Adherence to good health and safety practices and compliance with applicable health and safety regulations are a responsibility of all faculty, staff, and students. Line responsibility for good health and safety practice begins with the supervisor in the workplace, laboratory or classroom and proceeds upward through the levels of management. For detailed guidance on individual safety responsibilities under Cal/OSHA, refer to the University’s Illness and Injury Prevention Program (IIPP).

In academic areas, supervisors include faculty/principal investigators, laboratory directors, class instructors, or others having direct supervisory and/or oversight authority. Academic levels of management are the department chairperson or Independent Lab director, dean, the Dean of Research, and the Provost. Administrative levels of management include managers, directors, and vice presidents. Final responsibility for health and safety policy and programs rests with the President of the University.

The Associate Vice Provost for EH&S and the University Committee on Health and Safety are responsible for recommending University-wide health and safety policies to the President.

The Associate Vice Provost for EH&S is responsible for ensuring overall institutional compliance with applicable policies, statutes, and regulations; monitoring the effectiveness of the safety programs; and providing central health and safety services and support to all areas of the University.

Role Responsibility
Managers University managers, academic and administrative, are responsible for ensuring that:

  • Individuals under their management have the authority to implement appropriate health and safety policies, practices and programs;
  • Areas under their management have adequate resources for health and safety programs, practices, and equipment; and
  • Areas under their management are in compliance with Stanford University health and safety policies, practices and programs.
Supervisors University supervisors, including faculty supervisors and Principal Investigators (PIs), are responsible for protecting the health and safety of employees, students and visitors working under their direction or supervision. This responsibility entails:

  • Being current with and implementing Stanford University health and safety policies, practices and programs;
  • Ensuring that workplaces, including laboratories, and equipment are safe and well maintained;
  • Ensuring that workplaces or laboratories are in compliance with Stanford policies, programs and practices, and
  • Ensuring that employees, students and visitors under their supervision or within their work areas have been provided with appropriate safety training and information, and adhere to established safety practices and requirements.
Faculty, Staff, and Students Faculty, staff and students are responsible for:

  • Keeping themselves informed of conditions affecting their health and safety;
  • Participating in safety training programs as required by Stanford policy and their supervisors and instructors;
  • Adhering to health and safety practices in their workplace, classroom, laboratory and student campus residences; Advising of or reporting to supervisors, instructors or EH&S potentially unsafe practices or serious hazards in the workplace, classroom or laboratory.
EH&S Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) is responsible for:

  • Reviewing legislation, recommending policies, and monitoring compliance with environmental and health and safety statutes and regulations and University health and safety policies and programs;
  • Developing institutional safety and compliance programs and assisting schools, departments, faculty, and managers with implementation
  • Providing guidance and technical assistance to supervisors and managers in the schools, departments, and other work units in identifying, evaluating, and correcting health and safety hazards;
  • Developing programs for the safe use of hazardous radiological, biological, and chemical substances and lasers;
  • Providing training materials, assistance, and programs in safe work practices;
  • Providing guidance on effective emergency management and business continuity programs, and providing emergency response services for incidents involving hazardous materials;
  • Providing fire prevention, inspection, engineering and systems maintenance services; and
  • Hazardous waste management and disposal services.

While EH&S is responsible for developing and recommending relevant health and safety policies, institutional policy approval rests with other University authorities,(e.g., President, Provost, Vice Provost and Dean of Research, Faculty Senate, University Cabinet, University Committee on Health and Safety, Committee on Research, Administrative Panels for Research Oversight, etc.) depending on the content of the proposed policies.

Safety Performance

Each individual at Stanford is expected to perform all work safely. Managers and supervisors shall establish and maintain a system of positive reinforcement and escalated discipline to support good health and safety practices. Safety performance shall be a part of every individual’s role and responsibility as well as performance expectation and evaluation