Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 85.74
Liaison Mike Wilson
Submission Date Dec. 13, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Victoria
PA-15: Workplace Health and Safety

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.60 / 2.00 Elizabeth Errington-Wynans
Administrative Coordinator
Occupational Health, Safety and Environment
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Health and safety management system

Does the institution have an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS)?:
Yes

Does the system use a nationally or internationally recognized standard or guideline?:
Yes

The nationally or internationally recognized OHSMS standard or guideline used:
Canadian Standard Association: CSA Standard Z1000-06 Occupational Health and Safety Management

If no, provide:

A brief description of the key components of the custom OHSMS:
The University of Victoria utilises the CSA Standard Z1000-06 Occupational Health and Safety Management document as guiding principles for the Environmental Health and Safety Management System outlined in the Environmental Health and Safety Policy (SS9200). The Environmental Health and Safety Management System is designed to ensure that faculty, staff and students have a safe and healthy environment for work and study.

The goals (see section 4.00 pg. 5) are to:
a) Meet or exceed the requirements of health and safety statutes and regulations;
b) Enhance the health and safety of the members of the university community
c) Identify responsibilities for individuals, supervisors, department heads and senior management;
d) Ensure the effective response to emergencies and continuity of operations;
e) Support effective programs through safety committees with clear mandates;
f) Enhance effective communication on health, safety and environmental issues and emergency communication capabilities;
g) Ensure that accountability measures are in place as required by the EHS Management System through effective auditing;
h) Provide consultancy to assist departments in both compliance and achievement of best practices

A variety of university-wide safety plans have been developed to ensure regulatory compliance and consistent approach to safety management, including the following program areas (see Appendix 2, pg. 11)
- WHMIS
- Biosafety
- Radiation Safety
- Lab Inspections
- Hearing Protection
- Respirator Safety
- Hazardous Waste Management
- Working Alone or in Isolation

For more information see the 2021 Environmental Health and Safety Policy (SS9200): https://www.uvic.ca/universitysecretary/assets/docs/policies/SS9200_3250_.pdf

Part 2. Incidents per FTE employee

Annual number of recordable incidents of work-related injury or ill health:
45

Full-time equivalent of employees:
4,271

If the institution wishes to report on other on-site workers, provide:

 

Full-time equivalent of workers who are not employees, but whose work and/or workplace is controlled by the institution:
---

A brief description of the methodology used to track and calculate the number of recordable incidents of work-related injury or ill health :
All accidents, injuries and near-miss incidents are reported as soon as possible to Occupational Health, Safety & Environment (OHSE). OHSE records the date of injury for tracking purposes as well as submits any reportable work-related injuries or incidents to WorkSafeBC. The total number of recordable incidents (45) are the total number of claims accepted by WorksafeBC for UVic employees (time-loss and health care only claims) in 2022. The total number of employee incidents reported to OHSE in 2022 (87) is higher than the number above as it includes incidents that did not result in an accepted claim, or were otherwise minor in nature where the employee did not miss time from work or require medical care.

Annual number of recordable incidents of work-related injury or ill health per 100 FTE employees:
1.05

Optional Fields

Website URL where information about the occupational health and safety program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
2021 Environmental Health and Safety Policy (SS9200): https://www.uvic.ca/universitysecretary/assets/docs/policies/SS9200_3250_.pdf

Data Inconsistency Explanation: Full time Equivalent of Employees: Provided by WorkSafeBC. This is the estimated number of persons working all year on either a part-time or full-time basis. Estimates of person year quantities (FTE) are based on gross payrolls submitted by employers and on matching wage-rate data.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.