Sonoma State University

Campus-wide Safety Committee Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023

Minutes

Attendance: Missy Brunetta, Tyson Hill, Tiffany Perry, Kelley Green, Dennis Goss, Stephen Green, Kimberly Petersen, Karl Mortensen, Michael Hazen, Lauren Antoni, Trisha Ramos, Ben Ellis, Calee Spinney, Kendall Newman

Minutes

  1. Meeting was called to order at 9:03 a.m. 

  2. Minutes from December approved as written.

  3. Incident Review 

    1. Missy Brunetta reported one incident reported to Risk Management and Environmental Health and Safety where a student fainted within the theater arts program. 

  4. Safety in focus 

    1. Missy Brunetta and Kendall Newman presented on proposed COVID-19 Cal-OSHA safety regulation changes expected in February 2023. Major changes anticipated as follows:

      1. SSU will no longer be required to maintain a COVID-19 Prevention Program. COVID-19 will be considered a workplace hazard under the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP).

      2. Requirements of the IIPP:

        1. Provide effective COVID-19 hazard prevention training to employees.

        2. Provide face coverings when required by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and provide respirators upon request.

        3. Identify COVID-19 health hazards and develop methods to prevent transmission in the workplace.

        4. Investigate and respond to COVID-19 cases and certain employees after close contact.

        5. Make testing available at no cost to employees, including to all employees in the exposed group during an outbreak or a major outbreak.

        6. Notify affected employees of COVID-19 cases in the workplace.

        7. Maintain records of COVID-19 cases and immediately report serious illnesses to Cal/OSHA and to the local health department when required.

      3. SSU will be required to report on-campus cases and outbreaks to Cal/OSHA consistent with standard  IIPP requirements.

  5. Standing Reports

    1. Karl Mortensen from Sonoma State University Police Department reported a summary of crimes for the month of November, which included various crimes found on the Crime Log. Mortenson also reported concerns with cart safety on campus. Brunetta noted that she would follow-up with Mortenson on the topic to discuss the cart safety program.

    2. Brunetta reported that Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) continues to support Facilities through asbestos testing. Brunetta also shared kudos and thanks to Jordan Lundberg for his great work as Teamsters Safety Steward and welcomed Kelley Green to the position. 

    3. Dana Twedell notified the group that all safety-related work orders are completed or in-progress by Facilities Management. Twedell also provided an update on SSU’s campus status through the winter storms in January, which included a few down trees but no major damage. A repair project in Darwin Hall for lighting issues is planned for March repairs. 

    4. Brunetta also provided an update on Emergency Services, providing updates on the winter storm from the Emergency Services perspective. SSU remained in ready posture for any event that warranted additional emergency response or EOC activation, but thankfully did not need to activate. 

    5. Michael Eynon from Disability Services for Students followed up on the Verdot pedestrian pathway. Twedell shared that he would look into the issue and see about a possible solution. 

    6. Michael Hazen from CSUEU shared concerns within Stevenson Hall about the staircase and with the automatic outlets. Dennis Goss agreed to share such information with faculty in an email at the start of the semester. 

    7. Kendall Newman shared no updates for the SafeSSU Committee.

    8. Kelley Green from Teamsters had no updates. 

    9. No APC rep present.

    10. No new business was presented.