What students need to know about reporting health and safety incidents.
Whether you work or study at the University of Manitoba, knowing when and how to report an incident is an important part of keeping our campus community safe.
Whether you are a student, student worker or volunteer, performing work for the university means you are considered a worker under Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health legislation.
If you are injured, witness an incident or identify a safety concern in a laboratory, classroom or other campus space, report it so the appropriate people can respond.
Reporting incidents helps the university respond appropriately, understand what happened and take action to prevent similar or more serious incidents.
If an incident occurs, it needs to be reported to the person in charge (i.e., your supervisor, professor, or TA) and the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO).
This includes incidents such as:
Small incidents and near misses can reveal hazards that might otherwise go unnoticed. Reporting them helps identify where improvements are needed and gives the university an opportunity to act before a similar event has more serious consequences.
If an incident or near miss occurs, move to a safe location and obtain emergency assistance if required.
Notify your supervisor, instructor, professor, TA or the person responsible for the area as soon as possible.
If you are unsure who a report should go to, you can still submit an Incident Webform directly to EHSO.
Serious or ongoing incidents should be reported promptly to EHSO at 204-474-6333 during regular business hours or, after hours, through the appropriate Security Services emergency line.
Anyone involved in the incident, or their supervisor, can report an incident online using the Incident Report Webform available on the EHSO website.
When reporting an incident, include the location, a brief description of what happened and photographs, when appropriate, to help EHSO assess and respond.
Note: The EHSO mailbox and webform are not monitored as emergency services.
If there is an immediate threat to life, health, safety, property or the environment:
Security Services provides immediate support for responding to emergencies and urgent situations on campus, including after-hours incidents.
EHSO facilitates incident investigations to identify causal factors and appropriate preventative measures, conducts legislated reporting, and uses incident statistics to identify areas for improvement.
Contacting Security Services during an emergency does not replace the need to submit an Incident Report Webform once the immediate situation is under control.
If you are unsure whether an incident or concern is serious enough to report, report it anyway.
By reporting incidents, near misses, and safety concerns, you help make UM safer for everyone.
To learn more about workplace incident reporting, take the UM Learn course entitled “Environmental Health and Safety Basics” (this is a mandatory course for all UM workers).
To learn more about how EHSO programs apply to your health and safety while learning on a UM campus, take the UM Learn course entitled “Environmental Health and Safety for Students”.
Creating space for everyone to thrive is more than a goal—it’s who we are. Fostering a vibrant community is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.
Fall 2026 convocation ceremonies are right around the corner. Follow these tips to ensure a smooth, memorable celebration.
Travelling with digital devices can introduce risks that many researchers may not fully consider.
Students, staff, family and the UM community will celebrate graduates achievements at October convocation ceremonies.
Cybersecurity Month is a reminder to know where your data lives, how long to keep it and which approved tools to use.
