What Area Safety Coordinators Need to Know
Learn about the role of Area Safety Coordinators in campus facilities where hazardous materials or equipment or present.
Supervisor's responsibility
If you manage or supervise a campus facility where hazardous materials are stored or used, designate an Area Safety Coordinator (ASC) to manage safety requirements or act in that capacity yourself.
- Research facility: Contact the EH&S Research Safety Program specialist for your area.
- Non-research facility: Contact the EH&S safety training manager.
Designating an Area Safety Coordinator helps achieve worker safety and regulatory compliance for your facility. Large departments and departments with multiple locations may need more than one ASC to be effective.
Please note that Research Area Safety Coordinators have different responsibilities and resources.
For campus industrial facilities, the "Area Safety Coordinator" role acknowledges that shops and studios also handle hazardous chemicals and equipment.
Important: Managers and supervisors remain accountable and ultimately responsible for workplace safety and compliance in areas under their control, even if they designate an Area Safety Coordinator.
Click on a topic for more information about ASC responsibilities:
Employee safety orientation and training
Conduct employee safety orientations.
Make sure employees receive required and recommended safety training:
Use online safety information resources for industrial employees. See:
Make sure personnel know about:
Coordinate safety activities
- Implement the Injury & Illness Prevention Program in your area.
- Use the Integrated Safety and Environmental Management 5-step process to incorporate safety and environmental best practices into all work activities.
- Make contractors and visitors working at UC San Diego aware of campus safety programs and policies. See:
Implement a Hazard Communication Program
- Implement the Hazard Communication Program in your area.
- Learn about the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).
- Make sure personnel have easy access to Safety Data Sheets (formerly called Material Safety Data Sheets).
Chemical safety
Follow UC San Diego requirements and guidelines for chemical safety:
- General Chemical Safety Guidelines
- Chemical Storage and Inventory Guidelines
- Chemical Compatibility Guidelines
- Compressed Gas: Classification and Requirements Overview
- Flammable and Combustible Liquids Overview
- Hazard Communication Program
- Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, or GHS
- Safety Data Sheets (formerly called Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDS)
Safety audit liason
- Be a contact person for safety audits conducted by Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S).
- EH&S will review area safety performance during scheduled audits and work cooperatively with ASCs to address any problems.
- Correct problems identified in the audit, or notify the person(s) responsible for the violation.
- Perform an area self-audit 3 months after the EH&S safety audit. Target the issues revealed during the audit to identify persisting problems.
Emergency preparedness
Be prepared for emergencies. See:
- UC San Diego Emergency Guide
- Be Prepared for a Power Outage
- Eye Wash and Emergency Shower Guidelines
- If You Discover a Fire ...
- Safety Data Sheets
- Reduce Workplace Earthquake Hazards
Perform monthly inspections of fire extinguishers located inside your laboratory or the area under your control. Learn about fire extinguishers and inspection at:
Hazardous waste management
Ensure proper disposal of chemicals generated in your area. See:
- Hazardous Waste Management
- Get a Waste Generator Number
- How to Use Hazardous Waste Tags to learn about:
- Hazardous waste labeling requirements
- The automated Online Waste Tag Program (OTP)
- Request a Hazardous Waste Collection
Protect the environment
- See Environmental Protection for links to environmental compliance requirements, guidelines, and resources.
ASC vs DSC
Area Safety Coordinators (ASCs) differ from Department Safety Coordinators (DSCs).
- Area Safety Coordinators are assigned to a specific facility where work with hazardous material or equipment occurs — typically a shop, studio, or research facility.
- Department Safety Coordinators represent all their co-workers, regardless of the work performed. Every department should have at least one DSC. Large departments and departments with multiple locations may need more than one DSC to be effective. Read What DSCs should know.
See Safety Coordinator Resources for plenty of resources to help you do your job.
Note: Some departments with higher risk workplaces employ a Department Safety Officer (DSO), a safety professional.