Fanshawe College is leading the way in health and safety, both from a business perspective and an educational one.
When it comes to health and safety, Fanshawe College is all in — not only in its commitment to providing a safe and healthy campus environment, but also in its dedication to health and safety education.
For Fanshawe — a comprehensive college serving the greater London region in Southwestern Ontario by providing flexible learning arrangements and experiential education opportunities developed in response to labour market needs — it’s about more than simply preventing workplace and learning place-related injuries. The school’s dedication to health and safety is also about providing a healthy and safe environment for students and employees to work, live, learn, and play.
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“Fanshawe’s leadership understands that health and safety are integral to its success,” says Katie Willing, Fanshawe College’s Environment Health and Safety Technologist. “Their commitment to the Corporate Health and Safety Management System (CHSMS) demonstrates that they value a proactive and systematic approach in protecting the physical, mental, and social well-being of the entire college community — employees, students, visitors, and contractors.”
Fanshawe’s leadership understands that health and safety are integral to its success.
Fanshawe’s CHSMS provides the overarching framework for the school’s health and safety commitments, with standards that specify requirements and give guidance to enable the college to provide a healthy and safe workplace, prevent work-related injury and ill health, fulfill legal requirements and other requirements, and proactively improve occupational health and safety performance.
“Health and safety are key considerations in its business practices when approving new academic programs or purchasing equipment or materials,” says Brenda Henry, Fanshawe’s Director of Environment, Health, Safety, and Emergency Services. “Orientation and training for administrators, faculty, and staff include fundamental principles and outline their role in maintaining a healthy and safe workplace. Capital projects and equipment standards include best practices and technology available to eliminate hazards or reduce potential for injury.”
A leader in health and safety education
Fanshawe’s exemplary CHSMS is fortified through ongoing collaboration. In its commitment to continual improvement, Fanshawe enlists students in its Safety Administration course — part of the Human Resources Advanced Diploma program — to conduct internal audits of the school’s health and safety.
“The Safety Administration course requires students to examine and assess the state of corporate health and safety management systems to help ensure the college’s CHSMS and operations are compliant with expected standards,” says Bill Reid, Professor of Human Resources at Fanshawe College. “The safety audit emphasizes the use of recognized job skills needed for success within the health and safety industry. All of our program offerings across the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business contain signature innovative learning experiences that are strategically aligned with expected learning outcomes that contribute to student success.”
“The course was very informative and effectively prepares HR students to lead health and safety programs in their future workplaces,” says Nicole Gaziano, a recent student in Fanshawe’s Human Resources Advanced Diploma program. “Partaking in the audit gave me real-life experience identifying different forms of safety hazards in both industrial and office settings.”
Visit fanshawec.ca to learn more about how Fanshawe College is walking the walk when it comes to health and safety.
