1.0  Policy Statement

Sir Sandford Fleming College is committed to the protection of its employees from work-related injuries and illnesses.In fulfilling this commitment, Sir Sandford Fleming College will provide and maintain a safe and healthy work environment, as is required to meet or exceed industry standards, and in compliance with legislative requirements. We will strive to eliminate workplace hazards which may result in personal injuries, illnesses, property damage and property loss.Under the Internal Responsibility System , health and safety is the direct responsibility of all managers, supervisors  and workers alike. Accidental loss can be controlled through good management in combination with active employee involvement.I trust that the college community will join me in a personal commitment to health and safety as a way of life.

Tony Tilly, Ph.D
President

2.0   Definitions

Accident

An unplanned, undesired event that results in personal injury or property damage.

Biohazardous Waste

An item to be discarded that is, or may have been, in contact with human or animal tissue or  body fluids.

Certified Member Of Joint Occupational Health And Safety Committee (JOHSC)

Committee member,  trained and certified by an authorized agency, who carries added responsibilities and duties.

Competent Person

A person who is qualified because of knowledge, training and experience to organize the work and its performance. He/she is familiar with the OH&S Act and the  Regulations that apply to the work place and has knowledge of any potential or actual danger to health and safety in the workplace.

Confined Space

A space to which or from which access or egress is restricted and in which, because of its construction, location or contents or the work  activity therein, a hazardous gas, vapour, dust or fume or an oxygen-deficient atmosphere may occur.

Critical Injury

Any injury of a serious nature that:

• places life in jeopardy;
• produces unconsciousness;
• results in substantial loss of blood;
• involves the fracture of a leg or arm but not a finger or toe;
• involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot but not a finger or toe;
• consists of burns to a major portion of the body;
• causes the loss of sight in an eye.

 

Emergency

A sudden, unexpected occurrence demanding immediate action.

Employer

A person who employs one or more workers or contracts for the services of one or more workers including a contractor or subcontractor who performs work or supplies services or who undertakes with an owner to perform work or supply services.

Explosive Hazard

A process that is likely to produce dust, fume, gas or vapour to such an extent as to be capable of forming an explosive mixture when combined with air.

Flammable Liquid

A liquid with a flash point below 37.8 degrees Celsius and a vapour pressure not exceeding 275 kilopascals absolute at 37.8 degrees Celsius.

Flash Point

The lowest temperature at which a flammable liquid gives off sufficient vapour to form an ignitable mixture with air near its surface or within a vessel.

Hazard

A situation, condition or occurrence where there is the potential for injury or property damage.

Hazardous Room

A room containing a substance which because of its nature or the form in which the substance exists, is handled or is stored, may explode or become easily ignited, causing a fire or creating an atmosphere or condition of imminent hazard to the worker.

Incident

An unplanned, undesired event that adversely affects the completion of a task. Also referred to as a “near miss.”

Legislation

Laws made by a governmental body.

Modified Work Program

Any job or combination of tasks that a worker who suffers from a disability may perform on a temporary or permanent basis without risk of re-injury to himself/herself or risk to others.

Occupational Illness

A condition that results from exposure in a workplace to a physical, chemical or biological agent leading to impairment of the worker.
Regulation

A governmental order having the force of law.

Restricted Space

Restricted space refers to a tank, vat, vessel, duct, vault, boiler or other space from which the exit from the area is restricted, limited or impeded because of the construction, design, location or other physical characteristic of the space.

Sharps

Medical equipment that has a sharp edge (including scalpel blades, needles, lances, razor blades and suture needles) that may have come into contact with an individual’s body fluids.

Supervisor

A person who has charge of a workplace or authority over a worker.

Vapour Pressure

The pressure that a saturated vapour exerts above its own liquid in a closed container, usually stated in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) at 20?C.

WHMIS

Work Place Hazardous Materials Information System.

Worker

A person who performs work or supplies services for monetary compensation.

Workplace

Any land, premises, location or thing at, upon, in or near where the worker works.

Work Refusal

The Occupational Health & Safety Act gives the worker the right to refuse work that he/she believes is unsafe.
3.00 Responsibilities

Safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Employer

It is the Employer’s responsibility to:

• ensure safe working conditions at all times;
• provide training, instruction, information and supervision to workers to protect their health and safety;
• appoint only “competent” Supervisors

 

3.11 Department Manager 

The manager is responsible for the adequate safety performance of the  department. Where appropriate the manager will ensure:

• That department safety policies are developed.
• That each department  formulates a safety policy which sets out safe work procedures in dealing with hazards involving that department.
• That all supervisors are competent as defined in the OH&S Act;
• That during annual performance review of supervisors, adherence to safety procedures is evaluated.
• That all hazardous situations are corrected;
• That the department responds to the recommendations of the JOHSC that pertain to safety in the workplace and refers these recommendations to the appropriate supervisor of a department;.

3.12 Supervisor 

Supervisors shall ensure the health and safety of workers at all times.

More specifically they shall:

• take every reasonable precaution to protect their workers;
• ensure that their workers comply with all safety legislation and regulations;
• ensure that workers use equipment, protective devices and protective clothing required by the employer;
• ensure that safe work practices and procedures are adhered to at all times;
• advise workers of any potential or actual dangers to health and safety;
• identify and control hazards;
• ensure that all employees receive proper training and instruction and have a full understanding of all operations;
• ensure that proper maintenance is carried out on all equipment and facilities;
• investigate all accidents (See section 4.00);
• respond to all work refusal situations immediately (See section 7.00);
• demonstrate, by their actions, a positive safety attitude.

3.13 Worker

The Worker shall:

 

• comply with all College policies, procedures and safety guidelines;
• report all hazards to the appropriate supervisor;
• report and seek treatment for all accidents and/or injuries, no matter how minor they may seem;
• not operate equipment in a way that could be hazardous to the worker or to others;
• not engage in any prank or unnecessary running or boisterous conduct;
• use all protective equipment required properly, ensure that this equipment is in good condition, and report any defects;
• carry out work and duties in accordance with the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations;
• use tools and equipment in the manner for which they were designed; not use defective tools or equipment, but rather report, lock out, or tag such equipment wherever possible and appropriate;
• not attempt repairs or alterations on any machine or equipment unless authorized to do so. (repairs and alterations will only be performed by qualified people.)
• keep work areas safe and orderly;
• be familiar with the OH&S Act, and all regulations pertaining to the specific work area;
• be aware of hazards in the workplace;
• adopt and demonstrate a safety attitude;
• participate in all required training.

 

3.15 Campus Nurse

The Campus Nurse shall:

• contribute to the JOHSC as a resource member for selected agenda items, or  as an elected worker representative;
• provide first aid treatment for illness and injury when on campus;
• complete or receive  Accident Reports mainly regarding student injuries, ensuring they are complete, and distributing them to the Administrative Officer in the Finance and Facilities Office..

 

3.16 Students

 

Students shall:

• adhere to College rules and regulations, including but not limited to Student Rights and Responsibilities, Academic Regulations, Harassment and Discrimination Policy, Fire Regulations, Smoking Policy, and College Health and Safety Policies.

 

3.17 Visitors And General Public

Visitors and General Public shall:

• observe all rules and regulations set forth by the College.

3.19  Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC)

The Committee is an advisory body that helps to stimulate awareness of safety issues, recognizes workplace risks and then deals with these risks.

The Committee has four principal functions:

• to identify potential hazards;
• to evaluate these potential hazards;
• to recommend corrective action;
• to follow up implemented recommendations.

To carry out its functions, the Committee shall:

• hold meetings (at least every three months);
• participate in the development of assessment reports and control-program reports required under the designated substances regulations;
• be available to receive employee concerns, complaints and recommendations; to discuss problems and recommend solutions;
• provide input into existing and proposed health and safety programs;
• organize and conduct safety inspection tours throughout the College to identify hazardous conditions and practices and recommend corrective action and solutions to safety problems;
• review monthly accident reports and ensure proper follow-up of accidents, making recommendations for the prevention of recurrence of accidents;
• co-operate with all levels of supervisory staff to help them to achieve the highest level of safety performance;
• keep abreast of legislative changes, advances in safety knowledge, technology, equipment and processes, and communicate the same to the appropriate departments;

 

To carry out its functions, the Committee shall:

• investigate all critical injuries or deaths occurring in the workplace;
• participate in all work refusal situations.

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3.20 Certified Member of The Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee

In addition to the regular duties of  members of the JOHSC, the Certified Member shall:

• investigate complaints of dangerous circumstances;
• conduct or participate in accident/incident investigations;
• initiate or participate in appropriate actions to eliminate or control workplace hazards.
• investigate work refusals (sec 43)

In conjunction with a certified management representative, the certified member of the JOHSC can order the shutdown of any College equipment or work process if it is deemed to be or has potential to be hazardous, and demand that corrective action be taken.  When there is disagreement between the management and worker representative, a Ministry of Labour inspector  must be contacted to resolve the issue.

3.30 Contractors

Prior to awarding any contract, the following requirements must be fulfilled by the Contractor:

• written proof of good standing with the Workers Safety & Insurance Board;
• acknowledgment that the contractor is aware that the College has the right to stop the contractor’s work in the event that it creates any unacceptable health and/or safety hazard to employees;
• acknowledgment that the contractor is aware that the College has the right to void the contract for a wilful or persistent violation by the contractor of health and safety rules;
• acknowledgment of awareness of any particular hazards associated with the workplace;
• acknowledgment of awareness of the College fire procedure;
• acknowledgment of awareness of the areas to which access is permitted;
• assurance that the contractor will provide its workers with personal protective equipment necessary for safe performance of the work and that its employees have had the necessary training to use and maintain such equipment;
• contractor will provide MSDS for each substance regulated under WHMIS which is brought on to the premises;
• provide WHMIS training to its workers;
• agree to follow all policies of Sir Sandford Fleming College;
• agree to notify the College Safety Officer of all workplace accidents which occur while working for Sir Sandford Fleming College;
• demonstrate that they have implemented their own health and safety policy and procedures.