Skilled Trades ESP—
Building a Quality Workforce

Health & Safety -- Protecting the Individual Employee

Skilled Trades ESP are part of the school workforce serving as “guardians of the school environment” for students, staff, and the community as a whole. Skilled Trades ESP workloads continue to increase as new technology, equipment, and regulations require new skills and certifications and increased duties and responsibilities. More opportunities for meaningful, multi-tiered professional development and specific skill set training and certification are absolutely necessary. In the case of Skilled Trades ESP, training is not just a luxury. It is a basic health and safety issue for the individual employee and for the whole school environment.

Back Injuries and Hernias

Skilled Trades ESP jobs require frequent manual lifting, bending, stretching and pulling that can have damaging health effects. Back strains caused by frequent heavy lifting can lead to changes in the structure and function of the spine. Abdominal hernias and other abdominal strains can be acute and life threatening, or may develop over time and cause lifelong medical trouble. These problems can be greatly minimized by matching employees to jobs they are most physically suited to do. In the case of Skilled Trades jobs, however, this is not always possible, as the selection of who will perform certain tasks more often is based on what skills they have.

The best way to avoid or minimize injuries is to train employees in proper methods of lifting and moving and to provide them with the best and most effective equipment for lifting and carrying heavy and awkward objects.

Bloodborne Pathogens

Skilled Trades ESP often risk contact with blood and other bodily fluids in their work. These materials may contain pathogens and organisms that can cause serious disease and even death.

The Bloodborne Pathogen Standard was created by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) in 1991 to protect private sector employees from anticipated occupational exposure to bloodborne disease, such as Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. In 1993 the federal standard was adopted in some states for public employees. It is extremely important that Skilled Trades ESP be aware of what standards exist in their state, and demand appropriate training.

(The Red Book -- Exposure to Blood on the Job: What School Employees Need to Know, a booklet from NEA's Health Information Network, contains basic information that every school employee should know about dealing with the hazards of blood-borne diseases, including Hepatitis B and C, and HIV. The Red Book is available free of charge for ESP members only. Contact Agnes Smith at agsmith@nea.org to obtain a copy. Nonmembers may purchase The Red Book for $1 per copy (plus shipping and handling) from the NEA Professional Library.)

Slips and Falls

Injuries caused by slips and falls can be acute and immediate, causing short-term injury, or long-term and insidious, causing lifelong disability, and even death. Some of the major causes of slips and falls for Skilled Trades ESP are hazardous conditions such as wet floors, icy or muddy walkways, food spills, uneven surfaces, raised edges or lips on walkways, equipment not properly stored or maintained, rugs, runners, mats, poor lighting, faulty wiring, ramps and steps poorly maintained, materials stored or used incorrectly, inadequate equipment and/or materials, illness and fatigue.

Equipment

In many cases, Skilled Trades ESP must provide their own special equipment, clothing, and supplies. Generally when some of these things are provided by the employer, they are poor quality and insufficient. This neglectful policy by school boards discourages proper protection, ignores necessity, and communicates disinterest and disregard for employees. Skilled Trades ESP perform particular and specific tasks for the school environment and their equipment needs should be met with careful attention to quality and appropriateness. For administrations, in the short run, this is the safest thing to do. In the long run, it is the healthiest policy for the individual employee and the school district community as well.

What You Can Do

• Keep the work environment clean and safe. Floors should never be slippery or cluttered.
• Traffic areas should be clear of objects and clutter.
• Platforms should be provided where water and moisture accumulate.
• Employees should never be encouraged to strain or carry loads that are physically too heavy for them. Another employee should help lift when the load is clearly too heavy for one.
• Mechanical lifting devices such as hand trucks should be used.
• Employees should be able to rest when they are tired from doing a job. Tired muscles are less coordinated.
• Employees should be offered training exercises for lower back pain.
• Freshly mopped or waxed floors should be blocked off to allow time to dry. Managers should provide adequate time to keep floors, steps, ramps, and work areas clear and dry.
• Non-slip surfaces or mats and non-slip shoes should be pro-vided to employees.
• Safe clearance for foot traffic should be provided in areas where skilled trade equipment is being used.
• Steps and ramps should have rails and guards.
• Simple things like drawers should be kept closed if possible.
• Trash should always be disposed of quickly and properly.
• Lighting should be bright and sufficient.
• Electrical wires should not be run across areas where people could trip or fall on them.
• Tools and power equipment should be stored correctly, and when in use, safety goggles, gloves, earplugs, and masks should be worn and first aid equipment should be on site.
• Hazardous materials should be used properly and stored correctly and safely. Proper safety equipment should be used and be readily available, and first aid equipment should be on site.
• When using power tools and hazardous materials, employees should work in at least pairs so that someone is present in the event of injury or exposure.
• Emergency communication devices should always be available.

Should you sustain an injury or develop a chronic problem, after proper medical attention, inform your supervisor, notify all appropriate personnel, then contact your UniServ representative to properly document the injury. With correct documentation of an injury, obtaining appropriate medical coverage and compensation becomes less of a hassle.

Local Associations should form a Health and Safety Committee to monitor conditions in the work environment, negotiate health and safety language in contracts, and meet with supervisors and administrations to have health and safety issues taken seriously. A School Safety Plan should be developed and adopted. Communication with parent groups and the community in order to gain sup-port to eliminate hazardous situations would also be an effective measure in order to provide the best possible environment of health and safety for students and staff.

To Section 8: Meaningful Professional Development = A Quality Workforce!