University of Waterloo
PA-15: Workplace Health and Safety

The University of Waterloo’s Health, Safety, Environment Management System (HSEMS) provides the framework to enable University compliance with health, safety and environment legislation. Specifically, it apprises members of the campus community of their duties and responsibilities with respect to these acts, UWaterloo’s relevant policies, and collateral procedural and reporting requirements.
o The University’s HSEMS supports the management of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) by ensuring:
- Maintenance and implementation of a policy on Health, Safety and Environment
- Compliance with HSE legislation
- Provision of centralized Health, Safety and Environment programs, standards, and services
- Guidance to faculty/department Health, Safety and Environment programs
- Monitoring and auditing of HSE
- Support for the activities of health and safety committees
- The University has a general duty to "take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker" (OHSA) as well as a duty to put in place a proper system to prevent the occurrence of offences under the legislation and to take reasonable steps to ensure the effective operation of that system (Supreme Court of Canada).

Data is compiled by the Safety Office based on medical aid and lost time injuries through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, as well as occupational illness injuries as reported through the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act. The numbers reported are a combination of both metrics. The Full Time Equivalent numbers reported here are different than those reported publicly by the University of Waterloo as part of its annual Health, Safety, and Environment report. The reported numbers here are employee FTEs aligned with all other STARS indicators, whereas the FTEs reported as part of the HS&E report reflect all paid positions (student or staff), which would be double-counted within the STARS framework for other credits. The data reported here was for the 2019 calendar year, to avoid the irregularities arising from COVID-19 disruptions.

The University’s Health, Safety and Environment Management System (HSEMS) establishes health and safety responsibilities and practices to enable the management of its health and safety risk management activities.
A continuous improvement approach to the current HSEMS is underway, with 5 key changes planned over a 4-year period, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, progress in 2020 was significantly impacted. Priorities remain (with revised implementation timelines):
1. Complete implementation of a risk assessment procedure (2021-2022)
2. Update Policy #34 – Health, Safety & Environment (2022)
3. Establish a formal training procedure (2021)
4. Improve “legal and other requirements” inventory and review process (2021)
5. Develop document control and record-keeping procedures (2022)