Students participating in experiential learning opportunities (i.e., unpaid work) at a third party business or institution ("Placement Employer" or host organization) for academic credit are considered to be on an unpaid placement or internship.
Physical Safety
If the placement takes place in Ontario, the students are considered workers while on placement and are therefore covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). The Placement Employer is responsible for ensuring all OHSA requirements are met and to take every reasonable precaution to protect the student's health and safety. The Training Agency (Trent University) has a similar duty of care and must take precautions to ensure student safety.
The definition of a "worker" was broadened under the OHSA via Bill 18. For further information on students that may be defined as a worker, refer to this overview.
Some of the precautions that must be taken prior to the placement commencement include:
- Pre-Placement H&S Orientation Checklist - completed by the student and Placement Employer on the first day of placement
- Pre-Placement Due Diligence Checklist - completed by the Trent Placement Coordinator prior to placements. *This is recommended especially for organizations where Trent students have not previously participated in a placement
- Mandatory H&S Training - students must complete mandatory training before their placement. Follow these instructions for student registration in mandatory training, completed through Blackboard. Placement hosts must also provide any additional job-specific safety training as necessary.
Worker insurance for students on unpaid work placements
There are several factors that determine the type of insurance available to students on unpaid placement. It is important that these factors are understood and that the insurance provisions that apply are understood by the placement coordinator, student, and host organization. These arrangements must be confirmed through the use of a Student Declaration of Understanding and Letter to the Placement Employer (completed annually) or an Affiliation Agreement which must be completed prior to the placement.
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) provides coverage to encourage the participation of employers in providing experiential learning opportunities for students as part of Ontario's publicly assisted post-secondary education and training programs. For a student on placement to qualify for MCU coverage, the following criteria must be met:
- The placement is unpaid.
- The placement is part of an approved program, includes a formal assessment component, and successful completion of the placement is recognized by the Training Agency (Trent) for the purposes of the completion of the approved program.
- The placement is authorized by the Training Agency.
- The placement is a non-classroom activity.
The MCU provides such coverage under two outcomes depending on various criteria:
Outcome 1: Placements at organizations under the Workplace Safety Insurance Act are covered by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
» Download the Outcome 1 Letter to Placement Employer
» Download the Outcome 1 Student Declaration
Outcome 2: For employers that are not covered by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, private insurance coverage is provide by the MCU (via Chubb Insurance of Canada).
» Download the Outcome 2 Letter to Placement Employer
» Download the Outcome 2 Student Declaration
Start and end dates of coverage:
- MCU coverage is in effect from the start date of the placement to its end date. The start date of the placement can be prior to the start of the academic term at Trent, so long as work on placement is required for and contributes to earning credit within the approved program.
- Coverage is only available for accidents occurring during the work placement.
In the event that students are ineligible for MCU coverage or are completing a placement outside of Ontario, please contact healthandsafety@trentu.ca. Placement coordinators may also refer to the decision tree to identify the appropriate or alternate insurance options. Contact H&S to access copies of these other outcome letters.
Injury, Incident, and Accident Procedures
All student incidents, regardless of severity, must be reported to the Placement Employer and the Training Agency as soon as possible. Incidents that result in lost time, modified duties, or that require healthcare are especially essential to be reported to the Training Agency as they may qualify as insurance claims.
Details on WSIB and Chubb insurance claim requirements and procedures are available here.
For further instruction or any related questions, please contact healthandsafety@trentu.ca.
In the event that a WSIB claim must be submitted, a Letter of Authorization to Represent Employer and Postsecondary Student Unpaid Work Placement Workplace Insurance Claim form must be completed. Placement coordinators and host organizations should refer to the labelled guides below for assistance on completing these forms:
- Labelled - Letter of Authorization
- Labelled - Postsecondary Student Unpaid Work Placement Workplace Insurance Claim
Commercial General Liability Insurance
Trent carries Commercial General Liability that covers faculty, staff, and students engaged in Trent sanctioned activities, including external placements, for any third party losses that may result from that activity.
Contact riskmanagement@trentu.ca for questions related to CGL.
Risk Management
A successful placement also requires the management of a number of non-physical risks. For example:
- Ensuring that the experiential learning activities performed by the student meet the academic and transformational goals of the placement and that there is a viable means of assessing the student's performance during the placement.
- Ensuring the student does not cause harm to anyone in the placement location or jeopardize their business or reputation in any way.
- Ensuring the challenges of international travel have been addressed, if applicable.
The Activity Risk Management (ARM) policy, procedure, and guideline will assist you in identifying risks and developing suitable plans to manage those risks.
Resources
Workplace insurance for college and university students on unpaid work placements