SAFA Safety Moment: Your Rights and Responsibilities related to COVID-19
Early last week, I met with SAIT administration to share the results of the SAFA Return to Campus survey, along with members’ comments, concerns, and questions about the limited procedural information that was released. After those conversations, SAIT posted an Instructor Resource Guide and Classroom Management Guide (see attached) in an expanded SAITNow section. This information provides basic information about processes and supports available. However, SAFA recognizes that this information will not be able to cover all possible scenarios in the return to in-person activities and removal of restrictions. Therefore, I am sharing the following information to allow members to make informed decisions about how to manage the transition to in-person classes with the changes in COVID-19 mandates.
COVID-19 Exposure is a Workplace Health & Safety Issue
While most people think of shop floors and tailgate meetings when they hear “workplace safety”, the reality is that all employees and employers must work together to create a safe place to work. I remind members that Alberta’s Occupational Health & Safety Act covers COVID-19 exposure, and the following statement applies to our current situation: “Workers have a legal duty to work safely. To do so, they require appropriate, relevant health and safety information, i.e., in order to know the results, regulations and safe work procedures that apply to their job, or the work being done.”1
What does this mean?
· You must be given an updated job hazard assessment form by your AC or Manager that outlines the potential COVID-19 exposures in your work areas as well as the mitigations that have been put into place. If you have not received this form, contact your leadership.
· You have the right to ask your leadership for a written copy of any updated workplace procedures or safety documents that relate to your assigned duties.
· You must be informed of PPE availability (appropriate types of masks) and training in PPE use must be made available.
What should members do to protect themselves?
Along with rights, members also have responsibilities. To meet your “legal duty to work safely”1, you should do the following:
· If you believe that the mitigations listed in the job hazard assessment form are not being implemented in your area, contact SAFA’s Health, Safety & Environment Committee Representatives.
· While you cannot mandate mask wearing at all times, you do have the right to set clear requirements for others entering your personal space while at work (office, classroom, or other areas).
· If you are teaching in-person, set time aside early this week to talk with students about how you want to manage one-on-one interactions. Be clear about your personal boundaries and preferences related to masking and personal space. If you want people to wear a mask if they are closer than 6 feet, state that. If you don’t plan to wear a mask or social distance, state that, so there are no misunderstandings.
· You should update your course syllabus or classroom management documents to state your preferences (e.g., masking preferred (or not), do not attend class if ill, distancing at least 6 feet).
· SAIT views both employees and students as “workers” under the OHS act2. Therefore, you could go thru the job hazard assessment form with students to make the COVID-19 mitigation steps visible to them.
If, after reviewing this information with a class, a student chooses to not follow your wishes or repeatedly violates your personal space, this is harassment and should be handled under the classroom management processes (see attached document). This is also true of students not following the wishes of other students as it relates to their personal space.
Similarly, if a colleague chooses not to respect your wishes or repeatedly violates your personal space, this is also harassment and should be reported to your leadership.
The steps listed above are important to not only educate students, but also establish that you, as an employee, have done your due diligence to communicate what you feel is a safe work environment. If you find after these steps that your leadership is not supporting you in these actions, contact SAFA immediately.
In Solidarity,
1 Buchanan, D. (2018). Handi-Guide to Alberta’s OH & S Act, Regulation and Code (2018 edition). Thomson Reuters. pg. 103
2 SAIT. (n.d.) Health, Safety, and Environment Services. SAIT. https://bit.ly/3IiPE8k