PURPOSE
To establish general workplace safety and health program responsibilities for all stakeholder in the River East Transcona School Division.
SCOPE
This safe operating procedure and associated documents establish a responsibility framework for a Workplace safety and Health Management System (WSHMS) program for all workers at RETSD.
The best practices apply to all RETSD worksites.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF STAKEHOLDER GROUPS
All Workers and Stakeholder Groups
Generally, all stakeholder groups are expected to:
Demonstrate understanding of the right to refuse dangerous work, take appropriate steps to immediately stop the dangerous activities and immediately report to the supervisor or person in charge, the work activity of a stakeholder that may be dangerous.
If responsible for retaining contractors, ensure contractors retained have appropriate and current workers compensation insurance coverage, liability coverage and are informed of and comply with safety and health requirements while performing work on site.
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
Board of Trustees
Generally, the board of trustees is expected to:
Provide the resources required to develop, implement, and maintain the policies, standards, procedures and programs associated with the division's WSHMS and to provide the leadership required ensuring continuous improvement of the system.
Provide competent management, supervision and persons in charge, supported with appropriate training, and hold same accountable for fulfilling workplace safety and health requirements through systems of performance management.
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of assumed responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
Divisional Staff
Generally, divisional staff is expected to:
Provide the resources required to develop, implement, and maintain the standards, procedures and programs associated with the division's WSHMS and to provide the leadership required ensuring continuous improvement of the system.
Provide competent supervision and persons in charge, supported with appropriate training, and hold same accountable for fulfilling workplace safety and health requirements through systems of performance management.
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
School Staff
Generally, school staff is expected to:
Provide competent supervision and persons in charge, supported with appropriate training, and hold same accountable for fulfilling workplace safety and health requirements through systems of performance management.
Support designated leaders in the execution of safety and health policies, standards, procedures and programs, as applicable.
If responsible for retaining contractors, ensure contractors retained have appropriate and current workers compensation insurance coverage, and are informed of and comply with safety and health requirements while performing work on site.
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
General Responsibilities for Maintenance Staff
Generally, maintenance staff is expected to:
When responsible for retaining contractors, ensure contractors retained have appropriate and current workers compensation insurance coverage, and are informed of and comply with safety and health requirements while performing work on site.
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
General Responsibilities for Contractors
Generally, contractors (self-employed or employers) are expected to:
Comply with and demonstrate an awareness of RETSD health, safety and security policies, standards, procedures and programs.
Acknowledge and understand that by following the check-in and checkout procedures required by RETSD, and the contractor safe work permit procedures, they are affirming they have provincial Workers Compensation Board coverage for all employees working on site.
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities, including prime contractor responsibilities, to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
See Contractor Safety and Safe Work Permit for details on contractor safety responsibilities.
General Responsibilities for General Public
Generally, the public attending RETSD facilities are expected to:
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
Divisional Workplace Safety and Health Committee
Generally, the divisional workplace safety and health committee at RETSD is expected to:
Act as a review and recommendation body for the development, implementation, and ongoing review of the workplace safety and health written program safety manual and related documents (i.e. safety handbooks) at RETSD through the committee operations process and a standing agenda item for committee meetings to ensure that the review process happens consistently and is appropriately documented.
o Proper review of relevant safety and health concerns or incidents
o Concerns and incidents are properly reported and reviewed
o Appropriate responses to concerns or incidents
o Concerns or incidents are properly investigated
o Cause analysis is conducted
o Corrective action plans are developed and implemented
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
Site Workplace Safety and Health Committee
Generally, site workplace safety and health committees at RETSD facilities are expected to:
o Proper review of relevant safety and health concerns or incidents
o Concerns and incidents are properly reported
o Appropriate responses to concerns or incidents
o Concerns or incidents are properly investigated
o Cause analysis is conducted
o Corrective action plans are developed and implemented
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
Refer to Workplace Safety and Health Committee Operations for details on committee operation, membership, and general terms of reference.
Divisional Safety Incident Response Team (a.k.a. Divisional Safety Team)
Generally, the divisional safety incident response team at RETSD is expected to:
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
Site Safety Incident Response Team (a.k.a. Site Safety Team)
Generally, the site safety incident response team at RETSD is expected to:
Assume other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
Director of Human Resources
Generally, the director of human resources at RETSD has the responsibility and authority to develop a safety management program in the division.
Safety and Health Officer
Generally, the safety and health officer at RETSD has the responsibility and authority to develop a safety management program at the division, under the final authority of the director of human resources. Other responsibilities include, but are not necessarily limited to:
Other safety management or implementation responsibilities to the appropriate level of responsibility and authority, as determined through safety and health system reviews, audits and continuous improvement initiatives.
Suppliers
Generally, suppliers to RETSD are expected to:
Provide instructions for the assembly, use, and disassembles of products they supply (sell, rent, or lease).
Supervisors and People in Charge (Management)
Every supervisor shall so far as is reasonably practicable:
· take all precautions necessary to protect the safety and health of a worker under his or her supervision
· ensure a worker under his or her supervision works in the manner and in accordance with the procedures and measures required by the workplace safety and health act and the RETSD safety program
· ensure a worker under his or her supervision uses all devices and wears all clothing and personal protective equipment designated or provided by the employer or required to be used or worn by the workplace safety and health act and the RETSD safety program
· advise a worker under his or her supervision of all known or reasonably foreseeable risks to safety and health in the area where the worker is performing work
· co-operate with any other person exercising a duty imposed under the workplace safety and health act and the RETSD safety program
· comply with the workplace safety and health act and the RETSD safety program
Workers (Including Student Workers)
Generally, students are considered workers, and therefore are covered under the RETSD safety and health program rules and regulations including, but not necessarily limited to, the following circumstances:
· actively participating in a work experience practicum, regardless of worksite
· actively participating in classroom laboratory training in schools as part of industrial arts training, vocational training, chemistry studies and training or any other situation where students are performing work as per the worker definition
Contractors
Every contractor shall ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable:
· when involved in work on a construction project that has a prime contractor, advise the prime contractor of the name of every employer or self-employed person with whom the contractor has contracted to perform work on the project
· co-operate with any other person exercising a duty imposed by the workplace safety and health act and the RETSD safety program
COMMUNICATION
A combination of hard-copy postings, distributions and electronic posting will be used to communicate safety and health program information within RETSD.
TRAINING
All stakeholders shall be trained to their required level of involvement in the WSHMS to become familiar with its structure, organization, and how to look up and access information both electronically and in hard copy form through:
ENFORCEMENT
Ultimately, the superintendent shall be responsible for the sustainability of the WSHMS, and shall enforce compliance to standards at a divisional level.
Workplace safety and health management system compliance shall be managed through the application of performance management and progressive discipline policies and procedures.
Worker failure to comply with provisions of the RETSD safety program may lead to discipline, up to and including discharge from employment and / or other remedies available at law.