Health & Safety
COVID-19 Important Information
Health & Vaccination screening for campus visits
Before coming to campus, all staff, faculty members and students must provide (1) proof of vaccination and (2) complete a daily self-assessment on Ucheck. Only those who receive a 'green' status are permitted to be on-campus. At any time, you may be asked to show your green status, therefore, please have it readily accessible. A paper based assessment form is also available, however, filling out the form does not replace the requirement to complete the Ucheck Vaccine Declaration on the Ucheck web portal.
Please note that it is expected that all members of the community have their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by Sept. 13 and their final dose by Oct. 15 in order to qualify as fully vaccinated by Oct. 29. More information about this requirement, information and resources, including vaccine clinics on campus can be found on the UTogether Vaccines page.
If you receive a red status on Ucheck, you must not come to campus- please isolate at home and following the appropriate steps. Students who receive a red status should immediately connect with their campus health centre (St. George: 416-978-8030) to determine next steps, including whether the Occupational Health Nurse must be contacted. For more information on what to do if you receive a red status, please visit the UTogether Ucheck page and scroll down to the FAQs and/or visit EHS's webpage.
We all play a role to keep the University and BME's community safe and healthy.
Masking
When accessing any indoor space on campus, you must wear a mask as per the University's Policy. For more information regarding masks, please see the Joint Provistial and Human Resources Guideline on Face Masks.
Space Use
Currently, research spaces (for approved lab members), faculty offices and rooms used for the purposes of classroom instructions are accessible. For accessibility to other spaces or the use of a space for an event, please consult manager.bme@utoronto.ca. With the exception of indoor instructional settings (i.e. classrooms, teaching laboratories, etc) where physical distancing is not required, everyone must maintain a minimum of 2m physical distancing, in addition to following other COVID-19 protocols (masking, Ucheck, etc).
For guidelines and information pertaining to the use of specific spaces, please refer to the following guidelines below:
- EHS COVID-19 Guideline For Reopening Research Spaces (FAQs)
- COVID-19 Awareness Video for Research Laboratories
- General Workplace Guideline
- In-Class Instructions and Teaching Lab Guideline
- Event Guideline
- St. George Campus Online Synchronous Space Finder
For additional information, please refer to the EHS Covid-19 Information page.
Emergencies Contact
Emergency Dispatcher: 911
- Be sure to provide:
- Your name
- Your location
- Your contact information
St. George Campus Police: 416-978-2323
Campus Emergency Control Centre: 416-978-2222
UofT-Environmental Protection Service (EPS): 416-946-3473
UofT-Environmental Health and Safety (EHS): 416-978-4467
COVID-19 exposure related issues:
UofT's Occupational Health Nurse: ehs.occhealth@utoronto.ca.
UofT EHS Emergency Procedures
Accident/Incident Online Report
Please inform the BME Health & Safety Committee via safety.bme@utoronto.ca and complete one of the following forms within 24 hours of the accident:
***Please note both of the following forms require UTORid authentication.
Safety Training
What courses am I required to take?
All research-stream students (and professional-stream students working in laboratory environments) must take the BME Health and Safety Orientation at the beginning of the program, and take the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) refresher course annually thereafter. Students are prohibited from starting the research program until the aforementioned requirements are completed. Additionally, you are required to attend mandatory specialized safety courses (e.g. laser safety, radiation safety, etc.) specific to your training environment.
| Course code | Name | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| (Quercus) BME001 | BME Health and Safety Orientation | One time |
| EHS101 | WHMIS and Lab Safety Training | One time |
| EHS112 | WHMIS Refresher | Mandatory renewal annually |
| EHS601 | Laboratory Biosafety Training | One time |
| EHS602 | Biosafety Refresher | Mandatory renewal annually |
| EHS002 | Basic Health and Safety Awareness | One time |
*Please note that EHS Training is ONLY accessible from the U of T campus network. Make sure you are logging in while on campus or using VPN. To obtain VPN access see these instructions.
Additional Safety Training Requirements
Depending on the type of research and lab that you are working in your training requirements will vary. Consult your supervisor to learn more about additional training requirements. A laboratory safety training matrix is provided below to facilitate discussion.
It is the joint responsibility of the student and supervisor to maintain all documents pertaining to biosafety agreements and training records. The student and supervisor should work together to ensure that training requirements and records are current and readily available for inspection (when requested) to be compliant with university regulations. All research participants (i.e. students) and biosafety permit holders (i.e. supervisors/lab managers) should acknowledge their agreement and understanding of university biosafety guidelines by completing the Biosafety MOU and Agreement below. Retain the signed document in a designated area of the lab or office.
If you work in an administrative role or as a BME facility staff, please be sure to check with the corresponding training matrix below to take the required health and safety training.
BME001 Laboratory Health and Safety Orientation
This orientation is now offered online through Quercus. Please follow these steps to register for the course:
- Fill out the BME Health and Safety Online Orientation Quercus Registration.
- Check your utoronto mailbox for the Quercus invitation to the course.
*Please send an email to: safety.bme@utoronto.ca in case you are having trouble with accessing the online orientation.
Guidelines & Resources
Important Forms:
*For all biosafety lab - a hard-copy of this safety agreement signed by each lab worker/student listed on the Biosafety Permit. Each of these signed form must be kept in the office/lab.
Note that your records may be audited during a lab inspection normally conducted prior to permit renewal