Safety

Safety is a fundamental tenet of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UBC, and we are committed to the physical and psychological safety of students, staff, faculty, and visitors. As a program that produces the Professional Engineers of tomorrow, we have a duty to protect the safety of the public and to demonstrate best practices of safety management.

Members of the Mech community are expected to make safety part of their daily activities, and to assess hazards and manage risks before undertaking new tasks. Working safely is part of our job.

All members of the Department are encouraged to get involved in safety activities. The success of our Department depends on every individual making safety part of every task they do, whether it is handling dangerous goods, practicing good ergonomics, or assessing hazards and risks of an experimental setup. Help us put safety first!

Rights and Responsibilities

As a worker in BC, you have four basic safety rights, and as a Department, we also recognize four matching basic responsibilities.

Rights

to know
about all hazards and risks in your workplace
to participate
in health and safety decisions in your workplace
to refuse
unsafe work
to no retaliation
for raising safety concerns

Responsibilities

to understand
health and safety information provided and the hazards and risks of our workplace, and ask questions as needed
to comply
with all WorkSafeBC legislation and regulations, Technical Safety BC regulations, and all University and Department rules and policies
to maintain
a safe workspace
to report
all accidents, incidents, and near misses to CAIRS, and respective supervisors