Occupational Health and Safety Policy
- Approver:
- Academic Coordinating Committee
- Policy Owner:
- Associate Vice President, Risk Management
- Policy Lead(s):
- Manager, Campus Safety
- Effective date:
- 2010-02-04
- Date of last approval:
- 2024-01-17
- Status:
- Approved
Policy Statement
The ÌÇÐÄvlog¾«Æ· Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Conestoga) is committed to providing a healthy and safe workplace. Conestoga will take every precaution reasonable to protect employees, students, contractors, and visitors. Conestoga continues to work towards the goal of preventing all injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
Scope
This policy applies to all Conestoga employees, students, contractors, and visitors.
Definitions
ÌÇÐÄvlog¾«Æ· maintains a glossary of terms specific to the institution. The ones in use for this document are defined below.
- Contractor
- Any person or entity contracted by Conestoga to provide goods or services on Conestoga-owned or leased property or at Conestoga coordinated off-site programs, functions, or events. A contractor shall be considered an employer and meet or exceed Conestoga’s health and safety management system requirements unless otherwise determined to be a constructor.
- Employee
- An individual employed by the College, whether employed full-time, part-time, or on a contract basis, and includes, but is not limited to, faculty, researchers, support staff and administrators.
- Employer
- A person who employs one or more workers or contracts for the services of one or more workers and includes a contractor or subcontractor who performs work or supplies services and a contractor or subcontractor who undertakes with an owner, constructor, contractor or subcontractor to perform work or supply services.
- Health and Safety Representative
- A worker representative of a workplace that regularly employs six to 19 workers that fulfils the duties of a health and safety representative, as defined under the OHSA.
- Joint Health and Safety Committee
- A group comprised of worker and employer representatives that fulfil the duties of a committee, as defined under the OHSA.
- OHSA
- Means the Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1.
- Supervisor
- A person who has charge of a workplace or authority over a worker.
- Worker
- Includes all employees and as defined as any of the following:
- A person who performs work or supplies services for monetary compensation.
- A secondary school student who performs work or supplies services for no monetary compensation under a work experience program authorized by the school board that operates the school in which the student is enrolled.
- A person who performs work or supplies services for no monetary compensation under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology, university, private career college or other post-secondary institution.
- Such other persons as may be prescribed who perform work or supply services to an employer for no monetary compensation.
- Workplace
- Means any land, premises, location or thing at, upon, in or near which a worker works.
Policy
- Conestoga will maintain an occupational health and safety management system that complies with legislative requirements guided by the OHSA and its regulations. This policy and the accompanying Occupational Health and Safety Procedure, programs, and guidelines form Conestoga’s health and safety management system.
- Responsibility for the effective implementation of this policy rests upon all individuals to conduct themselves in a fashion that promotes a healthy and safe workplace. Individual responsibilities are as follows:
- Conestoga will take every precaution reasonable to provide a healthy and safe workplace.
- Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that healthy and safe working conditions are maintained in their assigned work areas.
- Workers are responsible for working safely by following all relevant legislation and College health and safety policies, procedures, safe work programs and guidelines.
- All individuals must report any condition or practice not in compliance with this policy to the attention of a supervisor.
- Joint Health and Safety Committees and Health and Safety Representatives will be established as required by the OHSA to conduct workplace inspections, identify and evaluate hazards, and make recommendations to the employer for the improvement of health and safety at Conestoga.
- The Campus Safety department is responsible for managing and implementing this policy and the accompanying procedure, programs, and guidelines.
Relevant Legislation and Related Documents
Relevant legislation
Revision Log
‸¾²¹³Ù±ð | ‸¾±ð³Ù²¹¾±±ô²õ |
​2010-02-04 | ​Original. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2012-02-01 | ​Reviewed. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2013-02-26 | ​Reviewed. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2014-04-16 | ​Reviewed. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2015-02-04 | ​Reviewed. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2016-06-22 | ​Reviewed. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2017-05-22 | ​Reviewed. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2019-03-01 | ​Reviewed. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2021-04-14 | ​Reviewed. Academic Coordinating Committee – Approved |
​2022-09-14 | ​Revised format. Academic Coordinating Committee - Approved |
​2024-01-17 | ​Revised format. Content revisions and additions for clarity, to align with best practice and the OHSA. Academic Coordinating Committee - Approved |