Our goal is to create and sustain a culture of commitment to health and safety for all members of the University community.
Following the implementation of the Occupational Health and Safety Management System, we felt it important to educate and provide a list of key terms and definitions. The definitions and terms included below are not official, complete definitions for the purpose of interpreting University or faculty policies.
Please direct any feedback or suggestions to the Office of the Chief Risk Officer at [email protected].
Accident: An unexpected event causing injury, illness or even death (see also critical injury) or involving a person’s exposure to harmful substances. Accident includes:
Accountability: The one person who has ultimate responsibility and is answerable for the task, objective, or decision, and has veto power over it. The accountable person must get the job done, either by doing it or assigning responsibility to others.
Activity: An informal event that does not include learning objectives and an assessment.
Adequacy: Whether the health and safety framework is implemented appropriately.
Alternate member means an additional member, appointed in advance, representing the designated workplace party (worker or employer).
Applicable health and safety legislation: Those statutes and regulations governing occupational health and safety that apply to the University, such as the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations, as amended from time to time, or similar legislation enacted respecting occupational health and safety.
Asphyxiating gas – a substance that may cause asphyxiation by displacing the oxygen in the air necessary to sustain life (simple asphyxiant). Examples of simple asphyxiants include inert gases, such as argon, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and helium. Other types of gases, referred to as chemical asphyxiants, can also lead to asphyxiation; however, these gases (i.e. carbon monoxide) displace oxygen at the cellular level rather than at an atmospheric level.
Assurance: Providing confidence of compliance with legal and other requirements and conformance with organizational requirements. Assurance activities include audits, inspections, verifications, and observations.
Audit: Systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the criteria are fulfilled.
Bilateral Work Stoppage: the result of an investigation conducted by both certified members in which dangerous circumstances exist.
Calibrated survey meter: A meter that has met CNSC calibration requirements and has been calibrated in the current year.
Ceiling (C) – concentration of a substance that should not be exceeded at any time during working exposure.
Certified member: means a committee member who is certified under section 7.6 of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act; either representing workers or management.
Combustible liquid: Liquids having a flash point between 37.8°C and 93.3°C. Examples of
combustible liquids include toluene, kerosene, etc.
Competency: Ability to apply knowledge and skills to achieve intended results.
Competent Person: A person, who:
Compliance: Mandatory, involuntary adherence to legal requirements, and other mandatory requirements such as standards referenced by regulations.
Compressed gas: Any contained mixture or material with either an absolute pressure exceeding 275.8 kPa at 21°C, or an absolute pressure exceeding 717 kPa at 54°C, or both, or any liquid having an absolute vapour pressure exceeding 275.8 kPa at 37.8°C.
Conformance: Voluntary adherence to external requirements or internally developed requirements made by business decisions.
Constructor means a person who undertakes a project for an owner and includes an owner who undertakes all or part of a project by himself or by more than one employer.
Consultation: Seeking views prior to making a decision.
Continual improvement: Recurring activity to enhance performance.
Contractor: An individual, company or other entity hired by the University (or representative) to provide services, and includes a constructor as defined in the applicable health and safety legislation.
Controls: Measures taken to eliminate or reduce health and/or safety risks.
Corrective action: An action to eliminate the cause(s) of a non-conformity or incident and to prevent recurrence.
Corrosive: Substances that, by direct chemical action, are injurious to body tissue or corrosive to metal. A corrosive injury may range from minor irritation to actual physical disruption of body tissues and/or burns. Examples of corrosive materials include acids, bases, bromine, peroxides, acetic, anhydride, etc.
Corrosive gas – a gas that causes visible destruction of, or irreversible alterations to, living tissues by chemical action at the point of contact. Examples of corrosive gases include ammonia and chlorine.
Critical injury: An injury of a serious nature that:
Cylinder – A pressure vessel designed for absolute pressures higher than 276 kPa (40 psi) and having a circular cross-section. This does not include portable tanks, multi-unit tank car tanks, cargo tanks or tank cars.
Dangerous circumstances: means a situation where;
Designated substances: A substance identified under the Designated Substances Regulation made under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Directive or procedure: A University practice, instruction or process to outline specific courses of action or explain how to apply a University policy or applicable health and safety legislation.
Document: Information created for the organization to operate, that must be controlled and maintained, and the medium in which it is contained.
Effectiveness: The extent to which planned activities are realized and planned results achieved and whether the OHS Governance Framework is achieving the intended outcome.
Emergency: A present or imminent event or circumstance that:
Employee: Has a similar meaning to “worker”.
Employer: The University or a person who employs a worker or contracts for the services of a worker and includes a contractor or subcontractor who performs work or supplies services. The University of Ottawa is an employer. Individuals may also be considered employers under applicable health and safety legislation.
Executive management or Administration Committee means the officers and executives accountable for the overall governance and management of the institution (e.g., President and VPs). The President established the Administration Committee, which is responsible for the internal management of the University and for the general administration of University business, in keeping with applicable laws and regulations, including occupational health and safety. The Administration Committee reports to the President, who is responsible for making the necessary recommendations to the Board of Governors.
Facilities: University service that manages the physical infrastructure and utility services. Facilities also operate the x5000 Call Centre. Individual faculties may also have a facilities department or team internal to the faculty; these units are two distinct entities.
Facility manager (or equivalent): The support person for the building infrastructure and associated systems (e.g., HVAC, water, electrical, architecture, compressed air, gas, space, etc.).
Fall prevention: Any device or system that eliminates a fall hazard completely through limiting access to such conditions. These measures generally include the use of some of the following:
Fall protection: A system or device used to prevent or protect individuals from falls. These measures generally include the use of some of the following:
Fall arrest system: A system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working level. It consists of anchorage, connectors, full body harness and includes a lanyard, deceleration device, and lifeline in a suitable combination. The use of a body belt for fall arrest is prohibited.
Flammable gas –a gas which, at ambient temperature and pressure, forms a flammable mixture with air at a concentration of 13 percent by volume or less, or a gas which, at ambient temperature and pressure, forms a range of flammable mixtures with air at concentrations equal to or greater than 12 percent by volume, regardless of the lower limit. Examples of flammable gases include acetylene, carbon monoxide, methane, hydrogen, and propane.
Flammable liquid: Flammable liquids have flash points below 37.8°C, and include solvents such as acetone, ethyl alcohol and xylene.
Flash point: The lowest temperature at which vapours of the material will ignite when in the presence of an ignition source.
Fieldwork activity: An organized and authorized research activity or series of educational activities conducted outside the geographical boundaries of the University of Ottawa by faculty members, staff members, students, and/or volunteers. Example of locations may include more local areas, more remote areas, and site visits. Fieldwork in a different country or province is also covered in this purpose but refer to Faculty/Services specific procedures for additional guidance.
Fire compartment – an enclosed space within a building surrounded by a form of fire separation. A fire compartment is intended to contain a fire to its area of origin or the smallest area possible.
Hazard: Source with potential to cause injury or ill health, damage to property or the workplace, or a combination of these.
Hazardous materials: Hazardous products and chemical, biological, or physical agents that, by reason of a property that the agent possesses, is harmful to the safety or health of a person exposed to it.
Hazardous waste: Unwanted material which no longer has value and poses potential threats to public health or the environment. This waste generally exhibits one or more of the following characteristics:
Health, safety and risk assistant (HSRA): The staff person supporting a health, safety and risk manager.
Health, safety and risk manager (HSRM): A staff person for risk, environment and health and safety matters in higher-risk faculties or services within the University.
Health and safety professional means a worker who has professional knowledge, training, experience, and competence in the field of health and safety. The health and safety professional supports the functioning of the internal responsibility system and works in cooperation with both parties (employer and worker) toward jointly improving occupational health and safety in the workplace.
Higher-risk workspace: A laboratory, workshop, industrial or other workplace in which the hazards therein create an elevated risk of injury, exposure, or illness.
Human Resources: University service that manages uOttawa employees; located at Tabaret Hall.
Ignitable solids: Solids capable, under standard temperature and pressure, of causing fire through friction, absorption of moisture, or spontaneous chemical changes and which, when ignited, burn so vigorously and persistently that they cause a danger. Examples of ignitable solids include charcoal, white phosphorous, magnesium alloys, hexamine, beryllium, hafnium powder, zirconium, sodium, potassium, etc. Ignitable solids that ignite upon contact with water or air are treated as reactive materials.
Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) – involves the exposure to contaminant(s) that are likely to cause death or immediate or delayed permanent, adverse health effects or prevent escape from such an environment.
Incident: An undesired event resulting in damage to property or the environment, for example, a fire, spill, or breakage of material.
Inert gas – A nonreactive, non-flammable, noncorrosive gas. Examples include argon, helium, krypton, neon, and nitrogen.
Inspector: means an Officer from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
Internal responsibility system (IRS): The University’s accountability framework for occupational health and safety matters.
In-Use Cylinder – a compressed cylinder is considered “in-use” when it is connected to an approved gas delivery system (i.e. regulator, manifold, etc.). All other cylinders are considered “stored”.
Investigation: To search out and methodically examine a particular situation to learn the facts about the chronology of events leading to the accident, incident, or occupational illness. An investigation identifies direct and indirect causes of a situation and may recommend corrective action(s) to correct a deficiency and/or prevent a recurrence
Lecture bottle – are small compressed gas cylinders, typically 30-46 cm (12-18 inches) long and 2.5-7.5 cm (1-3 inches) in diameter. Lecture bottles are predominantly used for small volumes of compressed gases or for specialty gases.
Legal requirements: Mandatory, involuntary external requirements enacted by enforceable laws, including:
Lower Explosive Limit (LEL): The lowest concentration of a material in air (expressed as a percentage) that can burn or explode. When concentrations of the chemical in the air are below the LEL, the chemical mixture is “too lean” to burn.
Management system: A set of interrelated or interacting elements of an organization to establish policies, objectives, and processes to achieve those objectives.
Measurement: Process to determine a value.
Member representing management means a person who is appointed by University management to represent the employer.
Member representing workers means a person who is chosen from and by the union, association, or group that they represent.
Monitoring: Determining the status of a system, a process, or an activity.
Non-conformity: The non-fulfillment of a requirement, such as:
Nuclear energy worker: Any individual in the course of their work who would exceed the dose limit of a member of the public. For an individual to be identified as a nuclear energy worker, the relevant research design, historical records, and anticipated dose must be assessed.
Occupational health and safety management system means a coordinated system of procedures, processes and other measures that is designed to be implemented by employers in order to promote continuous improvement in occupational health and safety
Occupational illness: A condition that results from exposure in a workplace to a physical, chemical or biological agent to the extent that normal physiological mechanisms are affected and the health of the worker is impaired.
Office of the Chief Risk Officer: University service that manages the institution’s health and safety, enterprise risk management, and environmental and research safety compliance portfolios.
Opportunity: Circumstance or set circumstances that can lead to improvement of health and safety performance.
Opposite certified member: means one certified member’s counterpart (either worker or management).
Other requirements: Internal and external codes of conduct, and consensus and performance standards to which uOttawa has made a policy decision to conform or to which it is reasonable to expect that uOttawa could be measured against by a due diligence perspective. Examples include:
Outsource: To arrange an external organization to perform part of an organization’s function or process.
Owner includes a trustee, receiver, mortgagee in possession, tenant, lessee, or occupier of any lands or premises used or to be used as a workplace, and a person who acts for or on behalf of an owner as an agent or delegate.
Participation: Involvement in decision-making.
Pathogen Safety Data Sheet (PSDS): Technical documents that describe the hazardous properties of a human pathogen and recommendations for work involving the agents in a laboratory setting. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) publishes PSDS as educational and informational resources for laboratory personnel working with infectious substances.
Performance: A measurable result.
Policy: Intentions and direction of an organization, as formally expressed by its top management.
Principal Investigator: The individual responsible for the preparation, conduct, and administration of a research grant, cooperative agreement, training or public service project, contract, or any other sponsored project. They set the nature and direction of their research programs, train students, seek and obtain funding for their research activities, and communicate the results of their research to the public, consistent with any requirements of their research sponsors.
Process: Set of interrelated or interacting activities, assigned to various roles, that transforms inputs to outputs.
Program: A plan of action aimed at accomplishing a clear business objective, with details on what work is to be done, by whom, when, and what means or resources will be used to manage hazards, health and safety topics, or functions as required by external or business requirements.
Protection Services: Protection Services (ext. 5411) acts as the University’s own emergency response team. To contact Protection Services, dial ext. 5411 on any University phone or 613-562-5411 from a cellphone.
Qualified: Being knowledgeable of the work, the hazards involved, and the means to control the hazards, by reason of education, training, experience, or a combination thereof.
Record: Documented evidence of results achieved.
Regulatory Agency: An external agency that enforces the requirements of various health, safety, and environmental legislation. Examples include the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, etc.
Responsibility: The responsible person does the actual work or directly assigns it to others and oversees then confirms completion. Responsibility may be shared, but the accountable person must clearly assign the scope to the responsible person(s).
Risk: The chance or probability that a person will be harmed or experience an adverse health effect if exposed to a hazard.
Risk group: The classification system used to determine how a pathogen should be handled in a facility. Such classification is based on the pathogenicity, communicability, pre-exposure measures and post-exposure measures, and impact on the animal population, including host range, natural distribution, and economic impact. The following table from the Government of Canada identifies an overview of key risk groups. Table 1 - Overview of risk groups and associated individual and community risk.
| Risk Group | Individual Risk | Community Risk | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| RG1 | No or Low | Low | Commensal bacteria |
| RG2 | Moderate | Low | Pathogenic Escherichia coli |
| RG3 | High | Low | Bacillus anthracis |
| RG4 | High | High | Ebola virus |
Safety Data Sheet (formerly called “Material Safety Data Sheet”): An information sheet that each manufacturer must prepare for the hazardous products they sell. The information contained in a safety data sheet (SDS) is intended to communicate hazards, properties, handling, storage and disposal guidelines, and emergency response requirements.
Senior management: The most senior management personnel within a faculty or service. It includes associate vice presidents, vice provosts and deans.
Short-term exposure value (STEV) – A 15-minute TWA exposure that should not be exceeded at any time during a workday, even if the 8-hour TWA is within the TLV–TWA. The TLV–STEL is the concentration at which it is believed that workers can be exposed continuously for a short period of time without suffering from 1) irritation, 2) chronic or irreversible tissue damage, 3) dose-rate-dependent toxic effects, or 4) narcosis of sufficient degree to increase the likelihood of accidental injury, impaired self-rescue, or materially reduced work efficiency
Spill: Occurs when a material is caused or allowed to fall, flow, or run out of a container and is lost or wasted, especially accidentally or unintentionally. A spill may occur with materials in liquid, solid or gaseous states.
Stakeholder (Interested Party): Persons or organizations that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity.
Student: A person who is enrolled in a course or program of study and/or research endeavour at the University who is not performing work or supplying services to the University. A student may be at an undergraduate or graduate level.
Suitability: How the health and safety framework fits the organization, its operation, its culture, and its business systems.
Supervisor: A person who has charge of a workplace or authority over a worker or another person. The determination as to whether a person is a supervisor does not depend on that person’s job title. Rather, it depends on whether the person is responsible for a location (for example, an office or laboratory) where work is performed on a paid or unpaid basis or whether the person gives direction to complete work performed by workers, students, visitors, or volunteers. Depending on the workplace relationship, a supervisor may include, for example, the President, vice-presidents, directors, deans, chief administrative officers, managers, professors, or principal investigators.
Time weighted average (TWA) – the concentration of a substance which nearly any worker may be repeatedly exposed to without adverse effect over a working lifetime involving conventional eight-hour workdays and 40-hour workweeks.
Toxic gas – a gas that has a lethal concentration (LC 50) in air of 2,000 ppm or less by volume of gas (highly toxic has an LC 50 of 200 ppm or less). Examples of toxic gases include carbon monoxide and chlorine.
Toxic material: A substance that may cause injury or illness to an individual if the substance is able to enter the body. One common route of exposure is inhalation (i.e., breathing).
Training: A formalized process of organizing, arranging, and presenting information that enables the transfer of skill, attitude, and competency-driven principles needed for an individual to acquire the necessary knowledge and behaviour to perform at a high level over a period of time.
University community: The collective members and stakeholders of the organization, including workers, supervisors, managers, senior management, executive management, students, visitors, volunteers, contractors, etc.
Unsafe act: An activity conducted in a manner that may threaten the health and/or safety of individuals or cause damage. An unsafe act may include using defective equipment, operating equipment without training or authorization, use of tools/equipment for other than their intended purposes, etc.
Unsafe condition: A condition or situation in the workplace that may threaten the health and/or safety of individuals or cause damage. An unsafe condition may include inadequate guards or warning systems, congestion in the workplace, etc.
Upper Explosive Limit (UEL): The highest concentration of a material in air (expressed as a percentage) that can burn or explode. When concentrations of the chemical in air are above the UEL, the chemical mixture is “too rich” to burn.
Verified survey meter: A meter that has been compared against a calibrated meter and deemed to give accurate results.
Visitor or volunteer: A person who is not a worker or a student but who performs work at the University workplace for other reasons, which are typically associated with personal education, training, or experience.
Worker: Any of the following:
Workplace means any land, premises, location or thing at, upon, in or near which a worker works
Work Refusal: A situation in which a worker may refuse to work or do particular work given that the worker has reason to believe that
