Back to School, Back to Work: Keeping Education Workers Safe on the Job

With a return to the classroom comes a return for education workers back to schools to! School safety expands beyond students and encompasses all workers in the education sector as well from janitors to teachers.

Ensure that their return to the classroom keeps them healthy, safe and well.

Key health, safety and wellbeing topics in the education sector

Workplace violence and harassment

All school staff—teachers, education assistants, office staff, principals, vice-principals, maintenance workers, and bus drivers—are at risk of experiencing or witnessing workplace violence and aggression. Teachers and education assistants, however, report the highest incidents.

The conduction of a workplace violence risk assessment in your education workplace is beneficial to help identify risks but can also help to:

• Create Awareness: About potential workplace violence hazards within schools or sites.
• Identify Violence Hazards: Guide users to recognize situations that may pose a risk of violence.
• Prioritize Hazards: Help users decide which hazards are most likely to cause violence and physical injury, illness, or property damage. It includes a Risk Rating Matrix to help users decide which safety measures are most important and where to allocate resources.
• Develop and Implement Control Measures: Help users think about ways to prevent violence hazards, create a plan to put safety measures in place, and decide if more is needed to keep everyone safe.
• Prevent Injuries and Mitigate Consequences: By addressing workplace violence risks proactively and to mitigate harm from violent incidents

Slips, trips and falls

Slips, trips, and falls are common workplace occurrences that can result in serious injuries and disabilities. They are a significant hazard facing employers and their workers and are a priority health and safety issue in Ontario. Slips, trips, and falls in the workplace are preventable, and employers have an essential role to play in mitigating risk and creating safe environments for their workers.

Some considerations to increase the prevention of incidents in the workplace include:

• Ensure there are clear policies and procedures in place and that employees are familiar with them.
• Ensure employees wear appropriate footwear and that there is a written footwear policy that is reviewed annually.
• Perform regular slip, trip, and fall prevention inspections using a checklist.
• Employees are clear on their responsibilities to wear protective equipment and report known hazards or any missing or defective equipment.
• Maintain a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC).
• The floor and surfaces are clear and free of slip, trip, and fall hazards, such as grease, fluids, clutter, paper, debris, etc.

Psychological wellbeing and mental health

Employee psychological wellbeing and mental health is important for workplaces to consider in their health and safety program. Supportive wellbeing measures can have positive impacts on the employee and student experience.

Employers play a vital role in creating supportive workplaces, when creating environments that promote resilience and psychological health, consider:

• Job-based factors such as workload, communication, and supervisor support.
• Creating clear mental health policies and procedures.
• Providing mental health support and benefits.
• Seeking training, both for employers and workers, centered around mental health and resilience strategies.
• Engage with mental and psychological health and wellness experts.

What can employers do to help their education workers?

Education workers have unique health, safety and wellbeing needs and requirements. The best thing an employer can do (Besides ensuring they are compliant!) is engage, listen and react. The impact of occupational injuries and illnesses can be minimized when employers take a proactive approach to health and safety.

Many schools have back to school safety information for parents and students, but don’t forget your education workers! Having workplace health, safety and wellbeing briefings, providing easy access to resources and training opportunities in central locations (Like in the lunchroom or front office), etc. can be helpful for workers entering the new school year.

From having policies and procedures in place to starting and being actively involved in workplace committees like a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) or a psychological health and safety committee, employers create healthy and safe places for workers to feel heard and understood which can have a large impact on the work being done and can even positively affect the students in your schools.