The City & County of San Francisco is committed to identifying and preventing employee exposures to avoidable hazards and conditions that can lead to injuries or illnesses. Safety is everybody's job, and all employees are encouraged to remain alert and correct hazardous conditions and unsafe acts - if it is safe to do so - and/or report them to their supervisors.

City employees may also report unsafe or unhealthy conditions by emailing DHR at DHRCitySafety@sfgov.org, or by calling the DHR Safety Reporting Line: 415-557-4999.

For situations where there is an imminent danger to life, employees should call 911. Hazards are risks in a work environment that can harmfully affect or injure employees if not properly addressed. There are many types of workplace hazards that can affect employees physically, mentally and emotionally.

Chemical hazards: Many workplaces use chemicals in some form or another. These chemicals can range from cleaning products to hair dye to fluids used in a factory. Knowing how to process and store chemicals properly can prevent incidents such as illness, injury, fire or property damage.

Ergonomic hazards: Ergonomic work hazards are hazards related to employees’ daily duties, mostly those that affect their physical well-being. Some of the workplace activities that can result in ergonomic hazards include manual labor, such as pushing, pulling, holding, or carrying objects.

Physical hazards: Physical hazards refer to dangers a substance or object poses due to its physical properties. Examples include slippery floors, objects in walkways, unsafe or misused machinery, excessive noise, poor lighting, fire, etc.

Biological hazards: Biological hazards are agents that can make you sick. They can get into the body through the nose, mouth, or skin to cause harm. Examples include viruses in the workplace such as flu or common colds, mold, and biological hazards due to insect, plant or animal life.

Psychological hazards: Psychological hazards refer to any hazard that affects the mental well-being of an employee. Examples include bullying and harassment in the workplace.

Requirements. The following conditions must be met before a hazard becomes an imminent danger:

• There must be a threat of death or serious physical harm. "Serious physical harm" means that a part of the body is damaged so severely that it cannot be used or cannot be used very well.
• For a health hazard there must be a reasonable expectation that toxic substances or other health hazards are present and exposure to them will shorten life or cause substantial reduction in physical or mental efficiency. The harm caused by the health hazard does not have to happen immediately.
• The threat must be immediate or imminent. This means that you must believe that death or serious physical harm could occur within a short time.

Workplace Injuries Who to Call

Procedures and phone numbers to call should a City employee be injured on the job. Contact immediate supervisor to start the process.

Cal/OSHA Serious Injury Report

• Cal/OSHA Serious Injury Report Policy and Procedures