Workers' Compensation (WC) Annual Update

As we begin another academic year, it is customary for Safety and Risk Management (SRM) to provide an update of the University's Workers' Compensation benefits. This information is also available on Inside CSULB.

In the event you sustain an injury or illness related to your employment, you may be treated for such injury or illness by your personal medical doctor (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) if:

• Your employer offers group health coverage;
• The doctor is your regular physician, who shall be either a physician who has limited his or her practice of medicine to general practice or who is a board-certified or board eligible internist, pediatrician, obstetrician-gynecologist, or family practitioner, and has previously directed your medical treatment, and retains your medical records;
• Prior to the injury your doctor agrees to treat you for work-related injuries or illnesses;
• Prior to the injury you provided your employer written notification that you want your personal doctor to treat you for work-related injuries/illnesses and your doctor's name and business address.

Also, you may be able to change your treating physician to your personal chiropractor or acupuncturist following a work-related injury and/or illness. In order to be eligible to make this change, you must provide SRM with the required information prior to the injury or illness. Your Workers' Compensation claims administrator (CA) generally has the right to select your treating physician within the first 30 days after the University knows of your injury and/or illness. After your CA has initiated treatment with another doctor you may then have your treatment transferred to your personal chiropractor or acupuncturist.

Please note that this is only a portion of the comprehensive WC benefit information available on the SRM website.

If you have any trouble accessing any of this information and/or you have additional questions, please contact the campus Worker's Compensation Coordinator, Cheryl Velasco, at 562-985-2366 or e-mail her at cvelasco@csulb.edu

The Campus Health and Safety Committee is Coming Back

After a long hiatus, the campus is reinstating the Health and Safety Committee (Committee). The Committee's activities are intended to create and maintain a high level of interest and awareness in safety among its members and the campus community…they will also help provide a more healthy and safe campus for all of us. Th e Committee will also be a forum where campus health and safety issues can be submitted, evaluated and resolved.

The Committee's first meeting is scheduled for November 18th and we will meet at least 3 times annually. Committee membership consists of one person from each staff bargaining unit along with a representative from the Facilities Management Safety Committee, Staff Human Resources, who will serve as the Committee Secretary, Foundation, 49er Shops, Academic Affairs and Housing.

The Committee's activities (e.g., agendas, member roster, meeting minutes, etc.) will be posted on the Safety and Risk Management web site. If you have any questions related to the Committee, please contact Gary Pons at extension 58893 or Stephanie Wright at extension 57161. Remember, safety is everybody's responsibility.

We've added Two New Battery Collections Stations

As you may have seen, the University has 9 staged battery collection stations located throughout campus. Based on an evaluation of University usage and with the help of the 49er Shops and the Women's Resource Center, SRM has added 2 more collection stations. Th e current active collection station locations are as follows:

• Carpenter Performing Arts Center-Production Office
• Design Department Safety Office
• Facilities Management Supply Warehouse
• K-Jazz Radio Station
• Parkside Commons Dorm Office
• Residence Commons Dorm Office
• Steve and Nini Horn Center
• University Audio/Visual Department
• University Student Union Information Center
• University Bookstore 2nd Floor
• The Women's Resource Center

Please notify SRM if your department routinely generates spent batteries as part of their business practice. For other departments that generate the occasional battery, SRM recommends disposing them at one of the battery collection stations or you may contact George Alfaro at ext. 52378 to schedule a pick up.