The Chancellor:

• The Chancellor is responsible for ensuring UCR is a safe and healthful workplace.
• As designated by the Chancellor, the organizational group responsible for implementing the IIPP is Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S).

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S):

• Develop, implement, and maintain this safety program and revise, as necessary.
• Create written safety programs to support the IIPP.
• Conduct safety inspections and hazard assessments.
• Develop and provide safety training to address identified hazards.
• Follow up on accidents, injuries, and near misses to ensure departments correct identified hazards or deficiencies.
• Provide consultation to the UCR community on matters of health and safety.
• Interpret external regulations and recommend appropriate compliance strategies.

Deans, Directors, Department Chairs, Department Heads:

• Ensure that areas under their management comply with UCR Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) policies, practices, and programs.
• Grant persons under their management the authority to implement appropriate health and safety procedures, practices, and programs.
• Provide adequate funding for health and safety programs and hazard control equipment for the areas under their management.
• Designate a responsible person within each work unit under their management to partner with EH&S and implement the work unit specific component of the IIPP.
• Support the enforcement of corrective action arising from the failure to comply with appropriate safety practices.
• Support the recognition of employees and supervisors who exhibit excellent safe work practices.
• Inform contractors and visitors of applicable safety requirements.
• Coordinate with EH&S to address any safety concerns introduced by a college/department contracted or invited entity (third parties).
• Ensure all areas have posted emergency evacuation information and maps to assembly areas. Contact the Office of Emergency Management for assistance.

Safety committees:

Responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on safety matters and specific areas of environmental, safety, or health concerns. These committees include:

• The Radiation Safety Committee, responsible for recommending and enforcing university policies and procedures regarding radiation safety, and acting as the statutory radiation use review committee required by UCR’s radioactive materials license.
• The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), responsible for recommending and enforcing university policies and procedures regarding biological safety and reviewing recombinant DNA and synthetic nucleic acid research to ensure compliance with NIH (National Institutes of Health) guidelines.
• The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), the review body responsible for approval and oversight of activities involving the use of vertebrate animals at UCR in accordance with federal requirements, including the Animal Welfare Act and Public Health Service (PHS).
• The Research Integrated Safety Committee (RISC), is primarily charged with promoting a culture of safety on campus through reviewing, advising, and making recommendations regarding university research-related activities.
• The High Containment Laboratory Oversight Group (HCLOG), the UCR review body responsible for approval and oversight activities involving the use, storage, and handling of biohazardous materials.

Principal Investigators, Supervisors, Managers:

• Implement EH&S policies, safe practices, and written programs.
• Complete all required EH&S training.
• Conduct hazard assessments for all research or hazardous work.
• Establish written procedures specific to work or research activities.
• Conduct regular safety and housekeeping inspections.
• Hold frequent safety meetings with personnel.
• Provide and require the use of hazard controls and personal protective equipment where applicable.
• Encourage employees to report all health and safety concerns and make it known there will be no reprisal for these reports.
• Respond to employee safety concerns and implement corrective actions as soon as possible.
• Evaluate the safety performance of all employees. Recognize those who work in a safe and healthful manner, and correct or, if necessary, discipline those who do not.
• Stop any work that poses an imminent hazard (likelihood of injury, destruction of property, or death if not discontinued immediately) to personnel, other individuals, or the environment.
• Assign appropriate safety training to employees prior to commencing work, retrain when they do not demonstrate good safe practices, and when renewals are required thereafter.
• Provide access to and train personnel on the emergency evacuation plan and show them how to find the assigned assembly areas.
• Report to EH&S all occupational injuries, illnesses, safety concerns, and incidents (e.g., hazardous material exposure, near misses) - See Communication section, below.
• Conduct initial injury and incident investigations as soon as possible to determine the root cause and pursue corrections to prevent future instances.

Employees, Students, Volunteers, and Contractors:

• Follow all EH&S policies, safe practices, and written programs, as well as any specific safety policies implemented for the specific area.
• Use hazard controls and personal protective equipment required and as trained by supervisors.
• Promptly report accidents, injuries, unsafe conditions, incidents, or near-miss incidents to supervisors and/or EH&S.
• Complete all required safety training prior to beginning work or as assigned by supervisors.
• Participate in all safety meetings as assigned by supervisor.
• Read and follow all health and safety-related signs, posters, warning signals, and directions.
• Become familiar with building emergency plans and assembly areas for assigned work areas.
• Promptly report work-related injuries or illnesses, incidents (e.g., spills; near misses), potential hazards, and unsafe work practices to the instructor/supervisor.
• Cooperate with and assist, as necessary, in accident and incident investigations.

UCR uses a variety of methods to communicate health and safety information including:

• R’Space, ScotMemos, posts
• Email
• UCR websites
• department postings and newsletters
• handouts and posters
• safety meetings

From time to time materials will be shared with the campus through one or more of these methods to raise awareness and alert the community to safe work procedures or changes to regulations that need to be followed.

Supervisors must provide time at periodic staff meetings to discuss safety topics. Employees are encouraged to participate and give suggestions without fear of reprisal.

Employees are encouraged to alert supervisors to potential health or safety hazards as a first step but can also report these hazards to EH&S at any time. If desired, the report to EH&S may be done anonymously by calling the EH&S main number at (951) 827-5528 or by completing the “Report an Incident, Injury or Safety Concern” form on the EH&S website (ehs.ucr.edu.) The EH&S online reporting system is available 24/7 and offers a place to input contact information if desired. Contact information is only used for follow-up or to gain additional information. There are no reprisals for expressing concern, comment, suggestion, or complaint about a safety matter.

UCR safety programs exist to secure and protect the safety, health, and well-being of the university community, and to meet local, state, and federal regulatory standards. Most UCR safety programs, including the IIPP, are accessible on the EH&S website. In addition to written programs, there are also posters, handouts, and other reference items available. Most materials are available for download at ehs.ucr.edu/policies, and UCR will ensure that this IIPP remains continuously available for viewing and download at that website or at a similar website where employees may review, print, and email the current version of the IIPP.  

Use the links below to visit the EH&S program websites. There are also other departments that provide important safety and health information as well. Links to those websites are included below.

EH&S Programs available include:

Other important non-EH&S managed safety and health-related programs include:

EH&S assistance is available for all employees who have questions about safety-related programs, procedures, or hazards in their work areas. Contact ehs@ucr.edu or call x2-5528.

Hazards should be identified, evaluated, and corrected as part of the daily work routine and through workplace safety inspections. Planned tasks should be assessed every day by employees and supervisors to identify hazards before beginning the tasks. Whenever new chemicals or equipment are introduced into the work area, a job safety analysis should be conducted before they are used for the first time. Annual or more frequent review of all tasks and procedures shall be conducted by managers and/or supervisors to always ensure safe working conditions.

All hazards identified will be reviewed by the department managers and/or supervisors to determine appropriate controls or safe work procedures. UCR recognizes that hazards range from imminent dangers to hazards of minimal risk. Corrective actions or plans, including suitable timetables for completion, are the responsibility of the department. EH&S consultation is available to determine appropriate abatement actions or procedure modifications. Departments should use the Job Safety Analysis form to document identified hazards and the resulting actions taken to abate them.

A health and safety inspection program is essential to reduce unsafe conditions that may expose faculty, staff, students, and visitors to incidents resulting in personal injuries or property damage. Each department is responsible for ensuring that appropriate, systematic safety inspections are conducted periodically. EH&S will inspect spaces periodically in addition. Departments will usually be notified in advance of an EH&S inspection and in some instances may need to provide an escort. Inspections may also be done as a follow-up to an accident or injury investigation, upon request, or in response to a reported safety concern. All inspections are to be documented using the available self-inspection forms or through the UC Inspect application.

Following any EH&S inspection, a copy will be provided to the department, managers, supervisors, and/or assigned occupants. If there are minor findings, there is an expectation the department will correct the issues within 30 days. If there are significant concerns, a meeting may be scheduled to review the findings and discuss necessary controls and timelines. If the inspector discovers a concern that is immediately dangerous to life and health, all or some work in that area will be stopped until corrected and deemed safe by EH&S. EH&S will work with all parties to remedy the situation as quickly as possible.

Information on hazard assessment, identification, and controls can be found on the at EH&S website. Written programs, forms, handouts, posters, and educational materials are available for viewing or download and organized by safety topic to support this process. EH&S is also available to assist with hazard assessment, inspection, and to consult on available controls and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Contact EH&S at x25528 or ehs@ucr.edu.

All employees are asked to report all workplace injuries, exposures, or illnesses to their supervisor and EH&S as soon as possible, and whenever possible within 24 hours. Most injuries on campus are minor and can be reported using the below Minor Injury Reporting method. For serious injuries, skip to that section below for more specific information. Use the EH&S online reporting form to simplify the process of reporting all injuries for employees and non-employees.

Minor Injury Reporting

Steps to report through EH&S:

1. Go to ehs.ucr.edu and select “Report an Incident, Injury, or Safety Concern”.
2. You will be asked if there was an injury and if an employee injured. If the answer is “yes” to both questions, it will open the Employers First Report (EFR) system to complete the injury report.
3. If either answer is no, you will continue to answer questions and be able to report any non-employee injury, safety concerns, property damage, or other concerns.
4. If you require treatment, please refer to the Medical Treatment Facilities list to choose a Workers’ Compensation occupational clinic. (https://risk.ucr.edu/workerscomp#medical_treatment_facilities)

Serious Injury or Fatality Reporting

To report a fatality or serious injuries (amputation, concussion, fracture, injury with significant bleeding, severe burn, and/or any injury requiring overnight hospitalization:

1. Immediately get first aid and/or call 911.

This is the preferred and closest facility to campus:

      Riverside Community Hospital

      4445 Magnolia Avenue Riverside, CA 92507
      (951) 788-3000 

      Hours: 24-Hour Emergency Care

2. Report the injury to your supervisor and/or department management as soon as you can. You should not wait for a diagnosis. It is okay to ask someone else (spouse, co-worker, friend, etc.) to report on your behalf.
3. Report using the “Report an Incident, Injury, or Safety Concern” form.
4. Supervisors and/or department management must report and provide details of the serious injury to EH&S within 24 hours. Call the EH&S main number (951) 827-5528 (x25528) Monday- Friday 8am-5pm. Outside of these hours, call The UCR Police Dispatch (951) 827-5222 and they will help you contact the on-call EH&S team member.

*Field researchers or employees that work at remote UCR sites must follow the above injury reporting procedures. Seek treatment at the medical treatment facility assigned to your work location.

Supervisors will be notified once an EFR has been submitted. Supervisors are responsible for investigating as soon as possible. They also must report any corrective or preventive actions implemented to ensure a similar accident does not occur again. Supervisors may request assistance from EH&S as needed. For more severe accidents, investigations may also be initiated by EH&S, insurance companies, or other related third-party consultants.

EH&S develops and manages the campus safety training programs which include online courses, in-person instruction, and operational training for specific work units.

Employees

Employees may be trained using online classes, by a supervisor, or by a qualified person to recognize the hazards associated with the specific type of work performed and to understand the procedures to control or minimize those hazards. Supervisors will work with EH&S to develop and assign the necessary training and to supplement these trainings with specific safe work procedures.

Retraining Requirements

Retraining and refresher courses shall be required for employees in the following situations:

·       When regulations require refresher training.

·       When regulations are changed significantly, and retraining is required.

·       Where changes at the worksite present a hazard about which the employee has not been previously trained.

·       Where changes in the types of equipment present a hazard about which an employee has not been previously trained.

·       Where an employee has been involved in an incident or does not consistently demonstrate the requisite proficiency.

Documentation

Health and safety training must be documented for each employee. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring employees receive the required training and for maintaining the documentation records. The UC Learning Center will track all online course completions, but the supervisor is responsible to verify that the employee has completed all the required training prior to allowing the employees to begin hazardous work. If small in-person worksite training or safety meetings are conducted the supervisor must have all attendees sign a dated attendance roster and save that together with an outline of the material covered. In-person worksite training rosters can be uploaded to the UCLC (UCR Learning Center) for tracking purposes. Consult with the EH&S Training Coordinator to find out about this option.

For assistance with available training, requirements, scheduling, or documentation contact EH&S training at ehstraining@ucr.edu, call x2-7519, or visit the website: https://ehs.ucr.edu/training.

There are specific record retention requirements for occupational injuries and illnesses, medical surveillance, exposure monitoring, inspections, and other activities relevant to occupational health and safety. Each department will work with EH&S to ensure that these records are kept in the department’s files, in the corresponding systems, and/or at EH&S.

The following records will be kept for at least the length of time indicated below: 

UCR is required to report certain employee injuries to California OSHA. In February of each year, Risk Management posts a copy of this report (Cal-OSHA 300A Summary) to its website. https://risk.ucr.edu/

All records mentioned above pertaining to a specific employee are available to that employee upon request. For non-department records, the employee should be directed to contact EH&S at ehs@ucr.edu or x25528.

A safe and healthy workplace must be the goal of everyone at UCR, with responsibility shared by management and staff alike.

If you have any questions regarding this Injury and Illness Prevention Program, please contact Environmental Health and Safety via:

• Our website https://ehs.ucr.edu/ to report an incident, injury, or safety concern,
• Phone at (951) 827-5528, or
• Email ehs@ucr.edu

     External Resources

• California Title 8 Regulations https://www.dir.ca.gov/samples/search/query.htm
• California OSHA  https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/
• Health & Safety Rights for California Workers https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/documents/health-and-safety-rights-for-workers.pdf

IIPP Printable Copy