SRS Launch COVID-19 Safety Plan Onsite Review Program

To prepare UBC campuses for the eventual return of students, faculty and staff, a comprehensive planning process has been introduced to ensure spaces on campus are safe to use. To verify that the safety measures introduced provide campus users with the appropriate level of protection, teams from Safety & Risk Services have launched a program to review their effectiveness, and suggest improvements where needed.

The “Safety Plan Onsite Review Program” involves Occupational & Research Health & Safety professionals carrying out site visits and reviewing the safety measures put in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Recommendations for improvements are then shared with the owners of the plan which covers that particular area.

Buildings that are open to the general public, and therefore generally busier, such as the Museum of Anthropology or Beaty Biodiversity Museum will be reviewed first, followed by those with customer service areas/counters and then face-to-face teaching spaces.

T. Bruce Anderson, Director Occupational & Research Health & Safety, heads up the review program.

Bruce T, Anderson, Director Occupational & Research Health & Safety, is heading up the program. He said “The constantly evolving public health guidance about COVID-19, and the unpredictable use of campus spaces means that we need to confirm if the measures introduced as part of our safety plans are fit for purpose. This program helps us to make continuous improvements in the areas we know will have the biggest impact on campus safety, reducing the risk of infection in a sensible and sustainable way.”

UBC COVID-19 Safety Plans fall into one of three categories: Parent, Intermediate or Child. Parent plans are used to lay out general safety principles for portfolios and faculties, with intermediate and child plans focusing on specific spaces. The intention for the program is that safety measures introduced as part of all intermediate or child level plans will be reviewed by the program eventually, though this could take some time as the plans are very detailed.

For more information about the UBC safety planning process, visit the COVID-19 section of the SRS website.