Report 2017-119 Recommendation 62 Responses

Report 2017-119: California State University: It Has Not Provided Adequate Oversight of the Safety of Employees and Students Who Work With Hazardous Materials (Release Date: April 2018)

Recommendation #62 To: Sacramento, California State University

Sacramento should monitor the implementation of its new processes for inspecting safeguards to ensure that it completes monthly flushes of eyewashes and showers as state regulations require.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2020

Sacramento State has continued to monitor its processes for flushing eyewashes and safety showers to ensure these flushes occur monthly as required and none are missed.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2019

Sacramento State has continued to monitor its processes for flushing safety showers and implemented a new, more centralized process for flushing eyewashes to ensure these flushes occur monthly as required and none are missed.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Beginning with October 2019, Sacramento implemented a new centralized process for monthly inspection of eye wash stations. However, because Sacramento has only conducted such inspections for one month as of its response date, we cannot determine whether it has fully implemented our recommendation.

1-Year Agency Response

Sacramento State is monitoring, and will continue to monitor, the implementation of its new processes for inspecting safeguards to ensure that it completes monthly flushes of eyewashes and showers as state regulations require. The campus Chemical Hygiene Officer continues to conduct regular inspections of laboratory spaces that include checking the timely testing of eyewashes.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented

Sacramento has provided evidence that it verifies the monthly flushes of eyewashes. It also provided additional evidence demonstrating that it created work orders to monitor and ensure that it inspects and flushes showers monthly as state regulations require. However, its monitoring shows that it has missed some of the required eyewash flushes. As its monitoring has not yet ensured that it complies with the required monthly flushes, we assess this recommendation as partially implemented.

6-Month Agency Response

Sacramento State is monitoring, and will continue to monitor, the implementation of its new processes for inspecting safeguards to ensure that it completes monthly flushes of eyewashes and showers as state regulations require. Specifically, the campus created a work order for monthly tests of safety showers, which management reviews to ensure the testing has been completed. The campus also implemented a process whereby the Chemical Hygiene Officer conducts regular inspections of laboratory spaces that include verifying the functionality and timely testing of safety showers and eyewashes.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Partially Implemented

Sacramento provided evidence demonstrating that it created work orders to monitor and ensure that it inspects and flushes showers monthly as state regulations require. However, it did not provide evidence that it verifies the monthly flushes of eyewashes that state regulations require.

60-Day Agency Response

Sacramento State is putting processes in place to monitor eyewash and safety shower flushes to ensure they occur as state regulations require. Facilities Management has created a work order for monthly tests of safety showers, and management will review the work orders each month to ensure the testing has been completed. In addition, the Chemical Hygiene Officer will complete monthly walk-through inspections of laboratory spaces to confirm compliance with eyewash and safety shower flush requirements.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2017-119

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.