Report 2017-119 Recommendation 56 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 #56 To: San Diego, California State University
To ensure the health and safety of students in a laboratory setting, beginning in the Fall 2018 semester, San Diego should perform reviews at least annually to ensure that all departments are using the student training acknowledgement forms and are complying with the retention requirement.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2021
San Diego State University (SDSU) has updated its process for ensuring that departments are providing safety training to students and retaining student acknowledgements. Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) has developed a safety training module in Canvas, our course management system, which faculty can import into their course and consists of a video and short survey that includes the student acknowledgement. Faculty are also able to develop a customized safety training module and include the student acknowledgement in a quiz or survey. When students complete the safety training module, their survey or quiz is retained in the Canvas course record.
Every semester, EHS selects a sample of courses to audit for compliance with student training and works with Instructional Technology Services to get access to the selected courses in Canvas. EHS reviews the course to ensure a safety module was incorporated into the course and to assess the number of students that completed the survey at the end of the module, which includes the student acknowledgement. As the safety training is completed in Canvas, the information is retained indefinitely with the course record. Additionally, EHS continually reviews course offerings to ensure new or removed courses are identified and the training module is included for the instructor.
- Completion Date: January 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From November 2020
San Diego State University is revising its current process to ensure that departments are using student safety training acknowledgement forms and are complying with the retention requirements for these forms. Environmental Health and Safety Department will perform these reviews at least annually as required.
- Estimated Completion Date: January 2021 implementation
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2019
The recommendation has been fully implemented. Reviews have been performed to ensure that all departments are using the student training acknowledgement forms and are complying with the retention requirements. Environmental Health and Safety Department (EHS) has established a notification process at the beginning of each semester reminding Department Chairs and School Directors to provide safety training to students attending specifically identified courses. Signed forms are collected and held at designated departments. EHS compliance officers review the safety training acknowledgement forms after SDSU's add/drop deadline to ensure that forms are completed and that the academic departments are complying with the retention requirements.
- Completion Date: October 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
San Diego implemented a policy stating that it will perform reviews at least annually to ensure that all departments are using the student training acknowledgement forms, and demonstrated it has completed such reviews. However, the policy does not state that the reviews will also ensure that departments are complying with the retention requirement.
- Auditee did not address all aspects of the recommendation
1-Year Agency Response
Implementation of annual reviews is in progress.
- Estimated Completion Date: July 2019
- Response Date: April 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending
6-Month Agency Response
Implementation is in progress and the annual reviews will begin in Spring 2019.
- Estimated Completion Date: April 2019
- Response Date: October 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
60-Day Agency Response
Implementation is in progress. Reviews will be performed at least annually to ensure that all departments are using the student training acknowledgement forms and are complying with the retention requirement.
- Estimated Completion Date: December 2018
- Response Date: June 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2017-119
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.