Custodians —
Building a Quality Workforce

Guarding the School Environment

Public school custodians have become the "guardians of the school environment" for students, school staff, and the community as a whole.

Custodian workloads continue to grow as new technology and equipment require new skills, increased duties and responsibilities. More opportunities for meaningful training must be offered. The opportunity for meaningful, multitiered professional development programs is a health and safety issue for the public school custodian.

Air Quality

One of the many important responsibilities for the school custodian is to insure the proper indoor air quality, uniform temperatures, and healthful ventilation for the students and staff who work in the school. This daunting task must be achieved regardless of the age or quality of the equipment used.

Often the custodian is expected to perform "magic" to achieve the desired result. A realistic understanding of what is possible, given all the circumstances, is the key to an optimum result for all.

Hazardous Materials

Often with little, if any, specific and meaningful training, the custodian must deal with dangerous materials such as laboratory spills, toxic materials, and, of course, asbestos.

Recently custodians have even been required to assist in searching the building in the event of a bomb scare. While this could be the ultimate "environmental hazard," a school district employee protection policy should be established or negotiated. Emergency personnel (Police, Bomb Squad, etc.) are the individuals trained for this task and situation.

Chemicals

Public school custodians need accurate, current information about any chemicals he or she handles. Chemical providers are required by law to label contents of containers and the specific hazards of the chemicals in them.

Custodians should always seek a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for information and to answer questions relating to chemical substances. Be sure your school or Buildings & Grounds Office has a MSDS for every chemical used. It should be posted in a prominent location.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, www.osha.gov
• General Web Environment and Health Answers, www.healthanswers.com
• Environmental Science Institute at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08543, (extensive information on human impact on a specific environment, i.e., people in a school building)
• "IAQ (Improving Indoor Air Quality) Tools for Schools" Program Network. (The Network is composed of school districts working to improve indoor air quality in public school buildings. Participants gain access to free IAQ measuring equipment and leading national experts on IAQ in schools. Participants can be association leaders, custodian staff, facilities/maintenance staff, or others interested in working to improve the school building environment. A Certificate Program is available for participants with a certificate designating their school as an "IAQ Tools for Schools Implementer." In addition, they will gain free membership in the "IAQ Tools for Schools Network" and other important material is available. * This is an EPA program and was developed and co-sponsored by NEA.

To Section 5: Health and Safety Issues — Protection of the Individual Employee