Workplace Health and Safety in Schools

Teachers and other workers in schools are vital components for ensuring the students' quality education. They should have the right to work in an environment that is healthy and safe. This includes classrooms, work areas and buildings. Regulations and standards must be set and followed to avoid injuries, health problems or untoward death.

Regulation

• One government body that enforces and regulates employee workplace health and safety is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This is a federal agency under the United States Department of Labor. They also conduct inspections and issue penalties to different workplaces including schools and universities. OSHA provides several safety regulations such as Emergency Action Plan, handling and inventory of chemicals and blood-borne pathogens, fire detection systems, accessibility of medical service and first aid. Blood-borne pathogens refer to infectious materials in blood that can cause diseases. Medical service refers to having an in-school clinic and nurse ready to receive employees for medical care or first aid.

  The United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is another government entity that focuses on the individuals' health in different settings. Unlike OSHA, the EPA covers the public sector including schools. The EPA's main concern is environmental care and its impacts to human health. Their regulations include the school's chemical use and management, building construction, indoor air quality, ventilation, pest management and facility maintenance.

School Responsibility

• A safe workplace is the primary responsibility of the school board and officials. In school districts, the direct managers are the supervisors, principals and department heads. They are expected to represent the school board in maintaining the health and safety of their area of responsibility. All employees should be educated with regard to healthy and safe practices. The school must comply with all the prescribed regulations and implement them in an efficient and reasonable manner.

Employee Responsibility

• Health and safety is a responsibility shared by everyone in the work environment. Therefore, a school worker of any position should follow the required occupational health, safety rules and regulations diligently. Employees are responsible for discussing safety standard training and issues with their superior. They must report immediately any injuries and illnesses that occurred as a result of work. This gives the employer the opportunity to prevent or correct such incidences. Employees should also report possible health and safety hazards when you detect them. Employees can refuse to work in an environment that they perceive to be unsafe and may endanger their health and life.

Benefits

• When the school administration and board decides to implement a healthy and safe working environment for their employees, this will not only directly benefit the school employees but also the students and the community as a whole. Adherence to safety regulations makes the employees feel valued thus increasing their morale and school loyalty. This will lead to increase attendance and productivity as employees are working with a peace of mind. This decision will avoid litigation risk and penalties from regulating bodies and will also reduce chances of employee lawsuits.

Process

• There are several strategies that school officials can adopt to maintain workplace health and safety. They should first select a complete assessment tool that covers all key areas. This assessment tool is available in most state departments of education. They may use the assessment findings to create a comprehensive plan that will cover implementation, correction and maintenance of workplace health and safety. They should assess the plan in terms of length of time, needed cost and funding and manpower. While implementing the plan, periodical evaluation sessions should be conducted with the health and safety team.