Chapter 7: Preventing Injuries

The University is committed to provide a safe and healthy work environment for faculty, staff, and students. Everyone has a responsibility to work in a safe manner and not put themselves or others at risk. This includes:

• Complying with applicable policies and regulations
• Using personal safety gear
• Observing warning signs
• Learning about potential hazards
• Reporting unsafe conditions

Managers and supervisors play a special role in making sure the University’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy work environment is carried out. As a supervisor, you are responsible for the safety of the employees under your direction. You know the job tasks and potential hazards as well as the workers and their capabilities. You are best positioned to support employees. It’s important that you reinforce and model safe and healthy work practices to those under your direction. Specifically, supervisors need to:

• Provide health and safety training and guidance on safe work practices
• Provide proper equipment
• Observe work practices and correct/reward them
• Investigate accidents

As a supervisor, you can help control the costs associated with injuries by taking an active part in preventing injuries. Prevention of injuries saves supervisors (and their departments) the direct costs of Workers’ Compensation, sick pay, and disability costs and the indirect costs of money and time associated with lost productivity, replacement costs, and overtime.

General prevention principles that can be applied to most workplace health and safety issues include:

• Make a commitment to health and safety
• Create a supportive work environment
• Communicate
• Be a role model
• Provide proper equipment
• Observe and identify potential hazards
• Eliminate hazards
• Offer and support training and education
• Develop partnerships with your department and campus health and safety resources
• Follow up and evaluate

Campus resources are available to assist you. The Office of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) is responsible for providing guidance and direction on campus compliance with health and safety regulations. EH&S provides training, chemical and noise exposure monitoring, and other health and safety consultation services to the campus. The University Health Services (UHS) provides a variety of services and programs to promote the health of faculty and staff, reduce lost work time, and respond to the health needs of campus.

UHS’ Health*Matters, the campus wellness program, offers a wide range of programs and services to prevent injury/illness and promote health. UHS’ CARE Services for Faculty and Staff, the campus employee assistance program, offers a wide range of services related to personal and emotional issues, including individual consultation to supervisors and managers. The Guide for Balancing Work and Family contains information on policies, benefits, flexible work arrangements, choosing child care, and addressing elder care. Visit the website at http://campus.chance.berkeley.edu/depcare/ to review this guide. See the Additional UC Berkeley Program Offices and Services section of Chapter 1 What is Workers’ Compensation of this handbook for more details regarding UHS’ programs.

A special training is available to help managers and supervisors with the health and safety responsibilities described above. Promoting a Safe and Healthy Work Environment, developed by Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) and University Health Services (UHS), is available for your department by calling Health*Matters at (510) 643-4646.

By attending this training, you will:

• Understand the responsibilities of supervisors for health and safety.
• Develop an action plan for creating a safe and healthy work environment.
• Know what steps to take when an injury occurs and how to investigate accidents.
• Learn campus health and safety resources available to assist you.

You will also receive a comprehensive health and safety resource binder.

You and your staff can make a difference through your efforts both to prevent and to correct potential problems. These efforts may require an initial investment of time, but with some attention can become integrated into your day-to-day operations. The long-term results pay off with benefits for all.

When injuries do occur, however, it is essential to correct situations that are unsafe or unhealthy work conditions or practices. It’s important to address the problem and handle it. You should report accidents immediately and fix any obvious problems. For the not-so-obvious problems, you may have to do an accident investigation. The campus programs described above and in chapter one can assist you in your efforts.

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