Chancellor's Safety Letter

Chancellor's Letter on Campus Safety

September 30, 2003

Dear Colleagues:

Safety is a shared responsibility, especially in a research university where so many of our activities and responsibilities are interdependent. Overall, UC Irvine has an excellent safety record. From time to time, however, we experience reminders that research universities are potentially risky environments. Safety experts know that there are few "freak accidents." Rather, most workplace accidents are preceded by numerous near misses and precursor events - often unrecognized as such.

In an organization where people recognize that safety is a shared responsibility, employees and supervisors can speak frankly about workplace risks and near misses in order to develop an understanding and to make changes before precursors evolve, unnoticed, into tragic accidents. In a safety-conscious environment employees feel empowered to stop work processes that are unsafe, and to immediately bring safety problems to a supervisor's attention. In such an environment everyone understands the need for safety equipment and protective clothing, the necessity of training before doing risky procedures, and the importance of discussing workplace risks before-the-fact and planning to mitigate them. Good supervisors are approachable by employees with safety concerns, and they ensure that these concerns, and particularly observations about near-miss events, are discussed openly so that all members of an organization can benefit.

As we start the new academic year, I am asking supervisors to review safety practices and conditions; and asking employees to participate in safety discussions, to seek needed training, to use safe practices and protective gear, to bring safety concerns to supervisors' attention, and to expect your co-workers' involvement in workplace safety as a shared responsibility. If you need help in evaluating your unit's readiness, training, and physical environment from a safety standpoint, I urge you to contact Environmental Health and Safety Director Marc Gomez (magomez@uci.edu, 949-824-6889).

Thank you for your role in fostering a safe campus and medical center.

Ralph J. Cicerone
Chancellor
http://www.chancellor.uci.edu