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Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, & Control

Hazard Reporting: 

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), there are responsibilities to recognize, assess and control hazards in the workplace. It is important to report workplace hazards and unsafe conditions so that corrective and preventive actions can be taken to reduce the likelihood of incident or injury.
 
If hazards in the workplace result in a near-miss, injury, illness, or lost time from work, employees and supervisors are required to complete an Incident Report as outlined in the Accident/Incident Reporting process.
 

Employee Responsibilities:

As part of the OHSA Internal Responsibility System, employees have a responsibility to report hazards in the workplace to their supervisor as soon as possible. 

Reporting procedure:
  1. If safe to do so, take initial steps to address the hazard. 
  2. Report the hazard to your supervisor.  For general hazards, the Facility Services team can be contacted at: REPAIR@uwindsor.ca.
  3. If a life-safety hazard, contact Special Constable Services (SCS) so it can be addressed immediately (ext. 911 / 4444).
  4. Follow the instructions from your supervisor and/or SCS.
  5. If the hazard is not resolved appropriately, utilize the Internal Responsibility System, and contact/consult your JHSC representative (if applicable), the Health and Safety office, or the next level of authority within your department.

Supervisor Responsibilities: 

The OHSA requires Supervisors to inform employees about hazards in the workplace and respond to their concerns. To assist with this process, risk assessments and the development of Safe Operating Procedures are proactive approaches that can be used to identify hazards and communicate the control measures in place for employee safety. 

Please see the below resources to assist with these assessments.

Job Hazard Analysis (JHA):

Job Hazard Analysis (OHS-3.1.1) (PDF)

Job Hazard Analysis Form (OHS-3.1.1a) (PDF)

Safe Operating Procedure (SOP) template:

Safe Operating Procedures are an administrative control and provide step-by-step instructions on how to safely complete a hazardous task.   

Tips for developing an SOP include:

  1. Obtain, review and attach the manufacturer's manual to the SOP.
  2. Use the manufacture operating instructions to determine the safe use of any equipment. 

Safe Operating Procedure Template (OHS-4.4.1c)

Should you require assistance in this process, please contact a member of the Health and Safety team at: safety@uwindsor.ca

Resources: