Mandatory Departmental Training

Health and Safety Training provided by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) AND a CPS-specific Onboarding Health and Safety Training must be completed before laboratory personnel and administrative staff working in CPS can request key access or be allowed to work in CPS research, teaching or Core Facility laboratories. “Laboratory Personnel” includes Faculty, Laboratory Staff, Research Associates, Postdoctoral Fellows, Visiting Scientists, Graduate Students, Teaching Assistants, and Undergraduate Students in all CPS disciplines: Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics. 

After completing all required trainings, Laboratory Personnel, with the exception of undergraduate students, can request key access from the Financial and Administrative Coordinator at cpsfinadmin.utm@toronto.ca 

 

On this page:

 

EHS Health and Safety Training:

Health and Safety Training courses are provided by the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHS). To determine the courses that you are required to complete before working in CPS, and in consultation with your manager, supervisor or PI, please visit the following links:

Instructions to Access EHS Courses:

The courses offered by the Environmental Health and Safety Office can be accessed through My EHS Training. You can log in to My EHS Training at the bottom of this EHS page. Please see video here for instructions on how to access these courses. Note that first time users will be prompted to set up a profile after logging in (this is not shown in the video).

IMPORTANT: My EHS Training is ONLY accessible from a wired internet connection on a U of T campus, OR with VPN access to the server. VPN is available for all faculty, staff and students. To obtain VPN access, see these instructions.

Basic Health and Safety Awareness Training:

EHS 002 Basic Health and Safety Awareness Training is required for all employees of the University of Toronto. Please see Instructions to Access EHS Courses.

Slips, Trips and Falls Training:

EHS 528 Slips, Trips and Falls Training is required for all employees of the University of Toronto. Please see Instructions to Access EHS Courses above to register for this training.

WHMIS and Lab Safety Training:

Any personnel working in a laboratory must complete EHS101 WHMIS and Lab Safety Training. Please see Instructions to Access EHS Courses above to register for this training.

This online course is a basic introduction to the labelling, training and safety data sheet (SDS) requirements of the WHMIS legislation. There is also an awareness component covering some of the chemical and general lab safety hazards that you might encounter.

This course is an overview of the WHMIS requirements and does not cover specific workplace procedures or materials. Workplace-specific training will be provided by your supervisor.

WHMIS Training must be refreshed annually by completing EHS112 WHMIS Refresher. Please see Instructions to Access EHS Courses above to register for this training.

Biosafety Training:

EHS 601 Laboratory Biosafety Training is an online course for all staff, students, and faculty members at the University of Toronto who will work with biological material. Please see Instructions to Access EHS Courses above to register for this training.

In this course, you will learn about the regulations regarding biological materials, what you need to do or have in place before you begin working with biological materials, how to work safely with biological materials, and the procedures for leaving or decommissioning a laboratory.

Principal Investigators (PI) are responsible for ensuring that each person under their direction is trained, understands the specific hazards associated with their work, and knows how to protect themselves from such hazards. All lab personnel must complete and sign with their PI a Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement on Biosafety (MOU).

Biosafety training must be refreshed annually by completing EHS602 Biosafety Refresher. Please see Instructions to Access EHS Courses above to register for this training.

 

Onboarding Training:

In addition to the courses above, all incoming personnel, who will work in a laboratory, including but not limited to Faculty, Laboratory Staff, Administrative Staff, Research Associates, Postdoctoral Fellows, Visiting Scientists, Graduate Students, Teaching Assistants, and Undergraduate Students must complete a CPS-specific onboarding health and safety training before commencing laboratory work. This training is a 2 hour in-person session that covers basic health and safety protocols and procedures specific to CPS and UTM. Upon completion of the onboarding training, a 15 question quiz must be completed and proof of completion of EHS101/112 and EHS002 must be uploaded to the CPS Health and Safety Onboarding Quercus page. Access to CPS laboratories will not be granted until all requirements have been fulfilled.

Sign up for an onboarding training session here

Upcoming Sessions Dates:  

  • Tuesday, April 9, 2024 @ 9:30am
  • Friday, May 3, 2024 @ 9:30am
  • Monday, June 10, 2024 @ 9:30am
  • Wednesday, July 3, 2024 @ 9:30am
  • Monday, August 12, 2024 @ 9:30am

Have questions about the Onboarding Training?

Please contact Danielle Carranza – Manager, Teaching Laboratories Operations at danielle.carranza@utoronto.ca

 

External Laboratory Users:

All external laboratory users must complete a 30-minute health and safety orientation session with Peter Mitrakos – Core Instrument Facility Manager, who can be reached at peter.mitrakos@utoronto.ca.