Thursday, May 8, 2014  

Humber employees are covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). The OHSA is based on an internal responsibility system and identifies roles and responsibilities for employers, supervisors and employees or “workers”. The Act also gives workers specific rights for the protection of their own health and safety.

Workplace Responsibilities

Humber as the Employer

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) sets out many duties, or responsibilities, that the employer must follow. The overriding purpose of these requirements is the creation and maintenance of a healthy and safe workplace. As an employer, Humber must:

• Ensure workers know about hazards in the work they are doing by providing information, training, instruction and supervision on how to work safely
• Create workplace health and safety policies and procedures and ensure that they are being followed
• Ensure supervisors are competent, as defined in the OHSA, and that they know what is required to protect their workers’ health and safety
• Guarantee that the equipment, materials and protective devices, as prescribed by regulation, or required by Humber, are provided, used and maintained in good condition.
• Provide information and assistance to our Joint Health and Safety Committee to allow the Committee to carry out its duties effectively

It should be emphasized that the employer has a general duty to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker.

Supervisors

As defined in the OHSA, a supervisor is a person who has charge of a workplace or authority over a worker. The OHSA requires the supervisor to follow the Act and regulations as well as the policies and procedures that the employer has made a requirement of the workplace. Supervisors must:

• Advise workers about hazards in the work they are doing and respond to worker concerns
• Show workers how to work safely and ensure that they follow the OHSA, applicable regulations and workplace policies and procedures
• Make sure workers wear and use the proper protective equipment and devices correctly

The supervisor must also take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of their workers.

Employees or “Workers”

All Humber employees are considered “workers” under the OHSA. Workers must:

• Follow the OHSA and regulations as well as Humber policies and procedures
• Report any hazards and injuries to their supervisor
• Wear and use any required protective equipment
• Work in a way that will not injure themselves or others: the OHSA prohibits a worker from using equipment in a manner that may endanger himself/herself or another worker and from engaging in any pranks or horseplay in the workplace

Worker Rights

All Humber employees are considered "workers" under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

As set out in the OHSA all workers have the right to:

• Know about existing and potential hazards in the workplace and how to protect themselves
• Participate in health and safety; this may mean discussing safety issues with your supervisor or participating in Humber’s Joint Health and Safety Committee
• Refuse unsafe work. See Humber’s refusal procedure for more details                                                                                                

Thank you for reviewing this information.  Tomorrow’s message will focus on Scent – Related Issues, and remember that Friday’s message will offer the opportunity to win prizes!

HR Services | Health and Safety Services

NAOSH Week is led by the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE). 
More information about NAOSH Week can be found at www.naosh.ca or www.csse.org.

The “Memo to Faculty”:

• Students with disabilities who seek accommodations within your classroom or during tests and exams are required to inform you by providing you with a “Memo to Faculty.”
• If the “Memo to Faculty” includes: “note-taker” among the classroom accommodations, a Disability Services Consultant and the student have reviewed the student’s documentation and have concluded that the student’s ability to take adequate notes during class has been impaired by a disability.
• After the need for a peer note-taker in a given class has been identified, students with disabilities request note-taking services from Peer Programs which manages Humber’s note-taking services. 

First Week of Class:

• Peer Programs hires students to take notes and these notes are then confidentially distributed.
• You can assist in the recruitment of note-takers by making a general announcement in your class and/or on blackboard at the beginning of the semester inviting interested students to contact Peer Programs to become a paid note-taker.
•  Refer prospective note-takers to Christine Bartley, Peer Note-Taker Coordinator at christine.bartley@humber.ca or in person at the North Campus in room H217. 

Throughout the Semester:

• If, following your announcement, Peer Programs is unable to secure a note-taker for your particular class, Peer Programs may contact you directly for help in identifying a suitable candidate.
• If you are asked to help find a note-taker for a student with a disability, it is critical that you protect the privacy of the student registered with Disability Services and not disclose their identity to other students in your class.
• Note-takers are not a replacement for class attendance.  Students with note-takers, like all students, are expected to attend classes regularly.  In some cases, students may be absent for disability- related reasons and are then eligible to receive notes from their note-takers.   If a student is repeatedly absent, Faculty should contact the Disability Services Consultant listed on the student’s Memo to Faculty.

Revised January 2014

No Appointments Necessary!
Workshops are 50 minutes in length & FREE for all students!

To request a workshop visit us in H217 or send an email to
peer.tutoring@humber.ca