Seneca College has a Workplace Safety and Prevention (WSP) program. WSP is a two-year diploma program developed to meet the growing needs of industry and graduate students with a strong foundational knowledge in health and safety. The program is designed to assist students in identifying, assessing, and managing risks in a variety of work environments with a focus on policies and procedures in care and prevention practice. The program curriculum prepares students for placement in a variety of occupations including all major employment sectors and within the public sector.
The school is currently expecting their second cohort of students to commence their first work experience placement in September 2023. This placement is scheduled to run the entire fall semester (roughly 14 weeks) from September to December 2023. With the ever-increasing focus on employee safety, industries of all types and sizes are seeking specially trained workers to support and promote healthier workplaces.
In preparation for the work experience placement our students will have completed two semesters of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) courses providing entry level foundational knowledge. The courses they have completed so far have reviewed the Occupational Health and Safety Act, WCB, WHMIS, transportation of dangerous goods, accident prevention and investigation, physical and biological agents, health and wellness and the management of Occupational Health and Safety programs.
We are looking for work placements that could offer students the opportunity to apply the concepts and theories learned in the classroom in a practical real world setting. Providing experiences that would allow students the opportunity to immerse themselves into the profession. The intent is that students will gain some observational and practical experience that will better prepare them to excel for the remainder of the program and help prepare them to join the workforce on completion of their studies ready to work with employers and address workplace health and safety.
Some of the expected outcomes could be:
- Gain a better understanding of the profession, the expectations and possibilities for their future
- Utilize the OHS Act in real life situations
- Participate in accident prevention and investigation (observation and participation as appropriate)
- Gain a better understanding of the critical importance of strong communication skills with peers and the workforce
Attached is the link to the program website if you would like to look at the entire program curriculum at: https://www.senecacollege.ca/programs/fulltime/WSP.html
If you think you could help us out, we would greatly appreciate it and would be happy to discuss the possibility with you further. I can be reached at this email, sara.hashemi@senecacollege.ca and the Chair of the program, Nelson Rodrigues can be reached at nelson.rodrigues@senecacollege.ca.
Dr. Sara Hashemi
Program Coordinator, Workplace Safety and Prevention