Environmental Health & Safety FAQs

Laboratory Safety

The Laboratory Safety Manual, section 18.4.1 contains information about how to characterize materials so that they can be removed from your lab and disposed safely. Please contact the Lab Safety Officer at labsafe@uoguelph.ca for further information.

Please post the Laboratory Emergency Response Procedures and Laboratory Spill Response - Chemical, Biological, Radiological. Other postings and/or signs may be required if the lab is included in a Biohazard, Radiation, X-ray, or Laser permit or registration or dependent on the lab specific hazards. Additional resource poster on waste segregation can be found at Waste Segregation Matrix.

Please contact the Lab Safety Officer at labsafe@uoguelph.ca with the following information:

  1. First/last name
  2. Department
  3. Email (University of Guelph)

The Lab Safety Officer will register you for this training after which you will receive an automated email from the third-party training provider with further access instructions.
Once the training is completed, the Lab Safety Officer will generate a TDG certificate and will be in contact with you.

Hazardous Waste (chemical)

Please refer to the Laboratory Safety Manual, section 18. For further information contact the Lab Safety Officer at labsafe@uoguelph.ca.

Once removed, containers need to be emptied before they are returned. This is typically completed on the next day of service depending on the number of waste requests which varies from week to week. If you are using a reusable container, you should have extras to account for this.  
If your waste containers have not been returned after 1 week, please contact the Lab Safety Officer at labsafe@uoguelph.ca.
Please refer to the Laboratory Safety Manual, section 18.4.
Yellow hazardous waste tags can be picked up from the EHS Main Office, Alexander Hall, Room 162 during regular office hours. For those located in Summerlee Science Complex or MacNaughton Building, tags are available from the Chemistry Stores.
Please refer to the Laboratory Safety Manual, section 18.4.

There are several reasons that waste can be left behind including, but not limited to:

  • It could not be located within the room 
  • Was not labelled properly
  • Container was in poor condition, not sealed or was not properly packaged
  • Requires special handling or arrangements
  • The location was not open/accessible
  • There was a significant number of waste pick-up requests and your waste will be picked up on the next day of service

Please contact the Lab Safety Officer at labsafe@uoguelph.ca if you have any questions.

Waste pick-ups are scheduled each Tuesday and reusable containers are typically returned on Thursdays. More information is available on the Hazardous Waste webpage.
Please fill in the online hazardous waste pickup form for all hazardous-related pickups.
Please refer to the Biosafety manual section 9.
Please contact the Lab Safety Officer at labsafe@uoguelph.ca to arrange for pick-up/disposal by the biohazardous waste contractor.

Radiation Safety

Dosimeters

A dosimeter can only be assigned if you have completed either x-ray or radiation safety training course first. Please fill in the Personal Dosimeter Badge Application form and fax (519-824-0364) or send the form to the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) at EHS using the campus mail service or to the campus mail room (UC 050). PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL THIS FORM due to the sensitive information it requires. Once the training and form has been completed the RSO will send your dosimeter via campus mail.
All misplaced/lost dosimeters must be reported to the RSO immediately at radsafe@uoguelph.ca. A spare dosimeter will be assigned for the remainder of the current monitoring period.
Each department or unit on campus has a contact that manages dosimeters for their group. Please contact your department/unit contact for pick-ups, returns and exchanges of dosimeters.
For more information, please visit our page on Radiation Monitoring.

Biosafety

Please refer to the Biosafety FAQs on the Biosafety Program and Forms page.

Training

Login to your Training Profile and find the relevant course. On the right side is the option to “Withdraw”. On the training profile page is the option on the right side of the course to click "withdraw"

Once you’ve completed a course and the certificate is available for download/printing, please save a copy of your training certificate for your records.

Once the semester has ended, you will not be able to view your certificates and EHS is unable to access them. However, you can retrieve your course history by logging into your Training Profile. Your training profile allows you to:

  • Check and edit your profile information
  • Check your current registration status
  • Cancel a registration
  • Print a history of your participation
  • Check expiry dates of certification courses

The EHS course instructor may be able to provide you with an email verifying your course completion if you provide the course and date of attendance.

EHS courses require time to be made available to you, from the time you register, before they are available on CourseLink. If after 48 hours, you are still having difficulty, please contact ehs@uoguelph.ca.
Some EHS Courses are posted in the Resource section in CourseLink. Click on the Resources tab found under My Courses. If you are still having difficulty, please contact ehs@uoguelph.ca. The resources tab is available at the top of the CourseLink home page
As of February 1, 2024, a UofG Central Login ID is required to access any EHS courses on Courselink. 

Please note that the certificate option has now been replaced with Courselink Awards. 

You can print the award using these steps:

  1. Go to CourseLink, click on your name at the upper right corner, that will bring down a menu.
  2. Click on “Profile”.
  3. Under the heading "Awards Showcase, click on "View My Awards". This should go to a page with all the awards issued by courses and it will have the option to “share” on it.
  4. Click on that. A pop up will appear and one option is “Share this award with a public link”. That will generate a web page, go to that link and a “certificate” will be there with all the course information.
  5. Hit Ctrl + P and the page can be printed to PDF.
To register for a course, access the EHS Online Course Registration Page and click on the desired course. On the bottom of the page is a login option: “To register for this event, please provide us with your Central Login and Password.” Create a profile for yourself and enroll in all the courses you are required to complete. Course registration option at the bottom of the course registration page, enter your central login and password or use your email
Note, that there is also an option below the login to register without a central login (UoG email) if needed: “Don’t have a central login? Use your email to register”. 
Please note that all courses require 48 hours before they appear on CourseLink and that EHS Worker Health and Safety Awareness training and the EHS Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness and Due Diligence are reserved for employees of the University only.
Please keep a copy for your records and provide a copy to your supervisor, as appropriate.
Please direct all technical questions to CourseLink Support at courselink@uoguelph.ca.
If you are in the position to supervise/oversee students or staff, then you should be completing the Supervisor version of the Health and Safety Awareness Course. This course is very similar to its Worker counterpart, except for an additional module on Due Diligence. Your supervisor should also be able to provide direction on which is most appropriate training course for your position.
Please note that as of February 1, 2024, a University of Guelph central login (username/password) is REQUIRED to access all online EHS courses offered through Courselink. If you do not currently have a UG central login, please connect with your University contact, supervisor or department administrator to arrange for one. The EHS Worker Health and Safety Awareness Training and the EHS Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness and Due Diligence courses are reserved for employees of the university only. For volunteers without a UofG login, EHS recommends the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development (MLITSD) Worker Health and Safety Awareness e-learning course or the MLITSD's Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness and Due Diligence courses as alternatives for volunteers and visitors. 

Supervisors with specific questions about volunteers and the restrictions around the EHS Worker Health and Safety Awareness course can contact the Manager, Agriculture and Veterinary Safety, Christi Cooper at mcooper@uoguelph.ca.
Many EHS courses have a set pass mark – you must fully complete the course by achieving the set grade level. Please check back to the main page of the course and click on your certificate to print/download for your records when it is ready.
For technical issues around the certificate availability, please contact Courselink Support at courselink@uoguelph.ca.
The EHS courses are not available on the Training Profile or the EHS Online Course Registration Page. You will find access to the course from CourseLink, found the on the University of Guelph's homepage. Sign into CourseLink using your central login where you can view all your current courses and complete them.
The course registration system is not automatic and does require staff to confirm the registrations. Please email ehs@uoguelph.ca for assistance. We appreciate your patience.

First Aid Training

First Aid training, delivered through EHS, will only be available for those who are required by legislation to be certified according to their job/task functions.

Please have your department forward GL coding to ehs@uoguelph.ca prior to attending the first aid training. Please note that EHS will not charge your department until you have attended and completed your First Aid Training.
Login to your Training Profile and find the relevant course. On the right side is the option to “Withdraw”. On the training profile page is the option on the right side of the course to click "withdraw"
Please visit the EHS Training Schedule to view current and future offerings. To register for any courses, please visit the EHS registration website. 
Free feel to sign up for the First Aid course and be on our waiting list. Otherwise, check our training schedule for our next planned First Aid Course offering.
First Aid will only be available for those who are required by legislation to be certified according to their job/task functions. Priority will be given to regular, full-time staff and faculty. 
This course is offered free of charge to full-time, permanent and some long-term contractual University of Guelph employees. If there is space available, the course may be open to undergraduate/graduate students and all non-university registrants and a charge will apply. Please arrange to make payment and hold your spot one week IN ADVANCE. 

You can retrieve your course history by logging into your Training Profile. Your training profile allows you to:

  • Check and edit your profile information
  • Check your current registration status
  • Cancel a registration
  • Print a history of your participation
  • Check expiry dates of certification courses

Canadian Red Cross supplies the First Aid cards; if you need a replacement card, login to your profile on the Canadian Red Cross website, using My RC Login.

PPE Subsidy Programs

Prescription Safety Glasses

The Prescription Safety Glasses Subsidy Form is not located on the EHS website. A request authorizing your participation in the Safety Glasses Subsidy program must be submitted to EHS by either your Supervisor or department’s Administrative Assistant with the following information:

  • Employee #
  • Position:
  • Department:
  • Location:
  • Bargaining Group:
  • Supervisor Name:
  • Supervisor Extension:

Once this information is received the authorization form will be sent via email to the both yourself, the Employee, and your Supervisor (if these emails were initially included).

Safety Footwear

Unfortunately, graduate students are not covered under the safety shoe program. Graduate students and hired undergraduates should speak to their supervisor regarding the possibility of departmental or research grant funding support.
Postgraduate student who are employed and working for longer than 18 months may be eligible for reimbursement of safety footwear expenses, under the non-union category, as appropriate to their work tasks.
The University of Guelph’s policy on safety footwear is found within the guidance on Personal Protective Equipment, found on the Environmental Health and Safety website, along with the procedure for obtaining reimbursement. All reimbursement amounts for the safety shoe program are negotiated into collective agreements, so you may wish to refer to your bargaining agreement.
A qualifying employee is any full-time or part-time or contractual employee.

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