Supervisors are also workers and therefore must complete the “Worker Health and Safety Awareness” workshop.

Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) defines a supervisor as anyone who “has charge of a workplace or authority over a worker.” This means that if you manage people or a workplace at uOttawa, you are a supervisor, and therefore you have a number of duties and responsibilities that you need to know.

Everyone in the workplace, from the employer to the newest worker, has different but important duties to keep the workplace safe. Employers (i.e. uOttawa) have the most authority in the workplace, so they have the greatest responsibility for health and safety. Supervisors are next in line. Since you are a supervisor, your job involves taking direction from your employer and giving direction to the workers you manage. Because of your position, you need to understand the health and safety responsibilities of everyone in the workplace, especially yours.

This brief supervisor orientation focuses on a general awareness of your rights and responsibilities under the OHSA and does not, in any way, supersede the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), its regulations or any other knowledge, information or training you will require as a supervisor. This orientation does not end here – under the OHSA, the University has a duty to make sure that you are competent before appointing you and to inform you of any potential hazards in the work or workplace that you supervise, including new hazards. Use the tools available to you every day in your work as a supervisor to ensure the health and safety of your team in their workplace.