Introducing sharps disposal containers pilot program on campus
Used needles (also referred to as “sharps”) have become a growing concern on campus. These are often found in trash bins, on washroom floors, on the ground outside campus buildings, and flushed down the drain in some washrooms.
Facilities Management and Development (FMD) employees often come across sharps in their daily work, and have been trained to safely dispose of them through standard operating procedures established with Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Security and Emergency Services. However, we need to find ways to reduce the health risk to Ryerson students, faculty and staff.
Sharps disposal containers pilot project
As a next step, we are rolling out a six-month pilot project that will see several washrooms on campus fitted with sharps disposal containers. These containers were carefully selected for their safety features — once the sharps have been deposited, they can’t be accessed again.
The washrooms were chosen based on consultations with staff that reveal these to be areas of high occurrence risk. In reviewing our options, we also benchmarked with other Ontario universities and found that most have similar programs in place.
Washroom locations
Sharps disposal containers are being installed in 18 washrooms on campus. The installation process is underway, and completion is expected by the end of this week.
| Building | Room number |
|---|---|
| Eric Palin Hall | EPH-106 EPH-110 EPH-129 EPH-202 EPH-227 |
| Heaslip House and The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education | CED-108 |
| Jorgenson Hall | JOR-42 JOR-45 |
| Kerr Hall | KHN-108-A KHN-112-A |
| Student Learning Centre | SLC-B-39 SLC-B-40 SLC-B-41 SLC-B-44 |
| Victoria Building | VIC-86 VIC-88 VIC-110-A VIC-110-C |
Container replacement process
Ryerson’s Custodial Services team will manage the safe removal and replacement of full containers.
What to do if you find a needle on campus
If you find a needle on campus, do not pick it up as it could pose a health risk. Instead, please notify Security or the Facilities Help Desk immediately so that employees with proper training and equipment can safely remove and dispose of the needle.
Questions about the sharps pilot program?
If you have any questions about the sharps pilot program, contact Patricia Yu, senior health and safety officer at 416-979-5000, ext. 553692 or patyu@torontomu.ca.
Alternatively, you can contact Geeta Sharma, director, environmental health and safety and risk management at 416-979-5000, ext. 553079 or geeta.sharma@torontomu.ca.
Additional questions or concerns?
If you have any additional questions, contact the Facilities Help Desk at fixit@torontomu.ca or 416-979-5091.
For urgent after-hours concerns, contact Security at security@torontomu.ca or 416-979-5040. In the case of an emergency, dial 80 from any internal phone.