Basic Health & Safety Orientation

Scope: 

 Training is required for all employees (staff, faculty), volunteers, Graduate students, Undergraduate students conducting research projects, Post-docs, interns

Procedure:                

1.         New personnel at Lakehead University shall be informed of their rights and responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).  This will include but not be limited to:

• right to know about workplace hazards
• right to participate in decisions about health and safety
• right to refuse unsafe work 

2.         As part of the health and safety orientation, all new personnel working with hazardous materials shall receive training in Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Regulations.

3.         Further orientation shall include introduction to:

• emergency procedures
• health and safety policies/procedures
• information regarding JHSC(s)
• reporting of accidents and near misses

4.         Job specific health and safety orientations are the responsibility of each      Supervisor.

Training:

Basic Training shall consist of two parts:  Online and In-Person.  Online training will be accessible as soon as new personnel begin at Lakehead University and must be completed within two weeks of the start date.  In-Person training will be scheduled on a monthly basis.  This basic training shall be conducted by the Laboratory and Biosafety Specialist.  Every attempt will be made to provide the training prior to individuals commencing work.  Basic health and safety orientation/training will be provided and updated on an ongoing basis. 

Job specific training shall be conducted by a person assigned to perform such training in that department, but is ultimately the responsibility of the direct supervisor.  This training must be completed and documented before any unsupervised work is conducted by new personnel. 

Documentation:

A “New Personnel Health and Safety Orientation Checklist” shall record the training received and be maintained in the Human Resources office.  Additional documentation of certificates and training may be required and will be maintained in the Human Resources office.

Evaluation:

This procedure will be updated at needed to reflect additional training required by government agencies, and will be reviewed at minimum every five years.