WHMIS Refresher Creating and Maintaining A Safe and Healthy Environment Department of Chemical Engin

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WHMIS RefresherCreating and Maintaining A Safe
and Healthy Environment Department of
Chemical Engineering and Applied
ChemistryUniversity of Toronto
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Outline

• Responsibilities and rights of Workers and
  Supervisors under the Occupational Health and
  Safety Act
• An overview of Departments Safety Policies and
  Programs with respect to the application of the
  Act

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Why We Are Here?

• Under the Occupational Health Safety Act
  (OHSA), all members of the department must
  participate in safety training and annual review
  sessions.
• The University as a workplace is not free of
  health and safety hazards. In this department, we
  use and have inventory of a wide range of
  chemicals, equipment, and apparatus that are
  potentially hazardous.
• The Wallberg building is our second home.

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Safety Training Programs

• Primary Training
• CHE2222
• Two-day session for all new graduate students,
  researchers, and academic/administrative/support
  staff
• Participants must pass (gt70) a written
  examination
• 2nd-yr Undergraduate
• Half-day session in September
• 4th-yr Undergraduate
• Now part of CHE2222 (1st-day session)
• Summer students
• Full-day session

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Safety Training Programs (contd.)

• Supplementary Training
• WHMIS refresher
• One-hour session for all members of the
  Department who did not attended current year
  CHE2222. (Attendance must be taken)
• Other training provided by the University
• Radioisotopes, cryogenics, biohazards, use of
  respirator, etc.

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Accidents Happen at the University the
Consequences can be Serious
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Non-compliance Does Exist
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Numbers of Accident/Incident Reports Filed in Our
Department (2000-2004)
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What is the Occupational Health and Safety Act
(OHSA)?

• Provincial legislation governing workplace health
  and safety issues.
• Outlines rights and duties of the employer,
  supervisor and worker in the workplace to ensure
  a safe and healthy workplace.
• Establishes procedures for dealing with workplace
  hazards.
• Provides for enforcement of the law where
  compliance has not been achieved.

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Federal Legislation
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Ontario Legislation
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What is WHMIS?

• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
• A comprehensive plan for providing information on
  the safe use of hazardous materials in Canadian
  workplaces.
• via
• Product labels
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Worker education programs

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Definitions Under the Act

• Employer a person who employs one or more
  workers (i.e., University of Toronto).
• Workplace any place in, on or near where a
  person works (i.e., U. of T. and the Department).
• Supervisor anyone in charge of a workplace or
  with authority over a worker (i.e.,
  faculty/academic staff who supervise staff and/or
  students).
• Worker a person paid to perform work or supply
  services (all University employees including
  faculty members, academic, technical and
  administrative staff).
• Students who are paid to perform work (e.g. TAs)
  are Workers covered by the Act.
• Other students are afforded the same protection.

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Main Duties of Employer Under the Act

• Instruct, inform and supervise workers to protect
  their health safety.
• Appoint competent persons as supervisors.
• Inform workers about any hazard in the workplace.
• Establish a Health Safety committee.

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Main Duties of Employer (contd.)

• Provide training programs for workers,
  supervisors and committee members.
• Prepare, post and review (once a year) a written
  occupational health safety policy.
• Provide and maintain all necessary materials,
  equipment and protective equipment.
• Keep and maintain accurate records of the
  handling, storage, use, and disposal of
  biological, chemical or physical agents.

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Duties of Supervisors

• Be knowledgeable about health and safety hazards
  in the workplace, and advise workers about these
  hazards.
• Provide suitable and properly maintained safety
  and protective equipment.
• Ensure all workers comply with the Act and any
  regulations that apply.
• Maintain an up-to-date inventory and proper
  labels for all hazardous materials.

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Duties of Supervisors (contd.)

• Ensure availability of MSDS for all chemicals in
  inventory.
• Ensure all workers participate in safety training
  sessions.
• Ensure safe disposal of all hazardous materials.

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Duties of Workers

• Workers must
• work in compliance with the Act and regulations.
• use or wear any protective equipment devices or
  protective clothing required by employer.
• report immediately to their supervisor any
  missing or defective equipment or protective
  device that may be dangerous.
• report immediately to their supervisor any unsafe
  working conditions and violations of the Act or
  other safety regulations.

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Duties of Workers (contd.)

• Most senior person present in laboratory (staff
  or student) assumes responsibility for other
  workers compliance.
• This person can be held legally responsible if
  worker compliance is not followed.
• Should fellow workers refuse to work in
  compliance, supervisor should be informed.
• Workers not working in compliance could have lab
  privileges revoked.
• Remember unsafe work practice by others around
  you can cause harm to you as well.

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Basic Rights of Workers

• The right to participate (through worker
  representation on HS committee).
• The right to know (through training on equipment,
  machinery, working conditions, processes,
  hazardous substances (WHMIS).
• The right to refuse work (if worker believes it
  will endanger themselves or others).

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Common Law Be a Good Citizen

• It is each individuals duty to work and study
  in a manner which does not jeopardize the health
  and safety of themselves and/or others.

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The Departmental Safety Committee

• The Act requires the establishment of a
  Occupational Health and Safety Committee.
• The Departmental Health Safety committee is a
  sub-committee of the Faculty committee.

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The Current Membership
Room Telephone Charles Jia (Co-Chair)
329 6-3097 Kathy Weishar (Co-Chair/Certified
worker rep.) 201B 8-2740 Brad Saville (Certified
management rep.) 362 8-7745 Leticia Gutierrez
(Secretary) 217 8-1779 Kim Woodhouse 365 8-3060
Terry Bunting 16 8-5504 Paul Jowlabar 125A 8-562
3 Penny Seymour 108 8-0549 Dan Tomchyshyn
260 8-1144 Graduate student rep. Graduate
student rep. C. McNeill, Occupational
Hygienist Office of Environmental Health and
Safety 7th Floor, 215 Huron Street, Toronto,
Ontario.
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Department Policies
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Registration of Research Work

• All researchers (including 4th year theses
  students and summer students) must complete an
  Experimental Registration Form (even those only
  doing computer work - Sections 1, 2 and 12).
• Form must be reviewed and signed by researchers
  Supervisor, then submitted to the Health Safety
  Committee (Leticia in WB217) for review and
  authorization.
• 4th year students must submit their forms to the
  H S Committee for review and authorization by
  date designated by Undergraduate Office.

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Registration of Research Work

• Registration forms for researchers valid for one
  year (until July 31st) and must be renewed if
  project continues after a year.
• New form must be submitted if there are
  substantial changes in chemicals and procedures
  used.

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Additional Permits

• Special permits/certificates are required if your
  research involves
• radioactive and/or biohazardous materials
  (permits from the University)
• designated substances under the Act or by the
  Department (permits from the Department)
• running experiments overnight (from the
  Department)
• Special permits must be attached to your
  Experimental Registration Form when submitted.

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Designated Substances
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Surveillance of Experiments

• Experiments should not be left unattended.
• Experiments must be left in a safe condition.
• Apparatus must be shut-off at end of day.
• Overnight operation permits must be obtained for
  all overnight experiments.
• Ensure any equipment used in overnight
  experiments has precautions in place for
  emergency shut-down.
• Ensure any equipment used in overnight
  experiments using water recirculation has
  precautions in place to prevent flooding should
  any connections disconnect.

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Buddy System

• For personal protection and safety, researchers
  working outside normal University operating hours
  of Monday to Friday, from 800 am to 500 pm MUST
  use the buddy system.
• If experimental work involves hazardous
  materials, the buddy system should be used at all
  times.
• Buddy system
• Buddy must be in the building
• Researcher Buddy must agree to check on each
  other at regular intervals
• 30 minutes by telephone for computer work or
  other relatively non-hazardous work
• Researcher and Buddy must be in the same
  laboratory if work involves hazardous materials.

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Accident/Incident Reports Must be Filed for

• An accident that has caused injury.
• An accident that involves laboratory .procedure
  even though there was no injury.
• An incident which has the potential to cause
  injury.
• A large chemical spill (a few liters).
• A small spill of a highly toxic or flammable
  material.
• A chemical spill outside a laboratory.

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Safety Equipment

• Laboratories are equipped with protective and
  other equipment
• fume hoods, fire extinguishers, showers and
  eye-wash fountains, spill clean-up kits.
• Students and staff must be familiar with the
  location and uses of these.

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Safety Materials Required in Chemical Labs

• Up-to-date experimental registration forms for
  all lab occupants (if same work done in several
  labs, provide photocopies in all labs used).
• Up-to-date emergency contact card affixed to the
  door.
• Spill clean-up kits .
• Material safety data sheets (MSDS).
• All of the above should be clearly visible.

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Chemical Inventory Management

• An annual laboratory inventory must be completed
  of all chemical and physical hazards and a copy
  supplied to the HS committee.
• Chemicals must be segregated according to their
  properties.
• Flammable liquids should be stored in a special
  fire resistant cabinet.
• Fume hoods should not be used to store chemicals.

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Chemical and Gas Cylinder Transport

• Bottle carriers must be used when transporting
  chemicals.
• Carts must be used to transport gas cylinders
  (Caps securely fastened and no regulators!).
• Passenger elevators must not be used for
  transporting chemicals or gas cylinders.

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Waste Disposal

• All researchers are expected to follow all
  federal, provincial, municipal guidelines when
  disposing of wastes.
• The Department has adopted a procedure of waste
  disposal in accordance with these guidelines.
• Waste chemicals must be disposed of through WB16,
  using fully labeled containers.
• No chemical wastes should be poured down the
  drains.

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Smoking and Consumption of Food and Beverages

• Smoking is not allowed in any building at the
  University.
• Consumption of food and beverages is strictly
  prohibited in all laboratories.
• This includes desk areas that may or may not have
  been partitioned from the laboratory using
  portable partitions.

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Personal Safety and Security

• The Wallberg building is not immune to theft and
  other criminal acts.
• Laboratory and office doors should be locked when
  unoccupied.
• Do not prop open any building door (internal or
  external) after normal operating hours (8am
  -5pm).
• Lab door windows must not be obstructed in any
  way.
• Keep valuables locked in your desk or cabinet
  (Purses, wallets, backup disks of computer files,
  etc.).

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Safety Phones and First-aid Boxes

• Emergency phone 82222 (Campus security) or
  9911.
• Safety phones outside lab and offices
• All personnel elevators, computer room (WB216),
  graduate and undergraduate common rooms
  (WB247/WB238), payphone opposite WB227, WB316
• There are first aid boxes on each floor of the
  Wallberg building
• WB3, 16, 102, 125, 203, 218, 303, 419

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When Fire Alarm Sounds

• Evacuate the building (mandatory University
  policy even during exams).
• Do NOT use elevators.
• Do NOT re-enter building until authorized by Fire
  Officer.

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Emergency Procedures
In case of FIRE

• Pull the nearest fire alarm.
• Telephone University Emergency Centre, 82222
  report your location.
• Evacuate the building.
• Report to fire inspector is anyone still in the
  building? Location of fire?

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Related University Policies

• Health and Safety Policy (1993)
• www.utoronto.ca/safety/
• Smoking Policy
• Smoking is prohibited in all University
  buildings.
• Policy with respect to AIDS or HIV
• Prohibits discrimination.
• Policy for safety in field research
• Responsibility rests primarily upon the persons
  who directly supervises and carry out the
  research on location.

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The Wallberg building is our second home. Many
of us spend more time here than at our actual
home. Making it a safe place benefits all of
us. Let us work together to create and maintain
a safe and healthy work environment.
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