Page 8 - Work Force October 2020

Safe@School: View on-demand Occupational Safety and Health webinars on school safety
Are you a school employee who is playing a key role in your district’s reopening? Learn the best practices to ensure your employer is keeping your co-workers and you as safe as possible. You can now view CSEA Occupational Safety and Health Department school safety webinars on demand, at no charge to members! It’s a great way to ensure that you are Safe@School.
Here’s a list of available webinars. To register, visit https://cseany.org/osh-webinars.
• Health and Safety Considerations for Reopening Schools: An overview of key points from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) guidance document, along with best practices from CSEA.
• How to Use Ventilation to Protect the School Community: CSEA and NYSUT team up to bring you this new webinar on ventilation in schools and how it can help to lower the risk of COVID-19. This program will give school employees an overview of building ventilation systems, applicable building codes and industry recommendations. Participants will learn what questions to ask management and what upgrades to advocate for.
• Cleaning After COVID-19 — Schools Edition: During this unprecedented pandemic, CSEA wants to ensure your right to a safe and healthy workplace. This webinar is for those who have to clean areas that may be affected by COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. We will address the hazards and risks of cleaning and disinfecting, the responsibilities
of your employer to protect you, best practices and worker protections and your rights if you get sick.
• Bus Safety and Health for Transportation Workers: Providing transportation for school-aged children is a vital job that comes with many challenges. From COVID-19 to violence, drivers and monitors must be prepared to handle a variety of issues. This session will provide guidance and best practices to equip drivers and monitors with the knowledge to know what school administration must do and provide for those tasked with safely transporting children.
• Safety and Health for School Aides
and Monitors: CSEA members who are support staff, such as classroom aides and hall monitors, are positioned in areas susceptible to infectious diseases and workplace violence. Whether you are assisting students, doing daily symptom checks, working hand over hand with special needs students, or tasked with breaking up fights in hallways, CSEA will provide guidance and best practices for these situations.
• Union Action and Enforcement for Reopening Schools: There are many safety and health measures that must be in place for the reopening of schools, but what steps do you take if your district is not following NYSED guidance, PESH/OSHA standards or building codes? This program will take you through the strategies to work with your district and if need be, taking steps to file a complaint.
• Evaluating Your Employer’s Safety Solutions: This interactive webinar will discuss the types of solutions and the proper order of selection from most to least effective methods. It will also cover why personal protective equipment is the least effective choice and how to evaluate your employer’s required personal protective equipment assessment. Each participant will learn how to use CSEA’s PPE Assessment Form.
• Workers’ Compensation and COVID-19:
CSEA and Fine, Olin and Anderman,
LLC (FOA) team up to answer all your questions about Workers’ Compensation and COVID-19. This webinar will provide needed information about filing Workers’ Compensation claims for CSEA members.
Diane Kenny, Secretary, Haldane School District (photo submitted by Diane Kenny)
Bill Edwards, Naples Central School District
8 The Work Force
October 2020
Claudio Tapia, Nassau Community College
Pattie Barone, Aide, Putnam Valley Central School District (photo submitted by Pattie Barone)
Ronald Evans, Williamsville Central School District
Learn more at:
https://cseany.org/school-safety