Bulletin – Help prevent workplace violence in schools

K-12 Health & Safety Toolkit workshop on September 23rd

K-12 schools are unique and complex workplaces, and both the number of claims and the injury rate related to workplace violence in K-12 schools rose steadily between 2015 and 2019.

Workers may interact with people who do not yet have the capacity to understand that their behaviour could cause physical and/or psychological injury to others. All workers, supervisors, and employers have a responsibility to help prevent workplace violence in schools.

To support schools in their efforts to prevent workplace violence, WorkSafeBC established a working group with K-12 sector partners – including CUPE BC – to develop and raise awareness of resources and tools tailored to school settings.

The K-12 Presidents Council is hosting a workshop on September 23, 2021, from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. to unveil a new K-12 Health and Safety Toolkit.

Panelists Tom McKenna, CUPE Occupational Health and Safety specialist, and Hans Loeffelholz, BCPSEA sector lead for OH&S, will present an overview of the new toolkit and answer questions on its use in the workplace.

CLICK here for registration information

The tools, along with a guidance document, posters, and a video, are now available on the WorkSafeBC K-12 violence tools website. To preview the materials, please visit https://www.worksafebc.com/en/about-us/news-events/campaigns/help-prevent-workplace-violence-in-schools

These materials represent the culmination of two years of work by K-12 Workplace Violence Prevention Working Group – Canadian Union of Public Employees British Columbia (CUPE BC), BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), BC Principals’ and Vice Principals’ Association (BCPVPA), BC School Superintendents Association (BCSSA), BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), School Safety Association of BC (SSABC), and occupational health and safety specialists representing both rural and urban school districts.

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