OH&S is generally understood as physical hazards, risks, and injuries in the workplace. These are, of course, important issues in understanding what OH&S entails, but they may be considered basic. OH&S encompasses the holistic well-being of workers in the workplace, which ranges from ergonomics, air quality, and cleanliness to mental health, accessibility, equity, and safety, among many more. Simply put, OH&S has to do with the well-being and flourishing of workers as they effectively carry out their responsibilities in a safe environment. The overarching goal is to identify and stay informed of health and safety concerns on campus and bring them to management’s attention in order to improve the health and safety conditions in the workplace. The Occupational Health and Safety Officer shall be responsible for the appointment and training of Joint Health and Safety Committee members (JHSCs), as governed by subsections 9.34–9.37 of the OHSA, and manage the local subcommittee of the Occupational Health and Safety Committee (section 7), among many other responsibilities.
Queen’s University has eleven (11) Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) that meet several times a semester to discuss health and safety concerns and conduct building inspections. You can find minutes from these meetings on the JHSC page of the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) website. Each committee is associated with a particular faculty or grouping of buildings and is composed of union and employer representatives. Depending on membership, a committee may have two PSAC representatives: one for unit 1 (TAs, RAs, and TFs) and one for unit 2 (postdocs).
The duties of the Joint Health and Safety Committee members include but are not limited to preparation and active participation in JHSC meetings, preparation and active conduct of safety inspections, keeping of records, promotion of worker safety to fellow PSAC 901 members, and regular reporting to 901’s OH&S Officer. In addition, JHSC reps receive hourly pay at the current TA rate. Contact the 901 OH&S Officer (safety.psac901@gmail.com) for other responsibilities and/or interest in this position.
You can find the JHSC members’ biannual reports here. These JHSCs are in accordance with the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act. For more details on the OHSA, see the Government of Ontario website.