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Health and Safety

HEALTH & SAFETY REPS.

Danielle Noble & Michele Cameron

Slippery when…people need to be aware of the slip hazards and make conscious decisions around proper footwear especially with icy conditions and wet hallways. With the incumbent weather, all entrances and egress are to be salted by the caretaker. This includes access to the portables as this is not the playground.

Lifting – members should not be lifting more than 40lbs on their own – 30lbs in some instances where the student is very flexible and wiry. If they (the member) have an injury of their own this will also determine the maximum weight that they can support for lifts.  Two person lifts are recommended.

Ladders – please use ladders, not chairs to stand on.  If there are no ladders available, notify your principal and your Health & Safety Rep – we would like to know who needs what.  We are advocating a mass order if need be (cost effective) and if this is the case, it may not necessarily need to come from the school budget.  However, principals do need to have ladders available – step ladders that are deemed proper and safe – load, handle, non-slip feet…not a cheap step stool.

Skating – Helmets to be worn by staff are mandatory for skating.  Principals are aware and if a teacher schedules a trip, he/she will be made aware. When there is a concern -tell the Principal and please contact Michele or Danielle asap.

When to contact Danielle or Michele –We are your Joint Health & Safety Worker Reps and we cannot assist you if we are not aware of a problem regarding Health & Safety. In order for us to assist you, you need to call us when you have a real concern for your safety. A huge concern is student aggression and the Ministry of Labour (MOL) has this on their radar right now.  If a student is frequently acting out and hurting staff we need to know.  We need to know that the ‘process’ is happening to address the concerns – meetings, IEP, SIP alterations…PPE if necessary.  Continue to report all accidents and injuries. This helps if you need to file a WSIB claim. Be sure send copies to the UNION office.

* note from the UNION office. You only need to contact either Danielle or Michele. Not both. They will communicate with each other and the UNION office. Both are very well trained and know what they are talking about. Be prepared to answer their questions, you need to have your documentation in order, who you talked to about issue, when, what was done, etc.

To find your Health and Safety Representative please refer to The Stewards list in COPE Links after logging into the Members Area.

The Health & Safety reps are to answer questions about your work place at HWDSB only. Please be kind and considerate they are educators too and will do their best to assist you in a timely fashion.

If you are asked to attend a meeting with your Administrator, HWDSB, CAS, or you require a return to work or an accommodations meeting please contact the UNION office immediately.

PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING:

Diabetic Students. A Diabetes Management Guideline was sent to the Principals.

In brief, a conference with the parents and LHIN should occur. The parents, the LHIN case manager and the school need to develop a collaborative school response to emergency situations. According to specific collective agreements, teachers and educational assistants cannot be asked to perform any medical procedures. For example: a student with diabetes, school staff should not give insulin through injections or an insulin pump or test glucose levels through the use of a blood glucometer or interpret glucometer readings for the purpose of treatment. (HWDSB Policy 7.15 refers to the administration of oral medications only).

Bites and Breaking Skin:  Seek medical attention immediately! This means going to your doctor or to the hospital.  Do not assume that a student does not pose any risk.