December OHS inspections
The Athabasca-location occupational health and safety (OHS) committee met on December 19th to review the results of recent OHS inspections. Inspections of the remaining areas on campus were also scheduled for immediately after the meeting. But things took a strange turn.
Inspections
Since June 2018, the OHS Act and Code have required the entire campus be inspected quarterly. The committee was set to complete its first full round of inspections by December 31. Notice was sent out to area supervisors about the remaining inspections. About half of the supervisors responded.
At the OHS committee, Darren Schmidtke (AU’s representative on the committee) indicated that some senior managers were concerned about the inspections and suggested the committee not do the scheduled inspections. It was unclear what the concern was, but the committee was eventually told that some managers apparently were confused about the purpose of the inspections.
It is hard to imagine how this explanation could be correct: all staff (presumably including senior management) completed OHS training this just this past summer. The training clearly explained the purpose of inspections (see slide from that training).
After some debate, the committee decided to complete inspections in areas where supervisors had responded to the notice of inspection. As a result, the committee did not (18 months after being required to do so) completed a full inspection of the campus. Inspections of HR and registry were completed on December 23 by an employer-only inspection team.
That aside, the inspections of the POC, IT, the gym, the library, and the science labs were very positive with a small number of minor issues identified for action. The inspection of IT was interesting in two regards.
First, IT was inspected in March of 2019 and a number of concerns were identified. IT staff worked hard to remedy these issues. The December re-inspection identified only a small number of new concerns. Several of these new concerns were rectified on the spot and remedy of the rest are underway. This is exactly how inspections are supposed to work.
Second, the committee was met in IT by a director who had been dispatched from Edmonton by the VPIT to oversee the inspection. Normally, area supervisors accompany the committee during inspections. This special guest appearance gives us some idea of which senior managers were concerned (or confused) by the OHS inspection.
Nasty Carpets
Several staff members have expressed concerns about the deteriorating carpeting in the main building. The carpet is worn out and individual offices are rarely vacuumed. Some staff are reporting sore throats, congested sinuses, and fatigue (particularly in the IT spaces and on the second floor).
In January, the OHS committee will be exploring air quality testing in the main building. Old and/or inadequately maintained carpet can be a source of dust, mold, and other allergens (which may explain the symptoms). The last air quality testing in the main building appears to have occurred in 2014.
If you have concerns about worn carpeting or other health and safety hazards, you can fill out an incident report form.
Training
AUFA will be hosting two days of OHS training for any interested members in late January. The training will be provided by CAUT at the Peace Hills Trust location and is open to all AUFA members. If you are interested, please contact Brenda Skayman (bls@aufa.ca) for more information. CUPE and AUPE have also been invited to send their OHS representatives.
Rhiannon Rutherford and Bob Barnetson
AUFA Athabasca location OHS Committee Representatives