Guidance for handling the death of a person in an Academic position
For use with all academics except students and postdocs/visiting scholars
Reporting a death
- A campus member may hear of a death through a variety of sources: friend, family, another student, the news, obituary, police (UC, city, state...) etc.
- Campus member then contacts the deceased person's department head/chair(or designee) or the Chancellor's Immediate Office. These two offices are responsible for notifying each other.
- In case of an on-campus death or during non-business hours call UCPD first as an emergency call by calling 9-1-1 on campus.
- If the cause of death may be work-related, call Environment, Health & Safetyimmediately at 510-643-9575 for CAL-OSHA reporting and investigation.
Responding to a death
Review the below table to familiarize yourself with the response steps. The table is divided into three time segments -- the first 24 hours, 24-48 hours, and 48+ hours after the death has been reported -- to help you prioritize the response. Please Note: If you click on departmental links in the flow chart below, you will be taken to a large departmental contacts chart. You will see the information for the department you've chosen at the top of the chart.