Chapter 1 - Health and Safety at Stanford

Principles

Responsibilities

Practices

Documentation, Recordkeeping, and Compliance

PRINCIPLES

Stanford University makes all reasonable efforts to:

Stanford University is committed to strong programs of accident and injury prevention and to complying with all relevant environmental and health and safety laws and regulations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Good health and safety practices are a responsibility of each faculty member, staff member, and student.

Line responsibility for good health and safety practice begins with the supervisor in the workplace, laboratory, or classroom and proceeds upward through the levels of management. In academic areas, supervisors include the lab directors, class instructors, principal investigators,or others having direct supervisory authority. Academic levels of management are the department chairperson or Independent Lab director, the dean, the Dean of Research, and the Provost. Administrative levels of management include mid-management, directors, and vice presidents. Final responsibility for health and safety policy and programs rests with the President of the University.

The Director of Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for: recommending University-wide health and safety policies; ensuring overall institutional compliance with policies, statutes, and regulations; monitoring the effectiveness of the safety programs; and providing central health and safety services to all areas of the University.

--SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

All University supervisors, including faculty supervisors, are responsible for protecting the health and safety of employees and students under their supervision. This responsibility entails:

--MANAGERIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

All University managers, academic and administrative, are responsible for ensuring that:

--EH&S RESPONSIBILITIES

The Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) is responsible for:

While EH&S is responsible for developing and recommending policies, policy approval rests with other University bodies, e.g., Faculty Senate, University Cabinet, Operations Council, University Health and Safety Committee, Committee on Research, and Administrative Panels, depending on the content of the proposed policies.

--OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITH HEALTH AND SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Department of Public Safety (Campus Police) has primary responsibility for traffic safety, earthquake and emergency planning, and police services (723-9633).

The Department of Risk Management administers Stanford's property, liability, and vehicle insurance policies (including Workers' Compensation), evaluates and identifies risks in order to protect the University's assets and resources, and provides risk consultation to departments (723-4554).

Fire suppression services are provided by the Palo Alto Fire Department (9-911) and fire inspection services by the Santa Clara County Fire Marshal's Office (725-7162). Other fire prevention and consultation services are provided by the Stanford Fire Marshal at EH&S (723-0609).

The Emergency Response Team at EH&S provides emergency services for incidents involving hazardous materials (723-0448 or, after working hours, 723-2281).

Other University departments such as Operations and Maintenance and Facilities Project Management also have important health and safety functions.

Stanford Hospital and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) have separate environmental health and safety offices.

--EMPLOYEE AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Employees and students are responsible for:

PRACTICES

--PROVIDING A SAFE WORKPLACE

Facilities Design
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Facilities will be designed in a manner consistent with health and safety regulations and standards of good design. Those facilities departments charged with primary responsibility for the design, construction, and/or renovation of facilities, together with EH&S, shall ensure that there is appropriate health and safety review of facility concepts, designs, and plans.

In case of disagreement between EH&S and the cognizant facilities department, the conflict shall be resolved by the Vice President for Faculty and Staff Services in consultation with the cognizant vice president or dean and the Provost (or designate). The determination of the Vice President for Faculty and Staff Services may be stayed by the Director of EH&S pending a prompt appeal to the President.

Finding and Correcting Workplace Hazards
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Supervisors, both faculty and staff, shall conduct regular, periodic inspections of workplaces to identify and evaluate workplace hazards and unsafe work practices.

Means of correcting discovered hazards and/or protecting individuals from the hazards shall be determined and implemented promptly. Unsafe conditions which cannot be corrected by the supervisor or manager must be reported to the next higher level of management.

Employee Reporting of Health and Safety Hazards
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Any supervisor or manager who becomes aware of a serious concealed danger to the health or safety of individuals shall report this danger promptly to EH&S and to the faculty, staff, and students who may be affected.

Stanford University encourages employees and students to report health and safety hazards to their supervisors, managers, or EH&S. Employees and students shall not be discharged or discriminated against in any manner for bona fide reporting of health and safety hazards to Stanford or to appropriate governmental agencies. Supervisors shall inform students and employees of this policy and encourage reporting of workplace hazards.

Shutdown of Dangerous Activities
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The Director of EH&S has the authority to curtail or shut down any University activity considered to constitute a clear and present danger to health or safety. In the event of such curtailment or shutdown, the cognizant dean, director or vice president and the Provost (or designate) shall be immediately notified.

Providing Medical Surveillance
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Stanford University shall evaluate and monitor, through a program of medical surveillance, the health of Stanford University faculty, staff, and students who are exposed to certain hazardous materials and situations as defined by law or by University policy. Each supervisor is responsible for ensuring that employees and students under their supervision participate in the medical surveillance program as required by University policy. EH&S will monitor medical surveillance program participation. Each University department/school shall administer the program for those faculty, staff, and students covered by University policy.

--EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND PREPAREDNESS

The Departments of Public Safety and EH&S shall provide guidelines for emergency response plans. Every building shall have individual emergency response plans. Each plan shall include evacuation and assembly procedures, posted evacuation maps, reporting and communication practices, training, and drills. Exits shall remain free of obstructions and materials that could render the exit hazardous. In areas where hazardous materials are used, handled, or stored, the emergency response plan shall conform to the Emergency and Hazardous Material Release Response policy set forth in the Research Policy Handbook.

--COMMUNICATIONS AND TRAINING

Systems of Communication
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Supervisors, both faculty and staff, shall establish, implement and maintain a system for communicating with employees and students about health and safety matters. Information must be presented in a manner readily understood by the affected employees and students. Due attention must be paid to levels of literacy and language barriers. Verbal communications should be supplemented with written materials or postings. Whenever appropriate, statutes and policies affecting employees and students shall be available in the workplaces.

Communication About Hazards
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Faculty, staff, and students who may come in contact with hazardous substances or practices either in the workplace or in laboratories shall be provided information concerning the particular hazards which may be posed, and the methods by which they may deal with such hazards in a safe and healthful manner. In areas where hazardous chemicals are used, handled, or stored, communications about these hazards shall conform to the Chemical Hazard Communication policy set forth in the Research Policy Handbook.

Training
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Supervisors shall be trained or knowledgeable in the safety and health hazards to which employees and students under their immediate direction and control may be exposed.

Faculty, staff, and students shall be trained to protect themselves from hazards in their working environments. Supervisors, both faculty and staff, shall train employees and students in:

Training shall occur:

Training shall be communicated in a manner readily understandable to faculty, staff, and students, in accordance with the communication policy outlined above.

--HEALTH AND SAFETY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Managers and supervisors shall establish and maintain systems of rewards and discipline to support good health and safety practices.

DOCUMENTATION, RECORDKEEPING, AND COMPLIANCE

Required documentation and records shall be kept to demonstrate compliance with statutes, regulations, and standards.