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Message from the President and CEO |
ESAO's 2008 Conference Wrap Up | ||||||||||||
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I am pleased to welcome two new staff members to the ESAO team. Joan Del Tin, our Director of Finance and Corporate Services, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her new role, to benefit our education sector client base. Joan joins ESAO with over 20 years’ experience in the financial, human resources and business |
ESAO’s annual health and safety conference was a huge success this year, thanks to the participation of delegates, speakers, exhibitors, committee members and sponsors. Representatives arrived from locations far and wide, from BC to Ontario, and took part in sessions on interesting topics, such as Measure your Health & Safety Culture; Workplace Violence Prevention; Ministry of Labour Update; Current/ Future Trends in Occupational Health & Safety; There’s an OH & S Inspector at the Door; and Aging Workforce – What’s Ergonomics Got to do with it? |
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management fields. The education sector is very familiar to Joan, as she has also worked, for nine years, as an accounting instructor at Humber College of Applied Arts & Technology. A Certified General Accountant, Joan also holds a Bachelor of Business degree and a Master of Business Administration degree. Gerry Culina joins ESAO as our new Director of Prevention Services. Gerry will oversee ESAO’s Prevention activities and Training Division. Gerry joins ESAO with over 20 years’ experience in the health and safety field. Gerry’s most recent posting was with the Municipal Health and Safety Association, as the Operations Manager for the western part of the province. The education sector is also very familiar to Gerry, as he has worked, for three years, as an instructor at Sault College of Applied Arts & Technology, teaching health and safety and human resources courses. Gerry also holds a Master of Business Administration degree. In 2003, Gerry became involved in the continuing education program at McMaster University, where he taught HR management. I am confident that our new staff will be extremely beneficial to ESAO and our client base. As we move into our next decade, there is much work to be done in order to transform ESAO into the value-added provider of choice for our education sector clients and other stakeholders. Having Gerry and Joan on the ESAO team brings us that much closer to this goal. Randy Plener President and CEO
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During the keynote addresses, we received updates on current health and safety initiatives from several speakers: Liz Sandals, MPP, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education; Vic Dhillon, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour; and Steve Jackson, Vice President of Prevention, WSIB. During Wednesday’s luncheon, the Honourable Steve Mahoney, WSIB Chair, spoke to a crowd of almost 300 conference attendees on the Road to Zero initiative. Dr. Robert Buckman taught us effective communication techniques and Bob Gray astonished us with a demonstration of his amazing memory power.
Jim Bell, Janice Gallant, Bill Urie and Doug Bennett were recognized for their ten years of dedicated service to ESAO at the 10th anniversary reception, where attendees mingled while enjoying the music of Stephanie Martin’s band. The weather on Thursday evening was perfect for a cruise aboard the Empress of Canada, where some 170 people danced the night away.
Thank you to Ted Rickard, a dedicated conference committee member, for his contributions to our annual conference. We wish him well in his retirement and he will be missed.
All in all, the conference was a great success! We hope you enjoyed the sessions, events, and your stay in Toronto. We look forward to seeing you next May for ESAO’s 2009 conference.
Click on the following link to view some of our conference highlights http://www.esao.on.ca/photos2.htm |
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Message from the Director, Finance and Corporate Services
I am pleased to be joining The Education Safety Association of Ontario in the capacity of Director, Finance and Corporate Services. Under the astute leadership of Randy Plener, President and CEO, the |
Controlling Chemical Exposures In the education sector, chemical exposures tend to rank as the fourth most common injury (in order, the top three are musculoskeletal disorders; slips, trips and falls; and 'struck by' injuries). The following is a ranked checklist approach to controlling chemical hazards. The checklist may be useful in controlling various workplace issues. Elimination, removal or disposal - The questions to be considered include: What is |
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newly formed management team is committed to opening up the lines of communication and streamlining processes to better serve our clients in the education sector. Equally important is creating a nurturing culture where our staff enjoy coming into work each day. I look forward to drawing on almost 25 years’ experience in finance and education and to working with our Strategic Partners to provide resources to support our clients’ safety needs across the province.
Joan Del Tin, MBA, CGA |
the value of this material? Is the process or material worth keeping? Is this process (hazard) essential to our business?
Substitution - Can a less hazardous material or process be used (conducted) that achieves the same result? Can the physical form of the hazardous material be altered to reduce the exposure situation? What are the impacts of substitution (on the final product or outcome), versus the health risks?
Isolation - Can the process or the workers be isolated from the hazard (reduced exposure)? Can the workers work remotely from the process? Can the process flow be |
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A Message from the Director, Prevention Services I would like to introduce myself as a new team member with the Education Safety Association of Ontario. Since joining in May, I have had the pleasure of meeting clients and staff members throughout |
altered to minimize contact? Can incompatible activities be isolated by a physical barrier? Engineering controls - Could devices such a ventilation system, fume hoods, low flow alarms, detectors, or electrical interlocks be used to reduce the exposure concentration? How effective are existing controls? What are the maintenance issues for the engineering controls? What indicators are present to identify control problems or failures? Work practices - Would changes to work procedures reduce occupational exposures?What are the industry standards for conducting the task? How does the process flow |
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Ontario, and developing, promoting and implementing health and safety products and services that meet our clients’ needs. My goal is to assist in the development of key partnerships with stakeholders and to provide timely and user-specific initiatives that enhance the Road to Zero initiative across the education sector. I bring with me 26 years of direct health and safety experience, including seven years at a Health and Safety Association, and am committed to raising the bar of health and safety awareness and becoming the provider of choice for our clients. Gerry Culina, MBA |
affect the work practice? How does the facility’s plan (layout) affect work practices? Administrative control - What are the training requirements? Is medical monitoring warranted or required by law? Is industrial hygiene monitoring warranted or required by law? Are occupational health and safety policies and programs in place? Have potential problems been considered? Have emergency or contingency plans been developed? Have record requirements and storage techniques been established? What are the facility maintenance issues? Would worker rotation reduce the exposure to compliance levels?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - PPE should always be considered as the last line of defence between the individual and the hazard. The selection of appropriate protective equipment requires an understanding of the hazards, as well as knowledge of the exposure levels, the protection factor, and the limitations of the PPE. |
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Heat stress - Now is the time to plan As we head into the hot days of summer, it is important to recognize the hazards that heat and humidity can impose and to plan for addressing heat stress in the workplace. Serious consequences, including death, could result from a failure to recognize when someone is seriously affected by temperature and humidity. The following are the steps to take to prevent heat stress:
ESAO has effective material on the subject of heat stress. Please click on the links below to review useful information, or speak with your area Field Consultant. Ensure you and those you work with have a healthy and safe summer. ESAO – Heat Stress: http://www.esao.on.ca/clients/safety_specific/links.aspx#heat_stress
WSIB – Heat Stress Awareness Guide and Posters: http://www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/Public/PreventHeatStress
OHCOW – Humidex Based Heat Related Plan: http://www.ohcow.on.ca/menuweb/hhrplan.pdf
MOL – Health and Safety Guidelines for Heat Stress: http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/guidelines/gl_heat.html
CCOHS – Humidex Rating and Work: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/humidex.html
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Summer custodial work While many teachers and others may be off, custodian staff members usually continue to work through the summer. Indeed, summers can be their busiest time of the year, with intensive cleaning and maintenance tasks being the order of the day. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, a study conducted for the Vancouver School Board found that the injury rate for custodians was actually lower during the summer months than during the regular school year. But there were exceptions, which are discussed below. Overall, the study found that nearly half of all care staff injuries were musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), followed by slips and trips at 22 per cent. Also, custodians were four times more likely to be injured than staff members in other occupations in the school board. This is similar to our experience in Ontario. When it comes to summer work, a significant difference was noted between custodians in elementary schools versus secondary. Those in the elementary schools had 3.3 times the injury frequency. This was attributed to the fact that elementary custodians often work alone, and do not receive help when moving furniture or other heavy tasks. The report of the Vancouver School Board recommends that those from nearby schools be paired up, working together on each of the two school divisions. Some school boards in Ontario are already doing this. The report also recommends that “… high risk tasks such as furniture cleaning and moving, cleaning floors, and miscellaneous cleaning should be alternated with other tasks, especially in summer when they can be performed for full shifts.” There were two other key findings. Arm and shoulder injuries were much more common than back injuries. The report recommended that alternative tools, such as tools with handles (or longer handles), and techniques be used for cleaning tasks, to avoid extended arm reaches and over-shoulder-height reaches. Also, injury frequencies were higher in schools with portables. The report recommends using smaller, light-weight equipment in portables, or storing equipment in portables so that it does not have to be carried back and forth from the main building. Our experience in Ontario is not dissimilar. In school boards, care staff members have higher injury frequencies – primarily MSDs. This summer, why not try teaming up? If one or two MSDs can be prevented, then one or two more custodians can enjoy the time they do have off in the summer, without the pain and suffering of a MSD injury. A PDF version of the full report can be found at http://www.cher.ubc.ca/PDFs/DraftFinalReport_SchoolCustodians_06012007.pdf |
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Bullying As of February 2008, the Ontario Ministry of Education has recognized bullying as a threat in our schools and school system. Ministry of Education Policy PPM 144 on Bullying (implemented Feb. '08): “Bullying is typically a form of repeated, persistent, and aggressive behaviour directed at an individual or individuals that is intended to cause (or should be known to cause) fear and distress and/or harm to another person’s body, feelings, self-esteem, or reputation. Bullying occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power imbalance.” (Ministry of Education, Policy/Program Memorandum No. 144). Bullying does not stop at Grade 12. College and university faculty and staff are reporting bullying and cyber-violence as a threat in their workplaces. Bullying occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power imbalance and adversely affects a person’s ability to work or learn. Bullying affects healthy relationships and an institution’s culture. In its policy, the Ministry of Education is promoting respect within the learning and teaching environment and is setting clear provincial standards of behaviour. To enforce the standards of behaviour, the use of progressive discipline will be implemented. Standards of Behaviour Standards of behaviour apply to students and all individuals (faculty, staff and visitors):
Cyber-Violence Cyber-violence means the use of technology (voice messaging, text messaging, websites, and other internet tools) for the purposes of bullying. This also includes e-mail, Instant Messaging, chat rooms, bash boards, and voting/polling booths. It is illegal to threaten someone, online or offline. This includes harassment or the writing of vexatious comments about a teacher, principal, professor, staff member or another student. The consequences are very serious for the perpetrators. Individuals utilizing the internet to defame the reputation of another person are entering the world of the Criminal Code of Canada. |
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Click the buttons below to see our course schedule |
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Click here to find your Field Consultant Comments? Suggestions? Please e-mail Katia Grodecki at kgrodecki@esao.on.ca
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