UVic Health & Safety Orientation - Occupational Health and Safety

UVic Health & Safety Orientation
“UVic is committed to fostering environments for work and study that
are safe, supportive, inclusive and healthy, encourage mutual respect
and civility, recognizing that people are our primary strength”

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 2
General Requirements
Health and Safety Program 3
Rights and Responsibilities 3
Working Alone 4
Prevention of Violence 4
Bullying & Harrassment Prevention 5
First Aid 6
Incident Reporting 6
Emergency Planning 7
Health and Safety Committees 7
WHMIS 8
Ergonomics 8
Environment 9
Contact Information 9
Job Specific Requirements
Health and Safety Information 10
Job Specific Training 10
Checklist 11
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INTRODUCTION
UVic Health and Safety Orientation is the first step to help prepare you for the job before you start
working. The goals are to create an ongoing commitment to health and safety during your time at
UVic and to ensure compliance with WorkSafeBC.
How to Complete the Orientation
This handbook is divided into two sections:
General Requirements: health and safety
information applicable to every UVic employee.
Please review this handbook to ensure that you have
read and understood the general requirements. If
you have any questions, please ask your supervisor
for help.
Job-Specific Requirements: health and safety
information directly related to your job. Before you
start working, your supervisor should identify and
explain any hazards associated with your job and
provide you with instructions on how to work safely.
Your department should document this training
and keep records onsite.
Once you and your supervisor are satisfied that
both general and job-specific requirements have
been met, each of you must sign-off using the
online form*.
Who is a Supervisor?
A supervisor is anyone who instructs, directs and
manages employees in the performance of their
duties. At UVic this will include people who are
employed as Directors, Managers and Supervisors
as well as Deans, Chairs, Principal Investigators,
Administrative Officers and Lab Instructors.
All supervisors should be familiar with this handbook
and ensure that health and safety is an integral part
of their department’s orientation process.
Supervisors should also review the Health and Safety
Handbook for Supervisors which outlines specific
duties and accountablities for supervisory staff.
*Note: Casual employees without a “regular” appointment are not required to sign-off using the online form. Instead, your department
should document that orientation has been completed using the checklist at the end of this handbook or download as a
pdf. For more information see the Health and Safety FAQ’s.
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GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Health and Safety Programs
The foundation of successful health and safety programs is a comprehensive Environmental Health and
Safety Management System (EHSMS). At UVic the EHSMS integrates all aspects of safety programs, activities,
procedures, roles and responsibilities and assessment of health and safety performance.
Key principles of the EHSMS include:
• internal (shared) responsibility for health and safety
• due diligence for regulatory compliance
• integration of health and safety practice into all work activities
• continuous health and safety monitoring and improvement
• respecting the independence of research and teaching
Please review the University’s Policy on Environmental Health and Safety for more information about your
roles and responsibilities, and resources that support health and safety management.
Rights and Responsibilities
As an employee of UVic, you have the right to:
• be informed about workplace hazards and participate in inspections, committees and other health and
safety activities.
• refuse unsafe work and not be subject to discriminatory actions. Discriminatory actions include
suspension, layoff and dismissal; demotion; wage reduction or change in working hours; coercion and
disciplinary action.
As an employee of UVic, you have the responsibility to:
• follow UVic policies and procedures and to work in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• report any unsafe act or condition immediately to your supervisor, who will then investigate and take
corrective action as required.
• ensure you have the necessary training, assistance and equipment before beginning a job.
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Working Alone
To work alone or in isolation means to work in circumstances where assistance would not be readily available
in case of emergency, injury or ill health.
Working alone requirements will not apply to most groups on campus since assistance is readily available
through the presence of others and Campus Security’s 24-hour first aid response, and the work is considered
low hazard.
Some departments may need to develop a written Working Alone Plan if work activities are moderately
hazardous and you are required to work alone for all or parts of your job. This Plan would include:
• establishing a regular time-interval between “check-ins”
• designating a person to establish contact with the employee at predetermined intervals,
and to record the results
• developing a follow-up procedure in case the employee cannot be contacted.
In general, employees should not work alone in any situation involving the use of hazardous materials, high
voltage, confined spaces or other high hazard activities.
For more details, please review the Working Alone information on the OHSE website.
Also review the Campus Alone program offered by Campus Security (CSEC).
Prevention of Violence
Certain jobs and work environments may present a risk of injury to employees arising from violence. Risk
factors include activities where employees interact with members of the public, handle money in retail
settings or work after-hours.
Violence in the workplace means any physical force, threatening statements or behaviour, attempted or actual,
which causes injury or gives the employee reasonable cause to believe he or she is at risk of injury.
At UVic, any violent incidents or concerns about suspicious behavior, theft or personal safety should be
reported immediately to Campus Security and your supervisor for follow-up. If the issue involves allegations
of workplace bullying and harassment the supervisor or department should be notified and is required to take
initial steps to investigate.
If there exists an identified risk of injury from violence, your department must establish procedures to control
the risk. For more details, please review the Prevention of Violence information on the OHSE website.
Also review the information provided by CSEC on Personal Security.
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Bullying and Harassment Prevention
The university is committed to maintaining a healthy, safe and respectful environment for work and study. It
is the responsibility of all members of the campus community not to engage in bullying and harassment, to
report any bullying and harassment they observe or experience, and to comply with UVic and WorkSafeBC
(WSBC) policies and procedures on bullying and harassment.
Definition of bullying and harassment (WSBC)
Includes any inappropriate conduct or comment by a person towards a worker that the person knew or
reasonably ought to have known would cause that worker to be humiliated or intimidated, but excludes any
reasonable action taken by an employer or supervisor relating to the management and direction of workers
or the place of employment.
Includes (but not limited to)
• Verbal aggression, yelling or insults
• Humiliating initiation practices or hazing
• Spreading malicious rumours
• Calling someone derogatory names
• Vandalizing a worker’s belongings
• Sabotaging a person’s work
• Engaging in targeted social isolation
Does Not Include
• Expressing differences of opinion
• Work instruction, supervision, or feedback
• Job duties or work to be performed
• Performance management
• Assigning work, workloads and deadlines
• Layoffs, transfers and reorganizations
• Discipline, suspension, or termination
Reporting Procedures
Report any incidents or complaints to your direct supervisor or to the Equity and Human Rights office
(EQHR).
If the complainant’s direct supervisor is the person engaging in alleged bullying and harassing behaviour,
contact another manager in your department, EQHR, your union or employee representative, a Human
Resources Consultant, VPAC Faculty Relations, Campus Security Services or Occupational Health, Safety and
Environment for assistance.
Incidents or complaints should be reported as soon as possible after experiencing or witnessing bullying and
harassment. This allows the incident to be investigated and addressed promptly.
Provide as much information as possible in your report, such as the names of people involved, witnesses,
where the events occurred, when they occurred, and what behaviour and/or words led to the complaint.
Follow-up
It is expected that supervisors will address any reported complaints within their department and are
encouraged to seek advice and assistance from a Human Resources Consultant, VPAC Faculty Relations or
EQHR, as appropriate.
For more information about bullying and harassment prevention including policies, toolkits, fact sheets,
education, and WSBC claims please visit ohs.uvic.ca/bullyingandharassment.php
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Emergencies
In all emergency situations requiring ambulance, fire or police call 911.
Remember to always provide your name and campus location including the
building and room number. Campus Security can also be contacted to assist in
any emergency situation by calling 250-721-7599.
First Aid
Campus Security provides First Aid response for all members of the campus
community, 24-hours a day, by calling 250-721-7599.
Reporting Hazards or Safety Concerns
Faculty, staff and students must report any non-emergency hazards or safety
concerns to their supervisor for follow-up. If their supervisor is not available,
then they should report the concern to another management representative
from their department, their union representative or local safety committee,
Campus Security or OHSE. Follow this link for more information on Hazard
Reporting.
Reporting Incidents and Injuries
When an incident occurs contact Campus Security to obtain first aid, other
medical aid or to assist with an emergency situation. All accidents, incidents
and near-misses must then be reported as soon as possible to a supervisor
using the Departmental Incident and Hazard Report form. Incidents that
result in the following must be reported and investigated by the Department:
• Injury, Exposure or Occupational Disease
• Time-loss from work
• Medical treatment (by a medical practitioner)
• First Aid call-out (for work-related injuries)
• Near-miss (no injury but potential to cause serious injury)
• Equipment failure
• Hazardous material spill/environmental release
• Property damage
Minor incidents not meeting any of the above criteria should be recorded in
the Departmental Accident Record book.
WorkSafeBC Claims
If your injury results in a WorkSafeBC claim, you must also complete an
Employee’s Report of Injury (Form 6A) and contact WorkSafeBC to initiate your
claim. All incidents require follow-up investigation by your supervisor and joint
local safety committee review.
Follow these links for more information on Incident Reporting and
WorkSafeBC Claims.
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Emergency Planning
Emergency Planning on campus focuses on building our capacity to
respond to and recover quickly from a major emergency or disaster.
Everyone at UVic has a role to play.
Key information is found in the
University’s Emergency Procedures poster.
Other important information:
• Each building has a team of Emergency Coordinators who will assist
in the event of an evacuation (team members can be identified by
orange vests labeled with ‘UVIC’ and specific building names).
• Familiarize yourself with the location of fire alarm pull stations and
fire extinguishers in your workplace(s).
• Know the location of Emergency Assembly Points (where you will
meet during a building evacuation).
• In the event of a major damaging earthquake we may need to
evacuate the campus.
Review the campus evacuation procedures and learn about the
campus assembly area
• UVic uses a messaging system to send emergency information to
campus e-mails, telephones, mobile phone numbers and Twitter.
For more information and to register your mobile please visit the
UVic Alerts website.
• Always contact 911 (or 9-911) or CSEC to report an emergency
situation. Remember to provide your name and exact location.
For additional emergency planning information visit
www.uvic.ca/services/emergency
Joint Health and Safety Committees
Health and safety committees play a key role in the university’s safety
management system. Joint Local Safety Committees (LSC) meet on
a monthly basis and represent all units and workplaces on campus as
required by WorkSafeBC.
LSC’s are made up of staff and management representatives working
cooperatively in support of a comprehensive occupational health and
safety program. As a joint committee, it represents an excellent means
of consultation within the organization to review health and safety
programs, establish proactive communication, and assist the employer
with reducing/eliminating workplace accidents and injuries.
Please follow this link to learn more about Local Safety Committees,
how they integrate with other safety committees on campus and their
role in assisting with inspections and addressing safety concerns.
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WHMIS
Employees who use controlled products must receive education and training in Workplace Hazardous Materials
Information System (WHMIS) prior to starting their job.
WHMIS contains three key elements: product labels, material safety data sheets (MSDS) and education and
training programs.
Following successful WHMIS training, employees should be able to answer these questions:
• What are the hazards of the products being used?
• How do you protect yourself?
• What should be done in case of emergency or spills?
• Where do you get more information on the product?
Occupational Health, Safety & Environment offers online and classroom-based WHMIS training for both lab
workers and non-lab workers. An MSDS online database is available through OHSE.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is concerned with identifying and minimizing risk factors to help prevent musculoskeletal injuries
(MSI). These sprains, strains and other types of injuries can be caused or aggravated by work and may affect
the muscles, soft tissues, and joints.
Common ergonomic risk factors include force, repetition and awkward posture.
Creating a good ergonomic work environment requires proper selection and use of tools and equipment,
workstation layout and seating, and appropriate job practices to help maximize employee comfort and productivity.
For more details, please review the Ergonomics information on the OHSE website.
OHSE also offers office ergonomics and manual handling training to help supervisors and employees
incorporate ergonomic practices in their work. These sessions are highly recommended for every new
employee as part of your health and safety orientation. To register, please visit the OHSE Training and
Events website.
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Environment
Environmental programs focus on pollution prevention,
compliance and stewardship. A variety of programs and
services support environmental protection on campus.
Hazardous Waste Management
This program is designed to deal with any hazardous waste
on campus so that no controlled products are released to
the sewer or the regular garbage. OHSE supplies a variety of
reusable containers for waste collection. Please use the online
form to request a pick-up of your hazardous wastes.
Spill Prevention and Response
Plan your work to minimize the chance of a spill and have spill
response equipment nearby (e.g. spill pads, absorbent, gloves,
etc.) In the event of a spill, follow the information in the
Spill Response Plan. If at any time you require assistance with
a hazardous materials spill, please call Campus Security.
Sustainability
There are initiatives that encourage recycling, bicycle use,
public transit and car sharing. You can find more information
on the Sustainability website.
University Smoking Policy
The University has implemented a smoking policy in order
to provide a safe and healthy environment on campus. This
policy aims to control exposure to second-hand smoke by
limiting smoking to designated areas outside Ring Road.
Contact Information
All employees should have the contact information for their
supervisor on hand as well as the following numbers in case
of emergency:
Emergencies
Fire, Ambulance, Police 911 or 9-911
UVic Campus Security Services 250-721-7599
Non-Emergencies
UVic Campus Security Services 250-721-6683
Saanich Police 250-475-4321
Oak Bay Police 250-592-2424
Saanich Fire Department 250-475-6111
Oak Bay Fire Department 250-592-9121
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JOB SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
Health and Safety Information
Your supervisor is required to identify and explain any policies, rules and hazards associated with
your job before you begin work, including:
• General health and safety information such as keeping fire exits and hallways clear, incident
reporting, first aid procedures and appropriate workplace conduct;
• Departmental policies for operating machinery, hazardous materials use, working alone and
other activities that require Job Specific Training; and
• Selection, use and maintenance of any personal protective equipment (PPE) including protective
clothing, headgear, eyewear, face shields, gloves, footwear or respirators.
Job Specific Training
Job Specific Training is the process of identifying hazardous work conditions and providing
instruction to employees on safe work procedures by their supervisor or department.
The instruction must be hands-on and include a demonstration of the tasks and work processes
you are required to perform as well as a review of written work procedures. A verbal description
alone is not enough.
You must also demonstrate that you can perform the task(s) safely. Your supervisor must assess your
capability until you are both satisfied that the task can be performed safely.
If the job scope changes (e.g. new equipment or work processes) all the steps shown above should
be repeated to ensure that you are properly trained.
All training must be documented, with records kept in your department.
A sample template for job specific training can be found on the OHSE website. This template will
assist in the identification of hazards and provide documentation that training has been completed.
REMINDER: All regular appointed employees must complete the electronic sign-off once this
handbook has been reviewed and initial job specific training has been provided.
A health and safety checklist is also available for managers and supervisors to assist with the
orientation process. Departments are encouraged to use this checklist and sign-off that orientation
has been provided. Completed checklists should be kept with the department.
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NEW EMPLOYEE CHECKLIST
Last Name:_________________________ First Name:_____________________ Phone Number:_________________
Department:________________________ Position:________________________ Supervisor/P.I.:_________________
Each new employee and their Supervisor/ P.I. should complete this checklist before the employee begins working
independently in their area. After all topics have been reviewed and are clearly understood by the employee, please
sign at the bottom of the form. Please retain a copy in your department (you do not need to send a copy to the OHSE
Department)
Emergency/ Evacuation
Procedures
√ General Policy/Programs √
Employee Rights and
Responsibilities
√
Locations of:
• Exits
Reviewed Environmental
Health and Safety Policy
Right to refuse unsafe work without
discriminatory actions
• Fire Pull Stations
University Smoking Policy
Right to participate with inspections,
committees and other safety activities
• Fire Extinguishers
Prevention of Violence/
Bullying & Harassment
Responsibility to report unsafe acts or
conditions immediately to Supervisor
• Emergency Assembly
Points
Working Alone Requirements
Responsibility to follow University of
Victoria Policies and Procedures
Reviewed Earthquake
Procedures
Role of Campus Security
(CSEC):
• First Aid
Documenting injury or near miss on
Dept. Incident & Hazard Report Form
Reviewed Emergency
Procedures Poster
• Accessing Safewalk/
Campus Alone
WorkSafeBC Claims Process
• Personal Security
Role of Joint Health and
Safety Committees
Personal Protective
Equipment (as applicable)
√
OHSE Departmental
Training
(check all that apply to position)
√
Departmental Specific Training
(Please list safe operating procedures for
specific equipment or processes)
√
Respirators
Workplace Hazardous Materials
Information System (WHMIS)
Hearing Protection
Transportation of Dangerous
Goods (TDG)
Safety Footwear
Biosafety
Gloves/ Hand
Radiation Safety
Eye/Face Protection
Laser Safety
Safety Headgear
Fire Extinguishers
Other:
Ergonomics
Employee Signature:________________________________________ Date: _____________________
Supervisor/ P.I Signature:_____________________________________ Date:______________________
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ohs.uvic.ca
Graphic Design: UVic Graphic Services | Photos: UVic Photo Services and Campus Security