Policy Text
Page 1 of 2 26/0 5 (Rev 2-99)
DEPARTMENT SAFETY OFFICER
The purpose of this Order is to define the authority, responsib ility, and duty of the
Department Safety Officer.
I. General
The Department Safety Officer (DSO) is a safety specialist clas sification designated
by the County of Sacramento. The class is a journey level staf f specialist
characterized by a high degree of independence in the knowledge and application of
laws and regulations that gover n occupational safety and health as well as workers’
compensation and gener al liability.
II. Authority
A. The Department Safety Officer:
1. Has the authority to enter any worksite for the purpose of o bserving,
investigating and analyzing occupational safety and health prac tices.
At worksites where the preservation of evidence or areas where security is critical, the Department Safety Officer should be e scorted.
2. Has the authority to examine confidential information legall y afforded
to occupational safety and health professionals.
III. Responsibility
A. The Department Safety Officer is responsible for:
1. The development, administrati on, updating and implementation o f
Department policy regarding o ccupational safety and health.
2. The development and maintenanc e of injury and illness statis tics and
trends including but not limited to:
(a) Injury and illness incidence rates by division, and/or:
(b) Lost time rates, and/or: (c) Injury and illness type and nature trends.
3. Advising Executive Staff in prevention and mitigation method s and
techniques.
4. Establishing and maintaining a functional responsibility for all safety
activities within the Department.
IV. Duty
A. The preservation of employee life, safety and health is the primary duty of the
Department Safety Officer. B. The DSO shall be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to:
1. Respond to emergency and non-emergency incidents including b ut
not limited to:
(a) Incidents involving a potential for chemical, biological, a nd/or
radiological exposure to employees. This includes crime scenes where gross contamination of blood or other potentially
infectious materials and/or c landestine chemical manufacturing
operations and/or incident scenes involving the inadvertent or
intentional release of a harmful agent(s).
C. The DSO shall act as a technical advisor in such situations as described in
Sections IV.B. and shall perform hazard assessments, advise re sponding
personnel of specific dangers, and advise personnel of any spe cific
requirements for personal protection.
1. The DSO shall maintain and make readily available scientific
monitoring equipment that is reasonable and necessary for adequ ate
hazard assessment and/or analysis.
D. The DSO shall establish a significant presence in the field and at worksites
within the Department. E. The DSO shall chair the Department Safety Committee.
F. The DSO shall report to and rece ive direction from Executiv e Staff.
P age 2 of 2 26/ 05 (Rev 2/99)
County of Sacramento Sheriff’s Department
EMPLOYEE SAFETY SUGGESTION / HAZARD OBSERVATION FORM
THIS FORM IS FOR USE BY EMPLOYEES WHO WISH TO PROVIDE A SAFETY S UGGESTION OR REPORT AN UNSAFE
WORKPLACE CONDITION OR PRACTICE . EMPLOYEES ARE ADVISED THAT THE USE OF THIS FORM OR OTHER REPORTI NG
METHODS ARE PROTECTED BY LAW . EVERY EMPLOYEE HAS A RIGHT TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN MATTERS IN VOLVING
THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF ALL EMPLOYEES . S U B M I T T H I S F O R M B Y P L A C I N G T H E C O M P L E T E D F O R M I N T H E I R
EXECUTIVE OFFICER ’S MAILBOX . SEND THE YELLOW COPY TO THE DEPARTMENT SAFETY OFFICER , MAIL CODE 04-293.
DIVISION ____________________ WORK SITE ______________________
LOCATION _______________________________________________________________ ______ ____
DESCRIPTION OF UNSAFE CONDITION OR PRACTICE ______________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________ _____________________
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_______________________________________________________________ _____________________
D
ATE/TIME _____/_____/_____ ____________ AM/PM
W
HAT ACTION DO YOU RECOMMEND THAT THE DEPARTMENT /DIVISION TAKE TO CORRECT THIS CONDITION OR
PRACTICE ? ______________________________________________________________ _ _________
_______________________________________________________________ _________________________
_______________________________________________________________ _________________________
_______________________________________________________________ _________________________
_______________________________________________________________ _________________________
_______________________________________________________________ _________________________
_______________________________________________________________ _________________________
________________________________________________
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HAS THIS MATTER BEEN REPORTED TO THE APPROPRIATE SUPERVISOR ? YES NO
_______________________________
_________________ _____/_____/_____
NAME (OPTIONAL ) PHONE NUMBER (OPTIONAL ) DATE OF COMPLETION
ANY REPORT , QUESTION , OR SUGGESTION WILL BE INVESTIGATED BY THE DIVISION SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE AND /OR
THE DEPARTMENT SAFETY COMMITTEE . ALL AFFECTED PERSONNEL SHALL BE NOTIFIED OF ANY SIGNIFICANT FIND ING(S),
CHANGES IN OPERATION (S), CONDITION (S) AND/OR DEFICIENT PRACTICES .
WHITE – DIVISION EXECUTIVE OFFICER
YELLOW – DEPARTMENT SAFETY OFFICER
7400-