Internship workplace safety assessment
The Internship Workplace Safety Assessment helps ensure that students are placed in healthy and safe work environments.
Before an internship begins, host organizations complete the assessment to identify workplace hazards, describe the measures in place to control those hazards and provide the information Concordia needs to prepare students for their placements.
The assessment supports Concordia’s responsibilities under Quebec’s Occupational Health and Safety Act while reinforcing the shared responsibility between the university, host organizations and students for maintaining a safe internship experience.
Why the assessment is required
Under Quebec’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, educational institutions are considered employers of students completing internships (paid or unpaid) or job-shadowing as part of their academic program. As a result, Concordia and host organizations share responsibility for protecting the physical and psychological health and safety of students during their internships.
The Internship Workplace Safety Assessment helps ensure that workplace hazards are identified, appropriate control measures are in place and students receive information about the hazards they may encounter before beginning their placements.
Before you begin
Be prepared to provide information about:
- The host organization and internship location
- The Concordia contact coordinating the internship
- The student’s field of study or academic program
- The internship and work environment
- Workplace hazards and the measures in place to control them
Identifying workplace hazards
As part of the assessment, host organizations identify the workplace hazards that students may encounter during their internships and describe the measures in place to control those hazards.
Hazards generally fall into the following categories:
Safety hazards: Hazards associated with equipment, tools, machinery, vehicles, working at heights, confined spaces or other conditions that could result in injury.
Physical hazards: Exposure to sources of energy or environmental conditions such as noise, vibration, electricity, radiation, temperature or pressure.
Biological hazards: Exposure to biological materials or organisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, blood, body fluids or other potentially infectious materials.
Chemical hazards: Exposure to hazardous chemicals, gases, vapours, dusts or other substances that may affect health.
Ergonomic hazards: Repetitive movements, awkward postures, forceful exertions or poorly designed workstations that may contribute to musculoskeletal injuries.
Psychosocial risks: Factors related to the organization or nature of work, such as harassment, violence, role ambiguity, excessive workload, inadequate training or lack of support that may affect psychological health and well-being.
For each identified hazard, describe the measures in place to reduce risk. These may include training, safe work procedures, engineering controls, personal protective equipment or other appropriate safeguards.
Submit an assessment
Host organizations must complete the Internship Workplace Safety Assessment before a Concordia student begins their internship.
Contact
If you have questions about the Internship Workplace Safety Assessment, contact Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@concordia.ca.