Campus-wide Safety Committee Minutes July 9, 2020

July 9, 2020 Minutes

1. Introductions

2. Review of minutes from previous month and approved as written.

3. Accident & Near Miss Review (Workers’ Compensation)

   1. Two on-campus injuries in Facilities Management in June.

   2. No work from home injuries reported in June. 

4. Standing reports

   1. University Police

      1. Not present for standing report. 

   2. EH&S

      1. Virtual audit from BAAQMD was successful with no audit findings.

      2. EHS is coordinating with Facilities Management and Academic Instructional Support Technicians for Hazardous Materials and Hazardous Waste Training.

      3. Cart Safety Program is in final draft phase, and key stakeholders will be consulted in the coming weeks. 

      4. EHS is in the process of developing Electrical Safety/LOTO and Permit Required Confined Space programs. 

   3. Student Affairs

      1. Student Affairs is in the process of building new protocols in support of new operations for Fall 2020 in light of COVID-19 pandemic. 

   4. Facilities Management

      1. Items on action log are being reviewed and progressed as staffing and time allows. 

5. Emergency Services

6. COVID-19 (commonly known as Coronavirus) has taken over the world and become a global pandemic.  

7. California and the County of Sonoma continues to be ahead of COVID-19 and measures continue to be in place to help limit exposure. 

8. EOC has been downgraded to a Level 1 which has allowed much of the emergency response work to function back in the departments who manage them normally. The EOC does stand ready for a possible escalation of emergency. 

9. Business Continuity has been partnered with Strategic Operations regarding continued telecommuting policies. Risk Assessments have been distributed for those that must return to campus to perform their duties. There is an employee daily wellness survey available on the campus COVID-19 information web page that will alert key management if an employee has symptoms or exposure, and contact screening (if necessary) will ensue from there. There are three levels of potential response: cleaning the immediate area, closing down an are for cleaning and sending employees home, or closing an entire building. There are communication plans and guidelines for all three possibilities.

10. The Alternative Care Site (Rec Center) has been extended to August 4th, after which it will be decontaminated prior to the academic year. The County does not want to relocate the operation, but the University has to shift focus to the returning students.

6. New Business from members / Roundtable Discussion

   1. Julie Barnes expressed concern that Faculty are not as versed in the COVID-19 constraints as the Management. It was pointed out the EH&S is working with Faculty Affairs and there was concurrence that documentation of exchanges would help solidify FA’s understanding of their obligations. Julie also suggested that the four new Dean’s should be collaborating with the EOC as there is some precedent for that relationship. Missy welcomed the involvement of any Dean that has the bandwidth and availability to engage.

   2. Mike from IT requested that IT be involved in any plan to close off a major area or shift out of a building, as it will undoubtedly engage and inundate his staff.

   3. It was clarified that all COVID-19 policies and procedures are binding on all satellite campuses and external facilities owned or operated by the University.

   4. Gina communicated that some departments wanted access to the PPE Room and were not certain how to go about it. Ruth clarified that the PPE vending machines are in place and stocked, awaiting action from Facilities to allow employee use. EH&S staff will open the PPE room for limited distribution based on coordination between departments. Managers can reach out to her for appointment scheduling.