About this community
The Health and Safety Coordinator Community of Practice (CoP) provides a space for health and safety coordinators (HSC) and the Safety Office to share health and safety knowledge, best practices, and hazard and risk management ideas.
Health and safety coordinators are responsible for the day-to-day management of health and safety risks and opportunities in their department. They collaborate with the Safety Office and communicate their findings on health and safety issues to their department head.
As part of this community, HSCs will have the opportunity to share knowledge, pool resources, exchange innovative ideas, and engage in professional development. Working as a team, the CoP will take a continuous improvement approach to developing a strong health and safety culture across the University of Waterloo.
Membership
This community of practice is open to all HSCs at the University of Waterloo.
According to the University’s Health, Safety and Environment Management System, the HSC is a competent and capable person designated by the department head/chair and is responsible for providing guidance and ensuring that health and safety issues are addressed. Since there are several hazards in the University that require continual recognition, assessment, control, and evaluation, an important part of the HSC role is taking appropriate proactive actions to prevent health and safety risks.
Onboarding and training
Are you a new health and safety coordinator or looking to refresh your knowledge of your roles and responsibilities? Please read the following:
Onboarding for new HSCs
Once the Safety Office is notified that a new HSC is appointed by the department head, Ola Olayinka from the Safety Office reaches out to the new HSC to begin the onboarding process.
New HSCs will receive a welcome email that includes an onboarding checklist and an invitation to join the Health and Safety Coordinator Microsoft Team.
The Health and Safety Coordinator Onboarding Checklist is your map to becoming a competent health and safety coordinator. It guides you through the following:
- University policies related to the HSC role
- Required training
- Information regarding department posting requirements
- Emergency procedures
The Health and Safety Coordinator Microsoft Team is where HSCs can access and share resources, knowledge and best practices, connect with on another, and where some professional development and events will take place.
Training
All health and safety coordinators should complete the following:
- Supervisor Orientation Online (SO1100)
- Risk Assessment (SO2500) (this is a pre-requisite for Workplace Inspections SO1007 or Incident Investigation SO1012)
- Inspecting the Workplace (SO1007)
- Incident Investigation (SO1012)
Events
Microsoft Teams Meetings (bi-monthly)
- Join us on Microsoft Teams for a 1-hour knowledge sharing session.
- Contact Ola Olayinka if there is a topic you'd like to learn more about at one of these sessions.
More to come