Technolandy

Today we met as a group to get some alignment in our practice and work as a JOH&S committee – something not always given great attention to, but an important part of the job – working as a team at our work site (aka school building) to make sure things are working well for our workers… our team is made up of an admin (me) acting on behalf of ‘the employer’, a teacher, representing our qTA (teachers union) and our custodian as part of CUPE. There are many informal times we talk and at least one monthly formal meeting… a daily walk around the building to look for ‘changes’ is usually done by myself in the morning and our custodian in the evening. But then there’s the times we go to do some training (at least once per year) to get some friendly reminders…

JOH&S Training 2025

• use OHS regulations
• Apply duties and functions of a joint committee
• Use roles of procedures
• Understand requirements for incident investigations
• Conduct regular inspections
• Respond to refusal of unsafe work
• Conduct annual joint committee  roles evaluation and strategic planning

Reminders –

Act and Regulations = OHS contains the legal requirements 

Guidelines = worksafeBC application and interpretations of act and assist with compliance

Policies = worksafeBC with OHS prevention policies for decision making

Standards = specific safety requirements (equipment,k protective devices or safe work applications)

Eg Section 2 part 36 – duties and functions of joint committee

• 20 workers; so some smaller schools may not ‘need’ one, but still good to have one with the nature of our work.

Change management – have enough information to influence changes (eg school construction) how are actions and decisions going to impact health & safety – proactive feedback and considerations = recommendations 

We did talk about the ‘right to refuse unsafe work’

Can’t refuse in anticipation of… unless there is immediate danger <— because that shifts from anticipation to actual. 

Fixed = resolved or

Supervisor says safe (with reasons) = resolved

Does need to be in writing stating that the work is safe.

This work is being refused:

Communication – do others at your building know what the committee does?  Eg at staff meeting – highlight a hazard reporting tool!

Written reports do need to be posted monthly – Meetings monthly – with template to be evolved!

• retain for two years
• Post the last 3 months worth of

Inspections:

OHS 3.5

Monthly inspections? Daily… depends on need – eg using a vehicle – safety inspection each time; Identify unsafe equipment – not why something cannot be used, unplugging is not enough. 

Often a combination of approaches

Decrease the risk by design… 

Prepare recommendations that are written… 

Formal Investigations… 

Preliminary – what happened before | during | after

Full Investigation – extra details

~ factors beyond your control

Instruction & Training does not = competence —> still needs to be some evaluation that takes place. 

Cause & Effect Diagram

Kaouru Diagram

Fishbone Diagram

Workplace Violence means the attempted or actual exercise by a person, other than a worker, of any physical force so as to cause injury to a worker, and includes any threatening statement or behaviour which gives a worker reasonable cause to believe that he or she is at risk of injury. 

Interestingly: Verbal abuse or harassing behaviour is not included in the definition of violence unless it includes threats or behaviour which give the worker reasonable cause to believe that the worker is at risk of injury. 

Child hitting an EA has to require treatment to be an ‘injury’.  Can still fill in form for No Injury… a bite that breaks skin (as an example) … is an injury

A good day of discussions and shares – my annual double reminder to groups that are willing to listen:

Unless you have the right training and harness DO NOT GO ONTO A SCHOOL ROOF – not to knock balls down nor to do things like egg drops… good intentions pave a certain road..

And if the fire alarm goes and the weather is less than ideal – grab coats/shoes on the way out… if you’re in the gym/library do not go back to your classroom before heading out, but if you can, grab clothing that will help you be more comfortable if you are outside for a prolonged time… had a friend who had a fire chief ‘explain’ this to him as a school of students were shivering on a snowy field while the fire trucks arrived and started their job (door decorating contest gone wrong)… speed is important – but being mindful of the conditions (especially cold/wet/snow) is likewise vital!

‘nuff said.