotSupply

  As part of the CBS re-organization plan, this unit was closed at the end of FY20. In order to properly support important research on campus, limited items and services from ScotSupply have been retained and are now part of Receiving Services. Please refer to the ordering information in the Receiving section.  For general questions, call x2-5542 or email scotsupply@ucr.edu. 

  ScotSurplus

  Closed to walk-in traffic. Staff is available by appointment only to meet campus needs. Public surplus sales are cancelled until further notice. Surplus, Shredding and e-Waste pick-ups are still available. Please visit https://cbs.ucr.edu/shreddinge-wasterecycling to schedule a shredding or e-Waste pick-up. To make an appointment or schedule a Surplus pickup, please call x25543 or email scotsurplus@ucr.edu. 

  Digital Print Services

  For academic printing or copying needs, please email printingrequest@ucr.edu. For UCR business cards, letter head, or posters please visit
  https://cbs.ucr.edu to order (forms under ‘Digital Print Services’ menu). Technician still available for Copier Program repairs and service. For general questions, please call x24318 or 25097 or email printingrequest@ucr.edu.

  Auxiliary Design Services

  Staff working remotely (on site as needed) to support critical design and digital content needs. For urgent design or poster printing needs, please email auxiliarydesign@ucr.edu or visit https://cbs.ucr.edu/auxiliary-design-services 

  Central Business Services Administration

  Limited CBS leadership will be working on campus during closure and most will be working remotely. Our administration office, Corp Yard Building B, will be closed and locked. Please contact CBS leadership for assistance.

• How is UCR responding to COVID-19?

  University leadership is working with the UC Office of the President, Riverside County Public Health, our fellow UC campuses, clinical partners, and elected officials to monitor the situation, ensure all appropriate precautions are taken, and respond quickly and effectively as matters arise. 

  For more information on campus response, please visit the Campus Return page. 

• May UCR quarantine or isolate students who were possibly exposed to, or who have contracted, COVID-19?

  Yes. UC enacted a Policy on Safeguards, Security and Emergency Management in January 2006 that contemplates the need for chancellors to take extraordinary measures in the event of “a natural or man-made disaster, a civil disorder which poses a threat of serious injury to persons or damage to property,” or other “seriously disruptive events.”8 Pursuant to this policy, UC may take appropriate steps to protect the health and safety of its students in the face of a known serious health crisis like a serious outbreak or pandemic.

• How is UCR disinfecting surfaces?

  UCR is taking extensive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Examples include:

  - Deployed hand sanitizers in university-owned housing, dining areas, and entrances to buildings;

  - Began using a new CDC-approved chemical disinfectant, after review and approval by Environmental Health and Safety, across the campus;

  - Increased cleaning in university-owned housing of high-touch areas including lobbies, lounges, restrooms, and elevators; and 

  - Increased cleaning in campus General Assignment classrooms and adjacent restrooms.

  For more information on cleaning and sanitizing, please view the Facilities Services Campus Return Support Information  

• What should I do if I am planning an event?

  Please visit the Events & Gatherings page for more details.

• Is there a duty to report COVID-19 cases to state or local health authorities?

  Yes. Generally, health care providers — including doctors, nurses, physician assistants, among others — who know of, or are in attendance on, a case or suspected case of COVID-19 are required to report it to the local health department immediately, by telephone, in accordance with internal administrative procedures. Where no health care provider is in attendance, any individual who knows of, or suspects that, someone has COVID-19 is permitted to report it to the local health department. Local health departments, in turn, notify the CDPH.

  Contact information for the local health officers may be found at the CDPH website.

• Guidance for all Transportation-related activities including parking, permits, biking, buses, and campus transportation issues

  Please refer to the UCR Transportation FAQ for answers on questions such as:

  • Parking on Campus d including Visitor Parking
  • Parking Permits, Refunds, and Citations
  • Renting and maintaining Fleet vehicles
  • Buses, Biking, and Carpool/Vanpool
  • Parking for Student Employment
  • And many more!