Health and Safety Policy

Purpose

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and all who work within it, share an important responsibility to promote, support, implement and practice effective health and safety management and behaviour in their everyday workplace activities. To this end, this policy and its associated procedures are designed to define the responsibilities and obligations of the university for promoting and supporting a safe and healthy workplace and preventing injury or occupational illness, in accordance with the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), the Environmental Protection Act, and other applicable federal and provincial legislation and local statutes and by‐laws.  

Policy

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology is committed to providing a safe and healthy work and learning environment for its employees, students, visitors and contractors.  The prevention of occupational illness or injury is a major continuing objective at the University, and the university will take every reasonable precaution to provide and maintain a safe and healthy work and learning environment. As a minimum standard, the university shall comply with all statutory requirements, including the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Environmental Protection Act and other applicable federal and provincial legislation and local statutes and by-laws.

The university is responsible for establishing, maintaining and communicating a safety program to implement this policy. The university shall develop, document and implement hazard specific safety policies, regulations and procedures and shall ensure that all employees and students are aware of these safety policies and of their rights and responsibilities for maintaining safe working conditions.

Every employee and student has a responsibility to work safely in accordance with both the statutory requirements and the university safety policies and procedures and to report any unsafe acts or conditions.

Employees in a supervisory position have an additional responsibility to ensure that persons under their supervision are made aware of any hazards in the workplace and that these individuals comply with all applicable safety policies and procedures. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that any hazards or safety violations in workplaces under their control are investigated and corrected promptly.

Contractors and sub‐contractors performing work for the university must, as part of their contract, comply with all relevant workplace and environmental health and safety statutes and to meet or exceed the university's safety program requirements.

It is the intent of the University that a commitment to health and safety form an integral part of the culture of the institution and all its activities.

The University shall establish a Joint Health and Safety Committee, as required by the OHSA, to identify and evaluate potential hazards, recommend corrective actions to the employer and to monitor implementation of the corrective actions.

This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis

Scope and authority

All parties as identified in the University's Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS), including the Board of Governors, the president, deans, researchers, managers and supervisors, shall work in collaboration with the Health and Safety Committees, faculty, staff and students, contractors and visitors to ensure that the requirements of the OHSA and regulations and other applicable legislation are fully implemented and integrated into all university work and study activities.

Procedures

The university will develop and communicate procedures which address specific hazards identified in the university environment on an ongoing basis to ensure that health and safety requirements continue to be met. It will provide competency training required to recognize, assess and control these hazards in a timely fashion.  

Associated Legislation and Procedures

Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter 0.1.

WSIB WorkWell Audit – Health and Safety Policy statement

Occupational Health and Safety Management System

Nuclear Safety and Control Act, S.C. (Statutes of Canada) 1997, c. 9.

Human Pathogens and Toxins Act, S.C. 2009, c. 24

Building Code Act, 1992, S.O. 1992, c. 23

Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, S.O. 1997, c.4