Safety Office, Commissary Building
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone 519 888 4567 Ext. 33587
Fax 519 886 8082
Email: safety@uwaterloo.ca
In Ontario, designated substances are materials that cause severe health impairment from exposure or repeated exposure. The definition used in the Occupational Health and Safety Act is:
“…a biological, chemical or physical agent or combination thereof prescribed as a designated substance to which the exposure of a worker is prohibited, regulated, restricted, limited or controlled…”
The following are designated substances in Ontario:
The health effects are generally one or more of the following:
Employers in Ontario must assess the use of these materials even if they are adequately controlled as there is potential for the worker to be exposed if the control breaks down or fails. At UW, the supervisor or principal investigator has the responsibility to ensure this has been completed for the spaces they have authority over. The expectation is that if a risk of exposure exists, the supervisor/principle investigator will initiate the designated substance assessment by contacting the Safety Office and requested a review to be completed for the material in question. In order to complete a review the following minimum information will be required:
The designated substances review process requires a cradle to grave understanding of the material's use.
Documentation of the designated substance assessment must be stored by the supervisor/principal investigator and readily available for as long as the designated substance is in their possession.
Ontario Regulation 490 specifies that designated substance assessments are used to determine if further control programs are needed to protect the worker.
Safety Office, Commissary Building
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone 519 888 4567 Ext. 33587
Fax 519 886 8082
Email: safety@uwaterloo.ca
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.