UC Santa Cruz - Environmental Health & Safety - Injury and Illness Prevention Program

Injury and Illness Prevention Program

Cal-OSHA requires every employer to have an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) in place (Title 8, section 3203). The University of California, Santa Cruz has implemented a broad-based series of departmental-level IIPP programs to ensure a safe and healthful work environment for its employees. The IIPP for each organizational group is the umbrella under which all employee health and safety programs are implemented.

IIPP Goals

Provide a safe and healthful workplace for employees
Reduce risk of disease, illness, injury and harmful exposures to the campus community
Reduce worker's compensation claims and costs
Improve employee morale and efficiency
Comply with regulatory mandates

Program Elements

Assigns RESPONSIBILITIES for health and safety
Establishes mechanisms for HAZARD IDENTIFICATION and HAZARD MITIGATION
Requires WORKPLACE INSPECTIONS and ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
Requires COMMUNICATION of health and safety information
Reaffirms TRAINING and DOCUMENTATION mandates

Rights

As an employee you have a right to:

A safe workplace free from recognized hazards
Receive training on hazards associated with your job
Know how to control hazards of your job
Report workplace hazards without fear of reprisal

Roles & Responsibilities

Manager or Supervisor:

Managers and Supervisors are expected to provide Environmental Health and Safety leadership and guidance within their departments. They should:

Inform employees about specifics of the department's IIPP
Provide safety training consistent with employee job duties
Enforce safety rules and regulations within the department
Provide a means to identify workplace hazards
Maintain all EH&S documentation

Employee:

All employees have a responsibility to maintain a safe and healthful work environment. As an employee you should:

Follow safe work practices
Be familiar with your departmental IIPP
Know the potential health and safety hazards of your job and how to protect yourself
Know how to report unsafe conditions
Report any work-related injury or illness to your supervisor
Know what to do in an emergency
Correct unsafe conditions within your authority

If you are unclear about your responsibilities, ask your supervisor.

Environmental Health & Safety

EH&S has responsibility for monitoring compliance of the University's Injury and Illness Prevention Programs to minimize or prevent occupational injuries and illnesses, and to protect the quality of the workplace and surrounding environment. EH&S advises the campus community of its responsibilities with respect to health and safety issues, recommends appropriate corrective actions and programs, implements new health and safety programs and is the liaison between UCSC and various external agencies and regulatory bodies.

Questions?

If you have questions about the health and safety of your work environment or about environmental, health and safety in general, please feel free to contact EH&S at 831-459-2553. We will be happy to assist you.