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Welcome to the new format for our Workplace Well-Being Newsletter. This communication will be sent on a quarterly basis to all McMaster Employees, to help you stay connected on all things Health, Safety, and Well-being related.
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In this issue:
Health, Safety, Risk Management and Wellness
Disability/Medical Accommodation Process Training
Homewood Health Newsletter
New Employees now Auto-enrolled in Mandatory Training
Strategies for Healthy Screen Habits
Keep Fire Doors Closed
Holiday Safety - COVID-19
First Aid Certification Dates Extended
Risk Management Manual Updates
Slips, Trips and Falls
Cover Nose and Chin
What's Happening This Month
Disability/Medical Accommodation Process Training
The number of online training modules offered continues to grow. Disability/Medical Accommodation Process training is live and available for all staff, students, and faculty. This training focuses on workplace disability related to medical accommodation by looking at best practices and McMaster’s Accommodation Policy and Guidelines.
Registration for this training is similar to other online training offered. Registration is accessible in Mosaic under the Regulatory Training tile. The training will be available in Avenue to Learn 24 hours after registration. For more information regarding online training and registration please visit our FAQ’s.
Diversity and Inclusion Guide to the Holidays
Focusing on understanding why people come together in harmony and celebration is an integral part of inclusive workplaces. Homewood Health, McMaster’s Employee and Family Assistance Provider, (EFAP) is pleased to release the November 2020 edition of the Life Lines newsletter, “Diversity and Inclusion: A Beginner’s Guide to the Holidays“.
New Employees now Auto-enrolled in Mandatory Training
Effective November 26th, new employees will automatically be enrolled in mandatory Health, Safety, Privacy and AODA Human Rights training. In most circumstances the new employee’s training courses will be available in Avenue to Learn on their first day of employment. This process improvement eliminates the requirement for new hires to manually enrol in each training course in Mosaic, and then wait 24 hours to complete the training in Avenue to Learn. More information can be found on the Human Resources News webpage.
Strategies Healthy Screen Habits
With many individuals working remotely due to the onset of COVID-19, the computer has become our primary source for work completion. This can mean long periods of screen time. Healthy screen habits are an important part of safety and health at your remote workstation. The following resource is available on the Environmental and Occupational Health Support Services (EOHSS) website to help promote healthy screen habits.
Keep Fire Doors Closed
According to the Ontario Building Code, every exit shall be separated from the remainder of the building by a fire separation having a fire-resistance rating. A fire door must have a minimum fire-resistance rating of 2 hours. The purpose of a fire door is to slow the spread of flames by acting as a barrier to other rooms, and to provide a means of escape if necessary for occupants in a building. Propping fire doors open presents significant hazards and risks in the event of a fire. The risk of fire has the potential to harm multiple people in a very short window of time.
Fire doors must be operable at all times. Operability includes opening, closing and latching. Fire doors must be kept closed and latched or equipped with automatic closures which are triggered during a fire. In addition, blocking or wedging of doors in the open position is prohibited, as it violates the required operation and closing feature of the door.
Anything that could prevent a fire door from closing and latching properly during an emergency condition such as propping the door open with objects, taping the latch, using wood wedges or kick-down door stops, or overriding the closing device, is a violation of fire safety standards. If they are to be effective, fire doors must be not only closed but also held closed. Building fires are capable of generating pressures sufficient to force fire doors open if they are not held closed with enough latching force. This could render the doors incapable of protecting the opening in which they are installed and potentially allowing the fire to spread to an adjacent space and beyond the compartment of origin.
If you notice an open fire door please close it. Remember fire doors save lives. Stop the Prop.
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Holiday Safety – COVID-19
With the holiday’s quickly approaching and presence of COVID-19, for many celebrations will look very different this year. Although upsetting, traditional gatherings with family and friends should be modified to reduce the risk of the virus spreading among loved ones. Avoid in-person holiday gathering or events, particularly gatherings where masks or face coverings must be removed to eat or drink. Public health officials have developed a list of safer holiday activities to consider when planning your holiday season:
- Virtual holiday gatherings or events with family, friends or co-workers.
- Outdoor holiday activities such as building a snowman or going on a sleigh ride with members of your household.
- Visiting Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus or their elves outdoors and taking photos while keeping two metres apart.
- Attending a drive-in or drive-through event.
- Watching holiday or other movies with your household.
- Decorating your doors and putting up lights around your home.
- Lighting your menorah.
- Baking holiday treats with your immediate household.
- Donating to your favourite holiday charity or toy drive.
Forgoing holiday traditions and gatherings can cause a range of emotions including anxiety, depression, and loneliness. More than ever before, we need to prioritize our mental health. For further information regarding psychological well-being during COVID-19, refer to https://hr.mcmaster.ca/employees/health_safety_well-being/my-health/mental-health-resources-and-training/psychological-well-being-during-covid-19/.
First Aid Certification Dates Extended
To help adhere to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19, and following the advice of public health officials, the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) has extended First Aid/CPR recertification and certification until June 30, 2021. People with First Aid/CPR certificates that would have expired as of March 1, 2020 are now extended until June 30, 2021. For more information about First Aid/CPR visit the link below.
https://www.wsib.ca/en/firstaid
Risk Management Manual Updates (RMM)
The following RMM Programs have been updated and approved by Senior Management:
- RMM 103 Environmental Protection Act
- RMM 310 Eye Protection Program
For a full listing of RMMs please visit our website.
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As winter approaches, it is time for us to start thinking about the slippery conditions that come with it and the risk of falls. Simple tips such as wearing appropriate footwear, planning your route and reporting hazards will go a long way in helping to ensure that you remain upright and unharmed this winter. Winter boots with good treads in the wintertime are an important preventative measure in slippery conditions. If you are working on campus plan your route. Consider adjusting your route in winter conditions. Stay on cleared pathways and avoid taking shortcuts.
Reporting hazards is an essential responsibility of everyone in the workplace. If you notice a sidewalk, pathway or open parking lot that has not been cleared of snow or salted for ice, please report it as quickly as possible to McMaster Facility Services Customer Service at extension 24740 or use the McMaster Safety App to report an issue.
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Important Update
Medical masks, minimum surgical level 1, are now required in Hamilton Health Sciences (MUMC).
Face coverings/masks are required in indoor public spaces for all other McMaster University buildings. Remember to wear them correctly, covering your nose, mouth and chin before you enter a building. Do not pull your mask down to talk, keep it in place.
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Visit the Workplace Health and Safety Guidelines for resources in navigating life during this pandemic addressing occupational health and safety concerns in the workplace related to COVID-19 in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act requirements and restrictions and information provided by Public Health Agency of Canada, Public Health Ontario, Hamilton Public Health and Global Affairs Canada.
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COVID-19 Guidelines and Resources
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Employee and Family Assistance Program
If you are looking for additional resources for you and/or your family during this difficult time visit the Homewood Health website.
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What's Happening This Month
Nature of our Holiday Traditions
Wednesday, December 9th, 2020: 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Please note: this session can accommodate up to a maximum of 35 participants. Register here.
When you think of this time of year, what smells and colours come to mind? Pine, gingerbread, mulled cider, green, and red? These are related to plants that have been used to celebrate our winter holidays for over 2,000 years within different cultures. In fact, most of the plants that we use today for holidays have long histories and amazing stories from ancient times. In this session lead by instructors from the Royal Botanical Gardens, participants will:
- -explore the variety and importance of plants in our holiday traditions
- discover where these plants come from around the world
- develop an appreciation of how traditions can migrate when people and their plants do
Learn more about these and other upcoming sessions and register on our HR Events page.
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