H and S

527

Canadian Office and Professional

Employees Union Local 527

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WELCOME TO HEALTH & SAFETY

HEALTH & SAFETY

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 Tourell - 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 Tourell asap.

When to contact Michele or Danielle –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. To date there have been 196 student aggression incidents, 65 accidents reported. Total combined for Sept. was 68, for Oct. was 65, for Nov. was 56, for Dec. was 50, and to date for Jan is 30. Please file reports for all acts of aggression 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 Michele or Danielle. 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.

The health & safety reps are to answer questions about your work place at HWDSB only, no other work place or to get involved in safety issues that you may have regarding your children. Also, if you are rude, they will not speak to you and will hang up.

COPE Local 527 Members do a work refusal resulting in Ministry of Labour Orders

New Procedural Manual for dealing with aggressive behaviours is the Result of a work refusal and Ministry of Labour Orders. All Principals were in-serviced and have a copy of the new procedural manual. (yellow binder, in office ask to see it) This manual outlines what MUST BE DONE, not what SHOULD or COULD be done to prevent or reduce the risk of injury to staff.

PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING:

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

In brief, a case conference with the parents and CCAC should occur. The parents, the CCAC 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.

HEALTH & SAFETY REPS.

Michelle Cameron & Danielle Noble