Safety (HSE) Orientation –
Department of Civil
Engineering
January 2015
Session Objectives
Understand:
• Your role in our safety (HSE) program
• How to respond to emergencies
• The importance of looking for and reporting hazards
• What to do in an earthquake
• What is a lockdown and what to do
• Ergonomics as applied to your job
• Bullying and harassment
• Student Safety Abroad Registry
• Laboratory Safety
Health, Safety and Environment
•
UBC, as the EMPLOYER, sets policies and
supplies the resources to create a healthy and
safe work environment
•
Staff develop and implement safety policies and
rules to ensure a healthy and safe work
environment
•
As an EMPLOYEE, you must follow all HSE rules.
•
As a SUPERVISOR you are responsible for the
safety of your reports and that they comply with all
HSE rules.
➔
If you are a TA, you are considered a
supervisor and the students are your reports
HSE in Civil Engineering
If you have any questions about safety or would like to report any incident
or unsafe conditions, contact the following members of our HSE
Committee:

Paula Parkinson, Co-chair
2-4397 parkin@civil.ubc.ca

Harald Schrempp, Work shop 2-4851 haralds@civil.ubc.ca

Scott Jackson, Electronics

Sylvia Margraff, Co-chair 2-1212

Louise Fogarty, Civil Office

Bernard Laval, Faculty

Tyler Best, Student rep
2-4143 scottj@civil.ubc.ca
officemanager@civil.ubc.ca
2-4429
2-2204
facsec@civil.ubc.ca
blaval@civil.ubc.ca
tbest@civil.ubc.ca
Your Responsibilities
You have the right to refuse to do anything that is unsafe.

When working in our Department, follow all safety
rules
• Ensure you are trained on all equipment you are to use
• Check with appropriate personnel for mechanical,
electrical and chemical issues

Clean up your work area – excellence in
housekeeping

Know what to do in emergency situations

Report any incident or unsafe condition to a
supervisor IMMEDIATELY
Incident
Reported to manager.
Email notification of incident
to Department Head, SPA,
Dept. Safety Specialist.
Serious incidents (injuries)
are reported to the
department head immediately
by phone.
Procedures in the
event of an incident,
accident or near miss
Final Report to Dept. Head, RMS,
worker(s) involved, and
SharePoint. Hard copy to file in
Safety Manager’s office.
Incident or near miss report to
RMS
HSE committee minutes
Investigation, written report
Safety committee
Review, update,
approve
Bulletin Boards
Workplace Safety
Two of the most common causes of workplace
incidents and injuries are:

Slips, trips and falls due to poor
housekeeping

…leading to cuts, bruises, sprains and broken
bones and
Workplace Safety

Improper material handling techniques –
“lifting and moving stuff ”
…leading to back injuries
If it’s too heavy, get help or use a jack or crane
Proper lifting techniques
•
Stand close to the load – squat and lift with legs
•
Avoid picking up heavy loads below knees and
above shoulders
•
Bend at the knees – not at the waist
•
Keep back straight and keep chin up during lift
Housekeeping
• Remove trip hazards
• Clean up and immediately notify your supervisor
of spills
• Keep walkways and aisles clear
• Keep clear access to:
•
evacuation routes and emergency exits,
•
fire extinguishers,
•
first aid kits
•
phones and
•
electrical panels
• Close drawers and doors
• Dispose of trash promptly and properly
Ergonomics
• Ergonomic (overexertion and repetitive strain)
Injuries make up 35% of all WSBC claims at
UBC
• Our goal: to eliminate or, if that is not
practicable, minimize the risk of
musculoskeletal injury (MSI) to workers.
• A properly designed workplace, proper
technique, and good tools can prevent these
types of injuries.
The Ideal Workstation Set up
☛ The advent of the laptop has changed the game and
increased the risk of MSIs
Tips to Remember

Use neutral postures

Adjust your workstation

Keep things within reach

Don’t use a laptop as your desktop machine
unless you have an external keyboard and raise
the laptop

Get rid of clutter

Take breaks and stretch occasionally
Ergonomics
Don’t ignore these signs and symptoms
Signs
Redness
Heat
Swelling
Reduced Range of Motion
Symptoms
Pain &/or localized discomfort
Numbness/Tingling
Tender to Touch
Stiffness
Weakness
First Aid
• There are first aid kits in most of the labs in the
department as well as the workshop and the main
office.
Familiarize yourself with the nearest location.
• You can get First Aid or immediate help by:
☞
☞
☞
Dialing 911or Campus First Aid: 604.822.4444
Going to the UBC hospital
Getting hold of one of our own First Aid attendants:
Sylvia Margraff: 604.822.1212
Loretta Li 604-822-1820
Louise Fogarty: 604.822.4429
Clare Quirk 604-822-5922
Harald Schrempp 604-418-0216 Scott Jackson 604-655-4911
Paula Parkinson 604-363-0897
Emergency Situations
When starting to work in an area, learn
and memorize the location of:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fire extinguishers and fire alarm pulls
Phones
All exits
First Aid Kits
Eye wash stations and/or safety showers
The address of the building and your room
number
Be prepared for emergencies

Sign up for UBC ALERT: Update your cell phone
number in SIS/HRMS records to allow the University to
send you text messages from UBC’s emergency text
message notification system. Learn more
emergency.ubc.ca/ubcalert

Be prepared: Visit
emergency.ubc.ca/procedures/earthquake/for
resources on being prepared before, during and after
an earthquake.

Follow the official UBC news channels – ubc.ca and
@UBCnews
Emergency Situations
• The UBC Campus Security has developed several
protocols to cover emergency situations. The most
recent versions can always be found on their sites:
➪ www.security.ubc.ca
➪ www.emergency.ubc.ca
• Emergency Contact Numbers
• Fire, Ambulance, Police: 911
• Campus Security: 604.822.2222
• Campus First Aid: 604.822.4444
• Hazardous Materials Response: 911
• Poison Control Centre: 604.682.5050
Lockdown
A lockdown is intended to secure and
protect occupants who are in the proximity
of an immediate threat
•
A lockdown is used when it
may be more dangerous to
evacuate a building than stay
inside
By controlling entry/exit and
movement within a facility,
emergency personnel are
better able to contain and
handle the threat
Lockdown
What do you do?
If you are in a classroom, room or office:
•
Secure the door and windows
•
Close curtains or blinds where possible.
•
Stay away from windows and doors.
•
Be seated (situated) below window level.
•
Stay low and quiet
•
Don’t open the door to anyone unless you are sure
they are emergency personnel
•
Await instructions or escort from emergency personnel
Emergency situations - Evacuation
•
If you hear the evacuation alarm (ringing bells):
• If possible, shut down equipment and secure hazardous
materials
• Leave the building immediately, using the nearest safe
exit and go to the muster point. Do not run.
• Follow the instructions of the Fire Wardens, Campus
Security, Police, Fire or Ambulance when asked to
evacuate the building.
• NO ONE shall reenter the building until permission has
been given by the Fire Department, Police or Campus
Security.
• If you suspect someone was not evacuated or you have
any information about the incident that prompted the alarm,
report to Emergency Response Personnel.
Emergency Situations – Fire/Evacuation
• Muster point, for CEME and the Rusty Hut is across
East Mall outside the Parkade
Emergency Situation - Fire
What to do if you discover a fire

Activate the closest pull alarm

Leave the immediate area &
advise others to exit

Attempt to control the fire with
available fire equipment – if you
are confident and can do so
safely!

DO NOT use elevators

Proceed to designated assembly
area (muster point)

Call 911

DO NOT re-enter the building
Using a fire extinguisher
Remember the acronym PASS
1.
Pull – Pull the pin
2. Aim – Aim nozzle at base of flame
3. Squeeze – Squeeze the handle
4. Sweep – Sweep nozzle across BASE of fire
Note: You must be within 4
to 8 feet of the fire for the fire
extinguisher to be effective.
Earthquakes
UBC is located in a
high risk zone for
earthquakes.
What should you
do in an
earthquake?
Earthquake – What to do?

Drop* Cover *Hold

If you are indoors and you
feel an earthquake starting,
stay calm and: Take cover
under a sturdy desk or table
and hold on

If there are no tables nearby,
cover your face and head
with your arms and crouch in
an inside corner or interior
wall
Earthquakes

If you are in a classroom or lecture
theatre – get under the tables or
crouch between the seats.
Always cover your head and neck
Hazards
Move away from overhead hazards
- ceiling mounted projectors
-stay away from glass,
windows or anything
that may fall such as
furniture or light
fixtures
Earthquake Safety
Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go
outside

Most injuries during earthquakes occur when
people are hit by falling objects when entering
into or exiting from buildings

Count to 60 before attempting to exit. If you feel any
aftershocks, count again
Outside During an Earthquake
•
If you are outside – stay outside
•
Do not enter buildings unless you have been
advised that they are safe
•
Watch for hazards – power lines, trees, fires, gas
leaks….
Working alone
• No after hours or weekend access to the labs
(“working alone”) is not allowed without permission
from the Lab Managers.
• If you need to work alone in a lab or the field, you
must fill out a working alone form. Your plan must be
approved by the Safety Committee.
• If you are working alone in an office setting, make
sure your office door is locked.
• When leaving your office or lab late at night, please
make sure you use the SafeWalk program
Bullying and Harassment
• The best possible environment for working,
learning and living is one in which respect,
civility, diversity, opportunity and inclusion
are valued.
• Everyone at the University of British
Columbia and the Department of Civil
Engineering is expected to conduct
themselves in a manner that upholds these
principles.
Bullying and Harassment
• Bullying and harassment in the workplace poses
a potential risk to the physical and mental health
and safety of workers.
•
Bullying and harassment is defined by WorkSafeBC:
• “Bullying
and harassment includes any
inappropriate conduct or comment by a
person towards a worker that the person
knew or reasonably ought to have known
would cause the worker to be humiliated or
intimidated but, excludes any reasonable
action taken by an employer or supervisor
relating to the management and direction of
workers or the place of employment.”
Bullying and Harassment
It is important to report offending behaviour
whether the offender is a co-worker or your
supervisor.
You are required to complete a course on
prevention and addressing bullying and
harassment register at
http://www.hse.ubc.ca/courses/preventing-andaddressing-bullying-harassment
Procedures for reporting can be found at
www.bullyingandharassment.ubc.ca
Student Safety Abroad Registry
• Required for students traveling outside of
Canada on university activity as per the Student
Safety Abroad Policy .
When the tsunami disaster struck
Japan in 2011, UBC was able to make
contact
contact and
and assist
assist 84
84 of
of its
its students
students
there
there within
within 24
24 hours
hours of
of the
the incident.
incident.
Where
Where needed,
needed, UBC
UBC booked
booked and
and paid
paid
for return flights, shipped their goods
for return flights, shipped their goods
home, and reimbursed tuition.
home, and reimbursed tuition.
Student Safety Abroad
Registry
• applies to you if you’re traveling outside of
Canada for university activity – this includes
conferences, research, volunteering, service
learning, varsity sports, and studying abroad.
• Usually, all you will need to do is register your
travel details, emergency contacts, and review
pre-departure materials to prepare you for a safe
journey.
• If you’re traveling to a location with an increased
travel warning, you will need to get permission to
travel and undertake additional preparation for
risks associated with your location.
Civil Engineering Labs
Lab Managers
• Scott Jackson – electrical
• Harald Schrempp – mechanical
• Paula Parkinson - chemical
• Before beginning any work in any of the Civil
Engineering Labs you must receive site specific
training.
• You are required to follow the laboratory rules at
all times. Failure to do so may results in loss of
laboratory privileges.
General Lab Safety Rules
•
Equipment may be operated by trained personnel
only – NO EXCEPTIONS.
•
•
•
•
No after hours or weekend access (“working
alone”) is allowed without permission from the
Lab Managers.
Proper plans must be developed and reviewed by
your supervisor and the Lab Managers when
doing lab work or field work
All experiments that run unattended must be
labelled with the correct form – see the Lab
Managers.
Plan your work to allow for clean up and disposal
of samples and waste properly
General Lab Safety Rules
• Safety glasses are required in all labs
• Closed toe shoes are required in all the
labs
• Hard Hats are required in the Structures
Lab and in the Earthquake Lab (EERF)
• Safety shoes are required in the
Structures, Materials and Earthquake
Labs.
• No Food or drink in the labs
Preparing for Research
• Before you start your research assess the hazards and
develop a plan to mitigate the hazards identified.
• Fill out a Project Proposal Form ( if you don’t, no one in the
shop will do any work for you).
• If you are working alone, you must have a work alone plan
• If you are doing field word, you must have a safety plan
A Safety Plan is Required for Field Work
Develop procedures for your field work.
Use WorkSafe BC guidelines and
regulations to help avoid a serious
accident. Your safety plan must be
approved by the Lab Managers.
Mitigating Hazards
Carry out a risk assessment of your task with others
(Project Proposal Form).
• Identify the highest risks and:
1. Eliminate them – Most effective solution
2. Substitute lower risk items
3. Engineer solutions to the risk
4. Put procedures in place
5. Specify Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Necessary, but
least effective solution
Hazard Mitigation
You can eliminate tripping hazards by simply cleaning up
Hazard Mitigation
An example of substitution is to use a
water based paint instead of a solvent
based paint.
An engineered solution – a fume hood
Following a specific procedure – such as a
start up sequence might make a task safer.
Eye protection, suitable gloves, safety
boots, ear plugs are examples of personal
protective equipment that you may be required
to use in our labs.
A fume hood (engineered solution) is
preferred over a respirator (PPE)
Questions????

See UBC Risk Management Services
http://riskmanagement.ubc.ca/

See WorkSafe BC
www.worksafebc.com

Ask Paula Parkinson, 604 822-4397
parkin@civil.ubc.ca