Health and safety fact sheets

Accident and occupational disease investigations are done to determine the causes of physical injuries and occupational diseases. They are also undertaken to satisfy the legal requirements of health and safety legislation.

Ammonia is severely toxic. It is a colourless gas with a distinct, pungent odour.

Asbestos is a mineral based fibre that has been widely used in building materials due to its resistance to heat and corrosive chemicals. Although there are six different varieties of asbestos minerals, there are three main types: chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite.

What is Attendance Management?

Avian influenza A(H5N1) is a subtype of avian influenza virus that mainly infects birds. It has also been identified in other animals and occasionally has infected humans.

With global travel expanding, new limits on pesticides and insecticide resistance, bed bugs have spread to just about every city in the world. Even the cleanest houses, hotels or apartments are susceptible to bed bugs, though regular inspection and cleaning can help prevent an infestation.

Cold is rightly regarded by many workers as a hazard. Lowering of temperatures either outdoors or indoors causes not only general physical discomfort, but a loss of dexterity, energy and alertness. It can also lead to severe physical damage and death.

COVID-19 is caused by a virus from the same family as the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus.

A critical incident is an event, or a series of events, that causes enough stress to overwhelm a person’s ability to cope and return to their normal state of well-being. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of critical incidents, and their potential effects on individuals. It also provides clear instructions for the prevention of, and effective response to critical incidents at work.

Cytotoxic drugs inhibit or prevent the function of cells. Cytotoxic drugs are primarily used to treat cancer, frequently as part of a chemotherapy regime. Recently, their uses have expanded to treat certain skin conditions (e.g., psoriasis), rheumatoid and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and steroid-resistant muscle conditions. The most common forms of cytotoxic drugs are known as antineoplastic. The terms ‘antineoplastic’ and ‘cytotoxic’ are often used interchangeably.

What is deep vein thrombosis (DVT)?

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe disease that causes haemorrhagic fever in humans and animals. Diseases that cause haemorrhagic fevers affect the body’s vascular system (how blood moves through the body).

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a flammable, colourless gas or liquid that has a sweet odour. The odour threshold is very high – if it can be smelled, it is already well beyond toxic levels. EtO can sometimes be confused with ether, a common and far less dangerous solvent. At room temperature, EtO is usually a gas. Under 10 degrees Celsius, it can exist as a liquid. In high concentrations, EtO can be very explosive. EtO is found in the production of solvents, antifreeze, textiles, detergents, adhesives, polyurethane foam, and pharmaceuticals. Smaller amounts are present in fumigants, sterilant for spices and cosmetics, as well as during hospital sterilization of surgical equipment.

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Between 2007 and 2009, 124 workers between the ages of 15 and 24 years died from work-related injuries. Almost 34,000 young workers were hurt badly enough to miss work. The key to protecting new and young workers is to educate them on their rights, and the questions they can ask to stay safe. Download the fact sheet.

Heat stress is a buildup of heat in the body to the point where a worker cannot maintain normal body temperature. When workers can’t cool themselves by sweating, serious heat illnesses can occur. Working in hot temperatures is a health and safety hazard and can lead to heat stroke, which can be fatal.

Hepatitis B is a vaccine preventable, potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is transmitted through exposure to blood and other body fluids.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks and kills the cells of the immune system. HIV infections progress through different stages, and affect people in different ways.

Check out our updated health and safety fact sheet on the dangerous gas, hydrogen sulfide.

Indoor air quality is a general term for the physical, chemical and biological state of the air inside the building you work. Poor indoor air quality and poor workplace ventilation are hazards that affect the health of CUPE members.

Impairment in the workplace is a serious health and safety concern that can lead to workers putting themselves and others at risk for injury. Impairment is not just caused by drugs and alcohol. A worker may be impaired by effects of many external influences in which their productivity or their physical or mental abilities are reduced.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the measles virus (rubeola). It primarily affects the respiratory system and can cause fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes, and a characteristic red rash that spreads from the face to the rest of the body. Despite being vaccine-preventable, measles outbreaks continue to occur across Canada, putting workers at risk, especially those that work in healthcare. So far in 2025 alone, there have been over 1000 cases of measles reported in Canada. This Health and Safety fact sheet outlines what actions CUPE members can take to ensure their workplaces are not sites of infection.

Mpox (previously referred to as monkeypox) is a viral infectious disease caused by a family of viruses called orthopoxviruses. This family of viruses includes smallpox and cowpox. These viruses can be spread from animals to people and between people.

Moulds are microorganisms that can grow on virtually any substance, indoor and outdoor, as long as moisture, oxygen, and an organic source are present. In nature, moulds play an important role in the breakdown of organic matter, like fallen leaves, plants and dead animals. In our workplaces, moulds can be a significant health hazard.

Noise is one of the most common health and safety hazards in the workplace. Noise is any sound that is unwanted, loud or harsh. Noise-induced hearing loss is a risk for many CUPE members. Hearing loss is gradual and can be hard for members to recognize until it is too late.

Excessive noise is one of the most common causes of hearing loss and occupationally related hearing loss continues to be a significant problem in Canadian workplaces. Many CUPE members work in occupations that put them at risk of exposure to excessive noise.

Some workers have a chance of being exposed to opioids. There are two potential types of activities that can lead to a potential exposure: direct and incidental. Incidental exposure occurs to workers who are not directly tasked with handling drugs as part of their occupation.

When flying at altitudes higher than 8,000 feet, airplanes need to pressurize the interior cabins to allow passengers to breathe normally. Most jet-propelled airplanes achieve this pressurization by “bleeding” a small percentage of highly pressurized air from within the engines into the air circulation of the internal cabin.

Online harassment isn’t new. But with more people working off-site using digital platforms, it’s being reported more often. Harassment is prohibited under human rights and health and safety laws. Workplace policies and collective agreements often prohibit harassment, too. However, different laws, collective agreements and policies define harassment in different ways.

As the prevalence of opioid overdose increases, it is becoming more likely that our members may encounter clients, patients and members of the general public who are experiencing suspected opioid overdose reactions.

Overwork is a health and safety hazard affecting more and more CUPE members. It occurs when workers have too many tasks, too little time to complete them and not enough rest. This factsheet provides an overview of overwork and its impacts on psychosocial health and safety at work. It then provides tips to mitigate and reduce the risks of overwork.

Pandemic influenza is an outbreak of a new strain of the influenza virus that is easily spread from person to person. It can cause severe illness and death because people have no immunity to the new virus.

CUPE members in certain jobs are often required to assist patients, clients, residents or students to move, or get up. Often these workers are not given adequate training or sufficient time to employ proper lifting techniques or to use lift aids. Over 60,000 workers in health care suffer time loss injuries every year as the result of a back injury.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) exists to create a barrier between you and a patient/resident/client to prevent spread of a contaminant such as the virus that causes COVID-19 to either you or the patient. It exists to help protect your skin, airways, mucous membranes, and/or clothing. This factsheet summarizes use and care of gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection.

The risk of needlestick injuries is a major hazard faced by CUPE members across the country. The use of puncture-resistant containers for disposing of sharps at the point of use together with a strong infection control program are essential to protecting workers. Most infection control programs are based on universal precautions. However, universal precautions cannot eliminate the risk of disease from needlestick injuries. Needlestick injuries can be avoided by demanding that employers provide puncture-resistant containers at each sharp point of use. In addition, employers must begin to use safer devices to eliminate the unnecessary use of needles. Alternatives, such as needle-free injectors, are now available and should be used when possible. Sharp instruments – needles, scalpels, lancets or even glass – should be considered as potential sources of infectious diseases, particularly those that are bloodborne. A needlestick or a cut from a contaminated sharp can lead to serious consequences for workers

Radon is a chemically inert, naturally occurring radioactive gas. It is odourless, colourless and tasteless. Radon is produced from radium which occurs as part of the decay chain of naturally occurring uranium in the soil.

The right to refuse unsafe work is one of the three basic health and safety rights achieved by the labour movement, along with the right to know about the hazards in your workplace, and the right to participate in workplace health and safety decisions. Learn more.

Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) are injuries that happen when you do the same motion over and over, causing stress to your body. These injuries usually affect parts of your body like muscles, nerves and tendons. Common places for RSIs are your wrists, elbows, neck and shoulders. They can cause pain, stiffness, numbness or weakness in these areas. RSIs are often seen in people who type a lot, use tools repeatedly or do other jobs that require the same movements many times.

Many CUPE members work in occupations that put them at risk of exposure to respiratory hazards. These hazards include oxygen-deficient atmospheres, airborne contaminants (including mists, fumes, dusts, or other gasses that may be toxic), or biological contaminants that may harbour any number of infectious diseases.

Shift work can be hazardous to workers’ health. We can do things to lessen the negative health impacts of shift work without compromising services.

We used to think that once you got a tan, you were protected from the effects of the sun. Today we know otherwise; a tan represents the skin’s reaction to damage from ultraviolet radiation.

Ticks are small, spider-like creatures that can transmit diseases to humans. Their numbers are growing, which is a concern for CUPE members who work outside.

Occupational Health and Safety legislation across Canada is based on the idea that employers and workers are best placed to resolve hazards and dangers at the workplace. This is known as the internal responsibility system. This system works best when employers and workers are able to work together to meet or exceed the minimum health and safety standards required by law.

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What is workplace violence?

What is West Nile Virus? West Nile virus (WNV) is a microorganism that can cause swelling (encephalitis) of the brain. WNV is found mostly in birds, horses and mosquitoes.

CUPE members are experiencing wildfires that are increasing in number and severity. These fires and the smoke they create harm everyone’s physical and mental health, especially equity-seeking groups like Indigenous populations and people with disabilities. Even if workers are far away, the bad air quality from wildfires can still affect them, both indoors and outdoors. Employers have a duty to take all reasonable precautions to protect workers from the risks of poor air quality, no matter where the air pollutants come from or how far away they are.

Many workers are placed at risk because they are required to work alone.

The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is Canada’s national hazard information and communication standard. It ensures consistency in how information about harmful materials is provided to workers.

Workplace stress is a serious health and safety hazard that can have devastating effects. Stress occurs when there is a poor match between workplace demands and a worker’s degree of control.

The word disabled means many different things to different people. People frequently picture wheelchairs, guide dogs, and other more obvious examples of disabilities. However disabilities often cannot be seen just by looking at a worker. Not all workers with mobility issues require a wheelchair, and not all visually impaired workers are com­pletely blind.

The right uniform can improve worker safety, comfort and productivity. But the wrong choice can create health and safety hazards.

Recently, a new disease known as Zika virus disease (Zika) has gained world-wide attention. Having been completely unseen in the western hemisphere, there has been little to no exposure to the virus by the general population, leading to low immunity and a high rate of infection.