Here at YorkU we rely on emergency phones when accidents or other bad things happen. They are a key part of our safety infrastructure. And, because of this, they need to be checked to see if they are actually functioning.
Unfortunately, we've discovered that for some time now many of these safety phones are broken. These are not one-off problems. And, because of this, I encourage all JHSC members to test the phones during your inspections.
Don't worry. You won't get in trouble for doing this as part of your JHSC work.
It's intimidating to do it the first time
JHSC members should be regularly testing the emergency phones. This is, naturally, an intimidating thing to do because these phones are labelled "for emergencies only" or "push for help". Your JHSC shouldn't assume that someone else is checking the phones. Experience has shown that they aren't being checked sufficiently.
Below you'll find a script to help you. You don't need to follow it exactly, but it's a good starting point.
Script for testing the phone
The script for testing the phones is just a few lines long. Here it is:
You can also add "This isn't an emergency" when speaking with the campus security operator.
The red and black buttons both go to Security
Nearly all phones have two buttons. Typically, a red button and a black button. Sometimes the black button is labelled "goSAFE". Sometimes it's labelled INFO. In my experience on the Keele campus, both connect (when the phone is working) to Campus Security.
Report broken phones
If you find a broken security phone, please report it to your unit's management. Use the JHSC inspection report to do so and use your regular process for submission to management. Consider citing OHSA 25(2)(h) (the "reasonable precautions" clause for regular safety phones) or Ontario Regulation 209/01 if the phone is found inside an elevator. Whether you cite legislation, regulations or standards is up to you, as is which section or clause makes sense in the circumstance.
Conclusion
Joint Health and Safety Committee members should be checking the safety phones on a regular basis, as part of their regular inspections. You can even make it an inspection task all by itself. Campus Security knows that we do this. The proposed script is simple, and it's a little intimidating the first time you do it. But, you'll see that it's easy to do and valuable to help ensure that these phones work
Edit history
June 27, 2025: typo fixed (parenthesis missing)
James Andrew Smith is a Professional Engineer and Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of York University’s Lassonde School, with degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta and McGill University. Previously a program director in biomedical engineering, his research background spans robotics, locomotion, human birth, music and engineering education. While on sabbatical in 2018-19 with his wife and kids he lived in Strasbourg, France and he taught at the INSA Strasbourg and Hochschule Karlsruhe and wrote about his personal and professional perspectives. James is a proponent of using social media to advocate for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion as well as evidence-based applications of research in the public sphere. You can find him on Twitter. You can find him on BlueSky. Originally from Québec City, he now lives in Toronto, Canada.