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Safety & Sustainability
FIRST THINGS FIRST!
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN OF SCIENCE
THE DEAN OF SCIENCE is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all of the faculty, staff, students and visitors in the Faculty of Science. This is a fundamental obligation which is crucial to our continued success and reputation as one of the top Science Faculties in Canada. This Safety Manual is the starting point to reviewing Health and Safety information for this Department.
SIMON PEACOCK
DEAN OF SCIENCE
September, 2006
MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT
THE DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND OCEAN SCIENCES is committed to providing its employees a safe and healthy workplace. To ensure that this objective is accomplished, the Department has developed and will maintain a department specific Occupational Health and Safety (OCHS) Program.
An OCHS Program is defined as:
"A scheme of action or a plan of future procedures for enlisting and maintaining support of all the personnel of an organization for the prevention of accidents."
The Department`s OCHS Program contains fourteen elements which meets the requirements of the University of British Columbia and Workers` Compensation Board of British Columbia. These elements include:
- Safety Policy
- Management Meetings
- Local Safety Committee
- Orientation, Training and Supervision of Workers
- Hazard Assessments and Work Site Inspections
- Accident Investigations
- Safe Work Procedures
- First Aid and Emergency Services
- Personal Security and Public Safety
- Hazardous Materials
- Health Promotion and Return to Work
- Records and Statistics
- Program Review
- Environmental Protection
SAFETY PROGRAM MANUAL
The OCHS Program is documented in the Earth and Ocean Sciences
Safety Program Manual (Clerical/Safety/EOS Safety Manual)
which:
- describes the requirements of each element
- lists the names of individuals designated as being responsible
for the various program elements
- outlines the roles and responsibilities of all levels of employment.
All department employees should familiarize themselves with the Manual to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities and safe work procedures. The Manual will be reviewed and updated annually by the Departmental Safety Program Administrator and by the Earth and Ocean Sciences Local Safety Committee.
Particular note should be taken of the following elements of the Safety Program:
1. Due Diligence
Due diligence means taking all reasonable care to protect the well being of all employees. To meet the standard of due diligence, the Department must take all reasonable precautions in the circumstances to carry out departmental work and safety and health responsibilities. This is the standard of care required to comply with the safety and health regulations and orders made under the BC Workers Compensation Act and enforced by the WCB of BC. The courts will recognize a formal defence of due diligence in prosecutions. In practice, the WCB will also recognize a defence of due diligence and may relieve employers of monetary penalties for violations of the regulations-if employers can establish that they were duly diligent.
2. Right to Refuse
No member of the faculty, staff or student should be doing any activity if they believe that the activity would create an undue hazard to themselves or to others. Current regulations make it clear that all employees must be trained and have relevant hazard information on the materials they are working or exposed to.
When a faculty, staff or student member has reasonable cause to believe that the activity they are about to do would create undue hazard to the health or safety of any person, including themselves, they have the right and responsibility to:
- Report the circumstances of the unsafe condition to his/her supervisor (or principle investigator).
- The supervisor will investigate the matter and:
- ensure that any unsafe condition is remedied without delay
or
- if in his/her opinion the report is not valid he/she shall inform the person who made the report.
- ensure that any unsafe condition is remedied without delay
or
If there are any questions regarding the Safety Program Manual or the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences OCHS Program, please contact your safety committee representative or the DSPA.
