(ii) Safety Training Requirements

Department of Chemical Engineering Safety Orientation

NOTE:  There are four (4) required Online Safety Modules that MUST be completed prior to entering a ChE Research lab. Please e-mail a copy of your Safety Training Records to checoop@uwaterloo.ca once completed.

Mandatory Online Modules
  1. WHMIS 2015 (SO2017): 
  • All are required to finish the WHMIS 2015 for Employees module.
  • You will require a Learn account to complete this training. All students have Learn accounts.
  • Visitors do not have Learn accounts and need to send a request to learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca.
  1. Employee Safety Orientation (SO1001):
  • All are required to finish the online Safety Orientation for Employees module.
  • You will require a Learn account to complete this training. All students have Learn accounts.
  • Visitors do not have Learn accounts and need to send a request to learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca.
  • Start the module and finish the quiz after the module.  (Complies with Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act).
  1. Workplace Violence Awareness (SO1081)​:
  • All are required to finish the online Workplace Violence Awareness course.
  • You will require a Learn account to complete this training. All students have Learn accounts.
  • Visitors do not have Learn accounts and need to send a request to learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca.
  • Start the module and finish the quiz after the module. (Complies with Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act).
  1. Laboratory Safety (SO1010):
  • All lab researchers are required to finish the online Laboratory Safety module.
  • You will require a Learn account to complete this training. All students have Learn accounts.
  • Visitors do not have Learn accounts and need to send a request to learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca.
  • Start the module and finish the quiz after the module.

Other Requirements
  1. All researchers working in laboratories must complete a Safety Report consistent with their current operations as required under departmental policy and they must keep this report up-to-date throughout their tenure at the University of Waterloo.  The process is as follows:
  • Read the Departmental Safety Manual, and print out the Declaration.  Meet with your direct supervisor and set a target date for completion of your Safety Report (Departmental Safety Manual, section 3.1: Research Project Health and Safety Assessment).  Have your supervisor record the target date on the sheet.
  • Once completed, the Safety Report must be reviewed and the Declaration signed by the supervisor.  Once this has been done, e-mail a copy of the Safety Report, with signed Declaration attached, to the Lab Safety Coordinator and the Co-op Assistant Project Manager for the departmental files.  (Document scanning to e-mail is available for free in the main office.)
  1. All personnel must watch: U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Experimenting with Danger, Hazards associated with conducting research at chemical laboratories in academic institutions, Oct 20, 2011.
View on YouTube

Extra Requirements

Also, depending on the nature of your research activities, you may also be required to complete additional safety training that is not covered in this manual such as:

For all members of the Chemical Engineering department, this safety training is considered to be valid for a 5 year period.  Retraining should be done prior to the 5 year date, to ensure that the training is “current” for each module.

Safety training should be done as per the following chart. Access to Research Labs will only be provided by the Supervisor after the Safety Training has been completed by the researcher, and training records have been logged in by the ChE co-op student (who will notify the Supervisor via e-mail).

Safety training matrix

The appropriate sections of the university safety website describe the primary protocols for handling such activities and should be used as the primary information resource. Also note: your individual Safety Report must include details of any necessary specific safety issues regarding the work you are to carry out.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

………….The ChE Safety Committee