McMaster University will provide individual emergency response plans to employees who may require assistance during a workplace emergency.  McMaster has processes and procedures in place to make individual emergency response plans available to employees of McMaster in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Section 27.  The purpose of this plan is to assist McMaster Campus Safety and First Responders in the event of an emergency.

The first step to identify your requirements for an individual plan is to complete the Individual Emergency Response Plan Request Form.  The purpose of this form is to make University Health and Safety (UHS) or Faculty of Health Sciences Safety Office (FHSS) aware of your needs and to begin the collaboration process at developing an appropriate plan.

During this review and planning process, UHS or FHSSO will aim to understand the individual needs of each employee and to understand how barriers or limitations would impact their ability to comply with evacuation requirements.

Discussions will require disclosure of limitations or barriers that need to be addressed to support the establishment of the individualized plan.

Once the plan has been completed a copy of the plan will be provided to the person seeking the plan and kept within the safety office.  A summary of the plan will be provided to McMaster Campus Safety Services (or your site emergency contact) and the employment supervisor.

If a person’s individual needs change it will be up to the employee to advise the appropriate safety office (uhs@mcmaster.ca or fhsso@mcmaster.ca) and your supervisor the need to update your plan.  Some things to consider for change:

• Your needs change.
• The person who will be assisting you in the event of an emergency changes.
• Building location changes.
• New barriers are identified.
• Your position changes (new supervisor)

Alternative formats of this form can be made available upon request by contacting University Health and Safety at uhs@mcmaster.ca.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires the supervisor to do their due diligence to support employee’s safety requirements which includes safety during an emergency situation.  The employee’s supervisor plays a critical role in evacuation planning and support.  Employees and supervisors should be discussing safety and evacuation procedures a few times a year.  The supervisor will receive a summary of the Individual Emergency Response Plan. The plan will not include any personal disability information.

Building alarms are tested monthly.  Dates/times are posted at the entrance of each building.  The alarm will sound for approximately 1 minutes.  A building evacuation is not required.  Any other scheduled building alarm will be communicated through Facility Services building notifications.  To register for building notifications, visit the Facility Services Alerts Subscription webpage.

Fire drills are conducted annually usually in the summer months; for residences in September.  Building notifications are distributed via email a week or two prior to the drill.  Ensure you are registered for building notifications.  To register for building notifications, visit the Facility Services Alerts Subscription webpage.

This procedure is intended to recognize that the use of these Traditional and Sacred Medicines for ceremonial purposes is separate and distinct from the ‘recreational’ use of tobacco, and other substances, and as such is not subject to the same restrictions outlined in the Smoke Free Campus Policy.

Request Procedure for Burning Traditional and Sacred Medicines (Smudging)

In order to ensure the safety of its employees, faculty and students, McMaster University and the University Health and Safety (UHS) office have designated Fire Wardens for each building on campus, in the unfortunate case of building evacuation.  Not only are Fire Wardens required by the Ontario Fire Code but they act as an important communication and authoritative tool when it comes to evacuation procedures.

There are multiple roles and responsibilities in the event of an evacuation of any building. The listing below is some of the responsibilities of a fire warden:

• Provide general assistance in the event of an emergency.
• Provide guidance to unsure occupants on what to do when the alarm bells ring.
• Help to relocate non ambulatory people to a safe location.
• Act as a visible communication means for emergency responders and building occupants.
• Help to keep people out of buildings that are currently evacuated.

Fire wardens can be identified with their bright coloured, reflective vests to make them easily identifiable.

The University has maintained a fire warden program for main campus buildings and is always looking for volunteers. Departments are responsible for appointing fire wardens in their respective areas. If you have questions about the number of fire wardens in each building, speak to your supervisor or contact UHS. Fire wardens are provided with specific training in order to help deliver on their responsibilities.

Any changes/additions to the fire warden list should be communicated to uhs@mcmaster.ca.