Education workers in Ontario deal with many health and safety challenges in their day-to-day work. We deal with students with all different ages and needs, meaning that we are faced with a large variety of situations across all school boards.
Like all workers, education workers have the right to refuse unsafe work. Your employer cannot retaliate against you for refusing unsafe work. Any replacement worker must be informed if the task they are asked to perform has been refused by a co-worker because of safety concerns. For more information on your rights and the process around refusing unsafe work please visit Refusing unsafe work: A step by step guide | Canadian Union of Public Employees (cupe.ca)
Of primary concern in recent years is the increase of violent incidents at our public schools. Various locals across the province are currently working on anti-violence campaigns to get the word out about this issue and increase public support for our demands. This will be a key issue at the table in upcoming bargaining for our next contract.
As always, working together, with full knowledge and documentation of issues gives us the power to protect each other at work. If you encounter unsafe work make sure to inform your supervisor, your shop steward, and health and safety committee member(s). If you are having a problem getting the unsafe work issue taken care of, contact the CUPE National Representative assigned to your local.
Detailed resources on workplace health and safety issues are available at Health and Safety | Canadian Union of Public Employees (cupe.ca)