Departmental management, Supervisors, and Employees all have specific responsibilities for keeping University work environments safe as required by CA state law and detailed in Stanford’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program.
This webpage outlines the key safety responsibilities to be fulfilled locally at the departmental level and provides tools to assist managers and supervisors in effectively maintaining workplace safety.
All University personnel are required (per Cal/OSHA 8 CCR 3203) to complete general and job-specific safety training to protect themselves from potential workplace hazards. As part of their required safety responsibilities, supervisors provide training and maintain records as described below.
- General Safety training requirements
- All employees- Complete General Safety and Emergency Preparedness (EHS 4200), available online via STARS.
- Supervisors- Additionally complete Supervisor Health and Safety Responsibilities (EHS 5400), available online via STARS.
- Job-specific safety training for staff
- For all work-specific hazards, provide training on safe operating procedures and protocols. Ensure personnel review and understand such procedures/ protocols as well as other safety instructional documents. To help identify job-specific training needs, the following tools are available:
- Records
- Supervisors are responsible for maintaining training records. Required training documentation (click for sample training roster form) shall be retained for at least one year (unless otherwise specified).
- General Safety training requirements
Employees are to promptly report hazards and incidents without fear of reprisal (see Stanford’s anti-reprisal policy).
- Report a workplace hazard or incident
- For serious injury/illness or fatality, report by phone to EH&S 24-Hour Emergency Hotline within 8 hours at (650) 725-9999.
- Cal/OSHA defines an injury or illness as “serious” if it:
- Requires inpatient hospitalization for a period in excess of 24 hours for other than medical observation; or
- An employee suffers a loss of any member of the body; or
- An employee suffers any serious degree of permanent disfigurement.
- Cal/OSHA defines an injury or illness as “serious” if it:
- For reporting and investigating all incidents (injuries, illnesses, or exposures), employees and their supervisors are to jointly complete the SU-17 Incident Investigation Report within 24 hours and fax to Risk Management (723-9456). Use the Incident Investigation Tips for additional guidance.
- If necessary, anonymous or confidential reporting of safety concerns can also be made directly to EH&S
- Online submission to EH&S
- Phone: (650) 723-0448
- For serious injury/illness or fatality, report by phone to EH&S 24-Hour Emergency Hotline within 8 hours at (650) 725-9999.
- Get medical treatment for workplace injuries
- Hazard/ incident follow-up
- For imminent hazards which cannot be immediately abated without endangering people and/or property:
- Restrict all affected people from the hazard area, or
- Remove the equipment from service. Personnel assigned to correct the hazardous condition shall be provided with necessary safeguards.
- Follow-up efforts for workplace incidents must be documented in Part 5 of the SU-17 Incident Investigation Report. Use the Incident Investigation Tips for additional guidance.
- To further evaluate task-based safety concerns, use the Task Safety Analysis Tool to systematically assess process hazards and identify appropriate safety measures.
- For imminent hazards which cannot be immediately abated without endangering people and/or property:
- Report a workplace hazard or incident
- Workplace safety inspection
- General/ Office Workplace Inspection Checklist
- Inspect office areas and other lower-hazard workplaces at least once per year.
- Laboratory and Shop Area Inspection Checklist
- Inspect labs and shops at least once per quarter.
- Contact EH&S (723-0448) for assistance with assessing special hazards.
- General/ Office Workplace Inspection Checklist
- Evaluating job safety hazards
- The Task Safety Analysis Tool is designed to help supervisors assess and address health and safety hazards for tasks that have the potential to cause serious injury or illness (e.g. tool use, manual handling, loading dock work). Supervisors can also use the analysis as a tool for training staff on required safe work procedures, aiding with incident investigations, and process improvement.
- Recordkeeping
- Supervisors are responsible for maintaining records. Inspection documentation shall be kept for at least one year (unless otherwise specified).
- Workplace safety inspection
- Schedule for correcting hazards
- Hazards shall be corrected in a timely manner, based on the severity of the hazard. Workplace hazards that cannot be corrected with the resources available to the supervisor must be reported to the next higher level of management for additional support. Contact EH&S (723-0448) for further consultation.
- Recordkeeping
- Supervisors shall document hazard correction (via SU-17 or other means) and retain such records for at least one year.
- Schedule for correcting hazards
The Injury Illness and Prevention Program (IIPP) contains specific requirements for program responsibility, compliance, communication, hazard assessment, accident/exposure investigations, hazard correction, training, and recordkeeping.
