McGill University
PA-14: Workplace Health and Safety

The number of reportable incidents is based on the claims accepted by the provincial commission on health and safety (CSST), which uses the calendar year for reporting. The performance year was selected based on the latest year where data was available, and the baseline was adopted per AASHE STARS guidance.

The mandate of University Safety is to provide educational, technical, advisory, and operational support to campus communities by working in cooperation with university personnel to protect the environment and to promote a safe and healthy workplace and culture. The responsibilities of the group are as follows: 1. Develop, recommend and communicate environmental health and safety, security, emergency measures, and fire prevention policies and procedures to promote a safe educational and research environment for the University community. 2. Develop and continuously improve on an awareness program that will educate and inspire all of the University’s constituents to take responsibility for a safe, healthy, and environmentally sound University. 3. Ensure that the services provided by University Safety are understood and easily accessible for all constituents of the University. This implies using “one stop” web enabled telecommunications technologies that make University Safety services accessible to respond to all safety related questions and/or problems. 4. Continuously audit and review facilities, processes and practices to ensure that the University is in compliance with government standards and regulations related to safety. 5. Prepare the University community to effectively deal with emergencies by developing and continuously improving on communications, action plans, and crisis intervention exercises. 6. Facilitate environmental sustainability at the University. Enforce compliance with regulatory requirements, McGill policies and best management practices to consolidate, recycle, re-use, neutralize and dispose of laboratory wastes and hazardous materials that are generated by the University through research, academic and operational activities. Source and for more information: McGill University 2013-2014 Safety Annual Report (Section 1.1.1 Mandate, page 5) Workers are engaged in monitoring and adivising on health and safety programs through the University Health & Safety Committee (UHSC). The UHSC is an advisory body and is jointly comprised of individuals representing employee and student groups and responsible parties from academic and administrative units. The mandate of the committee is as follows: The committee shall advise the Associate Vice-Principal (University Services) and the Vice-Principal (Administration & Finance) on matters concerning the health and safety of the University community, including standards and policies. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee shall: -Oversee the University’s Internal Responsibility System for health and safety; -Ensure mechanisms and procedures are in place for systematic hazard identification and their correction; -Address health and safety issues that cannot be addressed adequately by existing mechanisms; -Identify and recommend health and safety priority areas for the purpose of safety program implementation; -Promote health and safety in the University and affiliated teaching/research/field units and foster a community “safety culture”; -Receive progress reports on the resolution of issues reported by and to the committee; -Prepare an annual report of activities and health and safety concerns of the McGill community and make recommendations to the Vice-Principal (Administration & Finance); -Develop internal standards and policies related to health and safety, including but not limited to Section 78 of the -Quebec Act Respecting Occupational Health and Safety, and convey information relating to these standards and policies to the University community. The committee is composed of: one appointee from each of the following employee groups: McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association (MUNACA; technical staff representative); McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association (MUNACA; clerical/librarian staff representative); McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT); Service Employees' Union (SEU); Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM); McGill University Non-Academic Staff Association (MUNASA). Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) Association of McGill University Research Employees (AMURE) one appointee from each of the following student groups: Post-Graduate Students' Society of McGill University Inc. (PGSS); Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU). one appointee from the following academic and administrative groups: Associate Vice-Principal (Human Resources) or delegate; Associate Vice-Principal (Macdonald Campus) or delegate; Chair, University Laboratory Safety Committee, also representing the Vice-Principal (Research & International Relations); Dean of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies or delegate; Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) or delegate; Manager, Risk Management & Insurance or delegate." https://www.mcgill.ca/ehs/policies-and-safety-committees/university-health-and-safety-committee-uhsc/mandate

Staff data source: http://www.mcgill.ca/pia/data-and-analysis/staff-data Complete list of safety reports available from 2006 onwards at https://www.mcgill.ca/safety/reports Data source: 2014-2015 report https://www.mcgill.ca/safety/files/safety/university_safety_report_to_the_board_of_governors_2014-2015_.pdf (page 9).