AN
UPDATE ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AT ACADIA UNIVERSITY
Well, first let’s take a look at the role of the University’s Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee, often referred to as the JOHSC. The committee functions as a steering committee, accountable to the President’s Advisory Council (PAC). The Committee is supported by a range of sub-committees that provide representation from across the University community. The JOHSC and sub-committee model can be found on the Health and Safety website at http://admin.acadiau.ca/human/healthandsafety/committees.html.
The Committee itself is mandated by the Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Act to assist the University in attempting to achieve the highest reasonable standards of occupational health and safety. The new language in Article 17.90 of 12th Collective Agreement further emphasizes the important role the JOHSC plays in overseeing occupational health and safety at Acadia University.
It is important to recognize that the JOHSC must always have at least fifty percent of its voting membership from non-management employees of the University. We currently have a 50/50 balance plus ex-officio members representing key services on campus – Safety and Security, Building Services, Physical Plant, the Students’ Union and the University’s Health and Safety Advisor, Mike Carter. At present Mike is on campus two days a week and I don’t think anyone at Acadia would say he’s underworked. Neil Carruthers will be replacing Glenn Hirschfeld as a co-chair of the Committee.
There have been a number of positive developments on campus over the past year including improved access to first aid training for employees, although registrations have not been as high as we would have liked, and the purchase of a subscription to the CCOHS Academic Support Program that offers a chemical database with easy on-line access to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). The JOHSC has been advocating for the appointment of Building Managers for a number of years because the communication of building-related problems within buildings and to Physical Plant has been problematic. In some instances problems went unreported or at the other end of the spectrum more than one person reported the same problem. Building Managers have been appointed across campus and information sessions are being offered to those individuals. Building Managers have the option of delegating certain duties and responsibilities but ultimately retain the overall accountability for their building.
Another positive development is the on-going work on the Asbestos Management Plan (ABM). Pinchin LeBlanc Environmental Ltd. was commissioned by Acadia University to develop an Asbestos Management Plan document in consultation with the JOHSC to ensure a safe workplace is maintained for all employees of the University, contract workers, students and anyone visiting our campus. A draft copy of the ABM is now being reviewed and a presentation by the authors will be made to the JOHSC. You will be hearing more about asbestos management in the weeks to come.
A Laboratory and Shop Safety Program has also been implemented across campus with regular inspections of labs and work spaces to identify and correct potential hazards. To download a copy of the program please refer to the Laboratory & Shop Safety section on the Health & Safety website.
There are also a number of occupational health and safety challenges at Acadia that are a high priority for the JOHSC. The most significant challenge to be addressed is chemical safety, storage and management at Elliott Hall and all across campus. Each science unit was asked to complete an inventory of their chemicals by June 30, 2007. Then each unit was asked to identify the products that were no longer needed and could be removed from the University. At the moment progress is being made toward the removal of these chemicals from the University. In some cases the removal can be quite costly but it simply must be done. At the same time work is on-going to improve the safety of the storage facility at Elliott Hall and to determine what the actual need for chemical storage is on campus so an appropriately sized storage facility can be built. The way in which we manage the procurement, storage and disposal of chemicals at the University is also being examined and a more centralized approach is being discussed. Ultimately, a solution to this problem must be identified and implemented as soon as reasonably possible.
In June the Committee became aware of the Workplace Violence Prevention Strategy that was recently introduced by Nova Scotia Environment & Labor. A special meeting was held in July and it was decided that John Smith, Equity Office, and Don Holmesdale, Safety and Security, would take the lead in making recommendations to PAC on how to proceed with a Workplace Violence Prevention Risk Assessment. The risk assessment is being conducted by PAC members and a full prevention plan has to be put in place by April 2008. The Nova Scotia Community College is offering a series of free workshops on Workplace Violence Prevention Planning and a number of JOHSC members will likely be attending. The intent of the workshop is to help organizations apply what has been learned from the risk assessments and meet the legislated requirement to have prevention plans in place by April 1, 2008. More details about the prevention plan for Acadia should become available once the risk assessment is complete.
I would encourage you to take a look at the General & Office Safety section of the website that outlines the specific steps to handle ergonomic concerns. If you are experiencing discomfort you should stop and evaluate the task you are doing and your work environment. Even if you’re unfamiliar with ergonomic principles, the resources provided on the website should help you gain an understanding of your problem and how to correct it. If the discomfort is considerable you should report the problem to your immediate supervisor and ask them to file an occurrence report.
I think it is important to recognize that as employees of the University we each have an obligation to our co-workers, students, the University and visitors to the campus to help ensure that the campus is as safe as possible. This means working safely and reporting all hazards or occurrences, which include accidents, incidents or near-misses. Immediate hazards or serious occurrences must be reported immediately to Safety and Security. An occurrence report must be completed within two days of an occurrence to the Health & Safety Advisor by following the step by step instructions on the Health and Safety website.
Want to learn more? Take a few minutes and visit the Health & Safety website or if you have any questions or concerns about health and safety please don’t hesitate to contact me at 585-1367 or by email at connie.foote@acadiau.ca or Sonia Thon who recently joined the JOHSC as the alternate AUFA representative.
Connie Foote
AUFA Representative
Co-Chair, Joint Occupational
Health and Safety Committee