Welcome!

TRU Employee Safety Orientation

Topics to Be Covered

What is the Safety Orientation and Checklist?

Reporting Accidents

Emergency Equipment & Response Procedures

Your Safety Committee

Personal Work Habits

Potential Hazards on the Job WHMIS

Who Needs Safety Orientation?

All employees must complete the safety orientation.

Anyone who has returned from an extended absence must complete the orientation

Anyone who changes work areas must complete the orientation noting any changes to safety in their new work area

Responsibility

Supervisors are responsible for ensuring all employees have completed the safety orientation and assignment

Supervisors are responsible for ensuring employees are oriented to the safety procedures in their work areas

Individuals are responsible for complying with the prescribed safety procedures and working safely.

Individuals are responsible for reporting any accidents or near accidents to their supervisor

Why Is This Important To Me?

TRU is committed to creating a safe work environment for all who work, learn, and play at TRU. Creating a culture of safety is an ongoing process so we all must participate because: Safety regulations and procedures are constantly evolving so it

is important to be prepared for emergencies New equipment may require changes in work practices to

ensure we all go home safely at the end of the day New facts re air quality, chemicals etc. are being discovered

everyday so we must be knowledgeable about what we are working with and the hazards they present

Our campus is growing and we must keep informed of changes to location of emergency equipment

We need to know who represents us re safety on campus so we can express our concerns to those who can lobby for change

Why is This Important to Me?

Statistics have shown employees new to an area are at a greater risk for injury and orientation helps prevent such accidents.

An important step in promoting and ensuring a safe work ethic with new employees

Safety orientations are required by law!

REPORTING ACCIDENTS

Report accidents to Supervisor right away (or within 24 hours)

Dial 5033 to reach security or first aid Dial 911, if an emergency medical problem With your chair report the accident to OH&S and they will

help with what forms need to be completed OH&S will help with what forms need to be filled out after

they are notified of that incident.

EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND RESPONSE PROCEDURES

• Fire pulls in hallways (ensure you know where the one closest to your work area is!)

• Fire sprinklers in all buildings• Fire extinguishers in hallways and labs• Automatic External (heart) Defibrillator (AED) in

Occupational Health and Safety (OM1461)• Emergency showers and eyewash stations in labs.

EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND RESPONSE PROCEDURES

Most areas around campus have Emergency Procedures boards which will look identical to the one above. These boards give you instructions on what to do in emergency situations, including what to do in case of a fire, and also a map of your area which shows you the location of emergency exits.

You can also find these emergency response procedures online at http://www.tru.ca/hsafety/emergency/incident_response_procedures.html.

Safety CommitteesJOHSC

The Thompson Rivers University Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC), is made up of departmental, union, management and student representatives.The mandate is to keep abreast of changes in health and safety and make recommendations to the the TRU Executive Council re needed changes.

Inform anyone on the JOHSC with any concerns you have that you would liked added to the meeting agenda.

JOHSC Meetings occur the first Monday of every month at 2:30pm

Minutes are posted on the OH&S website

Co Chairs: Carolynne Fardy, Lincoln Chua (co chairs are elected annually) Recording Secretary: TBD

The JOHSC consists of at least one representative from each of the following areas:

CUPE Local 900: Debbie Blackwell and Malcolm Henry Faculty Association: Carolynne Fardy TRU Student Union: Calida MacKenzie Association of Professional Administrators or Admin Group: Carrie Barrett BCOUFA: John O’Reilly

(continued on next slide)

TRU JOHSC (continued)

As well as the following Ex-Officio members:

Director, Human Resources - Rick Browning Assistant Director, Human Resources - Larry Phillips Manager, Health & Safety Department - Stacey Jyrkkanen Safety Officer - Richard Papp Student Services - Nancy Twynam Facilities Services - Linc Chua Wellness Center - Chelsea Corsi Security - Ken Tessier International - Geoff Wilmhurst Visual and Performing Arts - Cheryl Delling, Shima Iuchi Adventure Studies - Gilles Valade Trades and Technology - Lyle Hirowatari Science - Susan Purdy Culinary Arts - Kimberly Johnstone Ancillary Services and Bookstore - Glenn Read Harassment Officer - Paul Roberge

SAFETY COMMITTEESSubcommittees

Each building/department should have its own safety subcommittee (with one JOHSC representative) so they can discuss specific safety concerns in their respective areas. Sub-Committees are established in the following areas:

o Trades and Technology o Science Building which includes representation from Allied Health Programs, Animal

Health Technology, Biological Sciences, Horticulture, Natural Resource Science, School of Nursing, and Physical Sciences

o Services which includes representation from Residence, Print Shop, Bookstore, Facilities Services, Stores, Media Services, and Library

o Visual Arts and Performing Arts o Gymnasium o Adventure Programs o Culinary Arts o Williams Lake Campus o Arts and Educationo TRU-OL (includes information technology)

PERSONAL WORK HABITS

Your Actions Can Affect Others:

• Smoke outside buildings 25’ from entrances and building intakes

• Practice good hygiene• Strong cologne or strong scents can make others sick

or cause headaches (TRU promotes a scent reduced workplace.) http://www.tru.ca/wellness/sharetheair.html

• Adopt good housekeeping habits to prevent blocking of exits, and trip and fire hazards

PERSONAL WORK HABITSErgonomics

Take a minute to:• Adjust work station to fit “you” to reduce

repetitive stress and strains on your body• Request a personal ergonomic assessment of your

workstationContact the Safety Officer for assistance at 5139 or via email at safetyofficer@tru.ca

PERSONAL WORK HABITSAvoiding Back Injuries

Proper Lifting Techniques Spread feet about shoulder-width apart Bend at the knees Tighten stomach muscles Securely grip the load Keep load close to the body Lift in a slow, even motion Avoid twisting at the waist Ask for help with heavy loads or use mechanical

assist

PERSONAL WORK HABITSSlips, Trips and Falls

Watch walkways, building entrances, stairs and floors for wet, slippery conditions in rainy, icy, and snowy weather

Don’t carry large and/or bulky items on stairs Use handrails on stairs Wear sensible footwear Report any unsafe conditions re sidewalks etc to

facilities

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)

Thompson Rivers University recognizes that some of the potential hazards which exist throughout our operations cannot be managed through the use of administrative or engineering controls, and they will require that people who are exposed to these potential hazards use PPE to safeguard them from the harmful effects. It is the responsibility of all supervisors, workers and students to ensure that when PPE is necessary for the protection of any individual, it is readily available and used correctly by anyone when required by the various regulations and/or any Safe Work Procedure (SWP).

Compliance with the regulations and any procedure as set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Program Manual shall apply to all faculty, staff, students and outside contractors.

Where required by the WCB regulations to protect an employee of TRU from the hazards of a specific task, all necessary types of personal protective equipment, with the exception of footwear, shall be provided by TRU. Students will be required to provide their own PPE where necessary. Instructors will be responsible to ensure that the appropriate types of personal protective equipment which will be required for a specific course are identified to students.

*For more detailed information, go to http://www.tru.ca/hsafety/workinglearningsafely/equipment.html

POTENTIAL JOB HAZARDSSupervisor

It’s a supervisor’s responsibility to work with the members of the department to:

Identify potential job hazards Develop procedures for employees to safely

perform work and mitigate hazards Transfer the knowledge Supervise employees to ensure they work safe

POTENTIAL JOB HAZARDSEmployee

It is the employee’s responsibility to: Follow established work procedures Be aware of workplace hazards Work-safe to protect yourself and co-workers Report unsafe conditions or accidents to your

supervisor Use engineering controls and wear protective

equipment provided

WORKPLACE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INFORMATION (WHMIS)

WHMIS provides data on many aspects of handling hazardous materials that was not available to workers and employers in past years. This lack of information has resulted in devastating losses of life, limb and property at different locations throughout Canada.

WHMIS

All TRU ,employees have rights as legislated re safety for the workplace:

Right to participate ( join a safety committee or the JOHSC) Right to know (WHMIS provides Material Safety data

Sheets, MSDSs) that contain valuable information on safe use for all hazardous substances used within on campus. They are found on line at http://www.tru.ca/hsafety/workinglearningsafely/whmis/database.html

Right to refuse unsafe work see Worksafe guidelines athttp://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/OHSRegulation/GuidelinePart3.asp#SectionNumber:G3.12

Working Alone

Ensure you are familiar with the working alone guidelines if you need to work after hours by yourself to ensure your personal safety

Guidelines for safety on fieldtrips have been developed as well to ensure everyone returns safely. These guidelines are on Science safety webpage as well

Suspicious Behavior & Violent Behavior

Report any suspicious or abnormal behavior to security

Violence or harassment is not tolerated in the workplace. Such incidents must be reported to your supervisor as well as reported to OH&S. Such incidents are reportable under Worksafe BC legislation