diff --git a/src/header/sys_timeb/mod.rs b/src/header/sys_timeb/mod.rs
index 57c11e1c2b..76ae4bc5b7 100644
--- a/src/header/sys_timeb/mod.rs
+++ b/src/header/sys_timeb/mod.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 // TODO: set this for entire crate when possible
 #![deny(unsafe_op_in_unsafe_fn)]
 
+use core::ptr::NonNull;
+
 use crate::{
     header::sys_time::{gettimeofday, timeval, timezone},
     platform::types::*,
@@ -26,20 +28,30 @@ pub struct timeb {
 }
 
 /// See <https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/functions/ftime.html>.
+///
+/// # Safety
+/// The caller must ensure that `tp` is convertible to a `&mut
+/// MaybeUninit<timeb>`.
 #[no_mangle]
 pub unsafe extern "C" fn ftime(tp: *mut timeb) -> c_int {
-    let tp_mut = unsafe { &mut *tp };
+    // SAFETY: the caller is required to ensure that the pointer is valid.
+    let tp_maybe_uninit = unsafe { NonNull::new_unchecked(tp).as_uninit_mut() };
 
     let mut tv = timeval::default();
     let mut tz = timezone::default();
+
+    // SAFETY: tv and tz are created above, and thus will coerce to valid
+    // pointers.
     if unsafe { gettimeofday(&mut tv, &mut tz) } < 0 {
         return -1;
     }
 
-    tp_mut.time = tv.tv_sec;
-    tp_mut.millitm = (tv.tv_usec / 1000) as c_ushort;
-    tp_mut.timezone = tz.tz_minuteswest as c_short;
-    tp_mut.dstflag = tz.tz_dsttime as c_short;
+    tp_maybe_uninit.write(timeb {
+        time: tv.tv_sec,
+        millitm: (tv.tv_usec / 1000) as c_ushort,
+        timezone: tz.tz_minuteswest as c_short,
+        dstflag: tz.tz_dsttime as c_short,
+    });
 
     0
 }