Worksite inspections
Our senior leaders across faculties, colleges and units now regularly participate in worksite inspections to assess the state of safety practices and determine how our safety culture can continually be enhanced.
A healthy work and study environment
Employees and students shared in the Student Experience Action Plan survey earlier this year that they value clean and well-maintained spaces as well as protective services in creating a safe and healthy work and study environment. As a result, the university reallocated funding to increase custodial and maintenance standards and sustain protective services as part of its commitment to creating an atmosphere where everyone can work and learn in a safe and clean environment.
Visual safety reminders in your workspace
Request Safety Champion posters and handy decals representing physical, psychological or cultural safety. Each decal has a simple action you can take and guides you to the accompanying resources for more information.
Any university area, be it a research location, classroom or office, can support a safe environment by including these small, but impactful physical reminders.
The U of A is one of 26 Alberta post-secondary institutions supporting its community to become safety champions. Take 90 seconds to learn how you can enhance physical, cultural and psychological safety in your workplace.
Managing chemical inventories and hazardous waste
U of A labs are in the process of transitioning to a centralized Chemical Inventory & Hazardous Waste Management (CIHWM) system, to reduce excess chemical inventories, improve safety in the management of chemicals and reduce the costs of hazardous waste disposal.
Making safety a year-round commitment
The Safety Moments Library provides safety suggestions for each month of the year, from working in the cold in January to hints for water safety in the summer. A great variety of safety templates, guidelines, manuals, etc. are also available on the Environment + Safety Resources page.
Searching for the right safety-related word or description?
This guide to Safety Definitions is home to acronyms, common workplace safety definitions from legislation or national standards, as well as university-specific terminology related to policy, the Culture of Care and other university documents.
Curious about real safety issues and how they were resolved?
Check out the stories of safety incidents and lessons learned, with examples going back to 2019. See something wrong? The Incident Management page provides an easy and safe way to report incidents that need attention.
Ongoing safety education
There are always opportunities to learn more, and the Environment + Safety Training website is home to many courses to help expand your knowledge. In addition, watch your Digest emails for information on monthly “How-to” webinars covering various safety topics, from how to handle spills to removing cultural barriers to safety.
Safety across the U of A is a team effort. HSE Committees within each faculty are helping to advance Health, Safety and Environment best practices across the university and meet requirements outlined in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation.
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