Health & Safety Policy

Ref. No.	Executive sponsor	Policy steward	Approval authority	First approved	Last reviewed	Effective date	Next review
73.01	Vice President, College Services and Strategy	Director, Facilities and Engineering	Board of Governors	2004	May 2026	June 30, 2026	December 2027

Purpose
1. Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) is committed to promoting, providing, and maintaining a healthy and safe environment for all members of the College community. The College is dedicated to implementing and maintaining a Safety Management System across all working and learning environments for employees and students. This policy reflects that commitment and incorporates NSCC’s obligations under provincial health and safety legislation and College health and safety policies.

Scope
1. This policy applies to all members of the College Community engaged in NSCC-related activities.
  
  It serves as the foundation for the College’s:
  1. Health and Safety Program
  2. Public Safety System
  3. Safety Management System
  4. documents that relate to or are legislated by the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and Regulations of the Province of Nova Scotia
  This policy establishes the framework for the Internal Responsibility System (IRS), requiring the College Community to collaborate and cooperate in promoting and participating in a safety culture at NSCC.

Definitions

Term	Definition
Bullying	conflict is not, on its own, harassment (also known as bullying). However, conflict may escalate to the point where it becomes harassment. A single incident of unreasonable or inconsiderate behaviour may not, on its own, be harassment. However, conflict may escalate to the point where it becomes harassment and could be in breach of this policy or other policies.
Harassment	conflict is not, on its own, harassment (also known as bullying). However, conflict may escalate to the point where it becomes harassment. A single incident of unreasonable or inconsiderate behaviour may not, on its own, be harassment. Reasonable management action (in class or work settings) is not harassment: Any reasonable action taken by the College, or by its employees in supervisory positions, relating to the management and direction of employees or the workplace. Any reasonable action taken by the College, or by an instructor, faculty member, or person in a similar position, relating to the management and direction of Students in the classroom or to the management, direction, assignment, or supervision of research or academic work. Examples of reasonable action, when undertaken in an appropriate manner, include expressing differences of opinion; offering constructive feedback, guidance, or advice; evaluating work; and establishing deadlines. Examples of conduct or comments that might constitute bullying and harassment include verbal aggression, using derogatory names, vandalizing personal belongings, and making aggressive or threatening gestures.
Hate	provocation, hostility or intolerance by means of threats, harassment, abuse, incitement or intimidation motivated by the actual or perceived race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability or sexual orientation of any person; NS Dismantling Racism and Hate Act.
Hate crime	a criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by hate, bias or prejudice.
Internal Responsibility System (IRS)	a system that recognizes that everyone in the College Community has a role to share in being responsible for workplace health and safety.
Person in a Position of Authority or Supervisory, Instructional, or Evaluative Authority	an individual who has direct or indirect academic, administrative, instructional, evaluative, supervisory, managerial, advisory, coaching, mentoring, disciplinary, or employment-related authority or influence over another individual.
Psychological safety	pertains to the risk of injury to an employee’s psychological well-being, which involves efforts to avert injury or danger to individual employee psychological (mental) health.
Supervision	is the responsibility of an authorized individual to provide direction, oversight, guidance, and monitoring of activities to ensure that work, learning, or research is conducted safely, ethically, and in compliance with policies, procedures, and applicable legislation.
	For additional definitions, refer to: Glossary of Terms for Policies \| NSCC

Policy
1. Policy Objectives The objectives of this policy are to:
  1. ensure the College complies with the OHS Act and Regulations.
  2. ensure that every precaution, reasonable in the circumstances, is taken to provide a healthy and safe college environment.
  3. build a safety culture with the Internal responsibility System (IRS) as the foundation
  4. guide all safety initiatives for all College activities and tasks.
  5. monitor and assess the entire safety program and modify, as necessary.
2. Policy Implementation Implementation of this policy will be achieved through:
  1. integrating health and safety principles and practices into college curricula for the student learning environment.
  2. the consistent application of the College’s Health and Safety Program, Safety Management System and Public Safety System across all College environments, with site specific procedures implemented as required.
  3. educating the College Community that physical and psychological hazards exist in the workplace; and specific documentation will be created and implemented to mitigate or eliminate hazards.
  4. the creation and maintenance of an inclusive incident reporting system.
  5. the creation of a Joint OHS Committee structure that will be composed of a Campus Specific Joint OHS Committees that report into a Co-Chair Steering Committee.
3. Roles, Responsibilities and Governance
  1. This policy is based on the IRS, which ensures that all members of the College Community are responsible for and work collaboratively to promote safe and healthy environments. Health and safety are a shared responsibility, involving all members of the College Community who are responsible for creating environments where all individuals can work without fear of harm.
  2. General Responsibility: All members of the College Community are responsible and accountable for:
    1. following the Health and Safety Program.
    2. working safely, identifying and reporting hazards.
    3. participation in all assigned training and required personal protective equipment selection and use.
    4. refraining from engaging in Harassment, Bullying, Discrimination or Hate
    5. applying training and wearing personal protective equipment as required.
    6. taking reasonable measures to protect and promote a healthy and safe environment.
    7. having a duty to report, as soon as possible, all hazardous conditions, workplace violence or threatening behaviour, injuries, illness, and near misses related to the workplace.
    8. offering suggestions or ideas to improve health and safety.consulting with the Safety Office in all matters relating to the OHS Act and its regulations.
  3. Anyone responsible for the supervision of others must ensure that employees and students:
    1. maintain a safe and healthy learning environment in compliance with the Health and Safety Program.
    2. are provided with instructions on and application of safe work practices and procedures.
    3. apply and monitor safety practices without impeding the College’s Safety Management System or Public Safety Systems.
    4. are advised of identified actual or potential hazards with instruction in safe procedures.
    5. ensuring that instances of Harassment, Bullying, Discrimination and Hate are properly reported under applicable College policies.
    6. follow all NSCC policies and procedures related to the Health and Safety Program.
    7. receive adequate training to protect their health and safety.
    8. apply all training and wear required personal protective equipment.
    9. have a duty to report incidents, near misses and safety observations immediately to a Person in a Position of Authority and through the Safety Incident Reporting System.
  4. Safety Office will:
    1. identify and recommend compliance with the OHS Act and Regulations.
    2. take immediate control of a hazardous situation if deemed necessary.
    3. consult and advise on safety matters.
    4. inspect, audit, monitor, investigate incidents, and implement the Safety Management System and Public Safety Systems.
    5. conduct regular audits of any program, procedure or departmental function in relation to the Provincial OHS Act and Regulations.
    6. recommend corrective actions to the appropriate authority when deficiencies in the Safety Program are observed.
    7. collaboration with other College departments in supporting measures to promote and maintain a Psychologically Safe working and learning environment.
    8. report to Department of Labour when required under the OHS Act and regulations.
    9. establish and implement a workplace violence and prevention plan in collaboration with other departments.
    10. provide an annual safety report including incident reporting statistics and recommendations to Executive Council and Board of Governors.
  5. Campus Specific Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees (CS-JOHSC) will:
    1. be established and maintained as required.
    2. be a collaborative and cooperative approach supporting health and safety at the campus level.
    3. assist with the Health and Safety Program.
    4. report to the Co-Chair Steering Committee.
    5. comply with the Terms of Reference as established by the Director, Facilities and Engineering.
  6. Co-Chair Steering Committee will:
    1. be comprised of co-chairs of CS-JOHSC and stakeholder departments with Terms of Reference established by the Director, Facilities and Engineering.
    2. review health and safety documentation, incident investigations, inspections, audits and advise management on safety matters.
    3. ensure consistent communication of safety information across campuses.
  7. Safety Standing Committee will:
    1. be comprised of senior leaders and chaired by the VP, College Services and Strategy with Terms of Reference.
    2. provide guidance and feedback on the work of the College’s Health and Safety and Public Safety offices.
    3. ensure safety information is communicated effectively across the College community.
    4. monitor implementation, compliance and quality assurance of College actions related to pertinent legislation and policies, and to set direction on any policy and legislation issue requiring remediation.
    5. advise and make recommendations to the VP, College Services and Strategy, and Executive Council on strategic directions and issues that affect assurance of a safe environment for students and employees.
4. Equipment and Facilities will be inspected and documented by a competent person as required, creating a safe environment for all. This responsibility does not impede the College’s Safety Management System or Public Safety Systems.
5. The College will ensure psychological safety is a critical component of our Health and Safety Program. This will include developing internal and external supports for the College community.
6. Training and Education The College will:
  1. ensure that leaders are provided with the tools, resources, and training to apply and instruct those under their supervision.
  2. prepare students to understand and apply health and safety principles relevant to their chosen occupational area.
  3. integrate health and safety instruction into all programs and curricula.
  4. support mandated training for legislated and identified safety issues.
  5. train employees in relation to their general duties, controlled and uncontrolled hazards, and safety processes put in place for their safety.
  6. train employees on the reporting of health and safety incidents, near misses, Harassment, and safety observations through an incident reporting system.
7. Communication and Reporting Communication of health and safety is imperative for compliance with the Safety Management System and Public Safety System with the OHS Act and its regulations.
  1. This policy will be communicated through the NSCC website.
  2. The College’s Safety Statement, signed by the President, will be posted on all Safety Information Stations and the NSCC website as per the OHS Act – Section 27.
  3. The communication and sharing of information shall include, but is not limited to, the sharing and access of information pertaining to the OHS Act, the Public Safety System and the Safety Management System. This requirement is mandatory for the entire College community and includes electronic or data management systems.
  4. Identified hazards that cannot be mitigated immediately must be reported to a Person in a Position of Authority and the NSCC Safety Office without delay.