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PLAN REVIEW
Reviewer Reviewer
Brian Parrie 5/23/2011

Contact: Kathy Haider

stmikes@arvig.net
218-935-5222

AWAIR - A WORKPLACE
ACCIDENT AND INJURY REDUCTION PROGRAM
I. POLICY STATEMENT

The safety of our employees is the foremost consideration in the operations of St.
Michael’s Parocial School. Accidents and injuries are not only costly to the school and
the individual workers, but are often disastrous to the future of their families. St.
Michael’s Parocial School endeavors to provide our employees with a work place free
of recognized health and safety hazards in an effort to conserve our human and
financial resources. It is our school policy that everything within reason will be done
to maintain a safe workplace for all employees. St. Michael’s Catholic School supports
the concept of returning injured employees to work in a productive position within
our school at the earliest, medically possible opportunity. We believe that each
employee has a place in our accident prevention program and is expected to
cooperate fully in all measures taken to control and prevent losses.

II. SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The objective of our health and safety program is to reduce employee accidents,
injuries and illnesses through:

1. Maintenance of safe and healthful working conditions.

2. Insuring employee adherence to proper operating practices and procedures

designed to prevent accidents, injuries and illnesses.

3. Observing, applying and complying with all Federal, State and Local safety
regulations. Including, but not limited to:
School Emergency Action Plan
Employee Right to Know Program
Personal Protective Equipment Standard
Lock out \ Tag Out Program

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Confined Space Entry Program

Hearing Conservation Program
Blood borne Pathogen Program
Respirator Program

4. Ensuring that each employee is properly trained and instructed in job

procedures prior to job assignments.

5. Providing regular safety meetings for all employees as a means of obtaining

new and updated information and training.

6. Conducting periodic safety and fire inspections to identify potential workplace

hazards.

7. Conducting accident investigations to determine the cause of accidents and

what actions are necessary to prevent future reoccurrence.

8. Implementing a management/labor safety committee.

III. RESPONSIBILITIES FOR WORKPLACE ACCIDENT AND INJURY CONTROL

Although safety is the responsibility of every employee, District management is

responsible for the implementation, maintenance and enforcement of safety and
health policies and procedures. These efforts will be in the form of employee
education in safety and health practices, periodic safety inspections of the facilities
and work sites and school safety meetings to review safety concerns and provide a
forum for employee education. Specific responsibilities/accountabilities for safety are
as follows:

The District has appointed Kathy Haider (218/935-5222) to be the school SAFETY
COORDINATOR.

The Safety Coordinator will:

 Establish and maintain a health and safety reference library.

 Keep apprised of changes in health and safety regulations.
 Conduct accident investigations and safety inspections.
 File appropriate reports concerning accidents or illnesses.
 Provide safety-training programs to new and existing employees.
 Train managers and supervisors in their safety responsibilities.
 Accompany outside safety inspectors and consultants on tours of the facilities.
 Follow up on recommendations made by management, employees, the safety
committee, outside inspectors and consultants.
 Maintain the accident record keeping systems and the OSHA logs.

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 Maintain safety-training records (date, topic, content, attendance).

 Audit school safety performance and the goals of the AWAIR program.

School Administration - Is responsible for the development, implementation and

maintenance of the health and safety program. Managers will assign specific safety
responsibilities and establish accountability measures. They will provide the resources
needed to comply with all safety regulations and programs. Management will insure
that accident investigations are conducted after every reported incident, regardless
of whether an illness or injury occurred. These incident reports will be analyzed by
managers to determine corrective measures for preventing reoccurrence.

Supervisors - are responsible for overall safety of the specific operations of the
school.

Supervisors will consistently enforce all safety rules and ensure that safe practices are
followed. In the event of an accident, supervisors will insure employees receive
proper medical attention and that an accident report is completed. Supervisors will
arrange for the correction of unsafe work conditions or procedures.

Employees - are responsible for day to day work activities and are responsible for
complying with all safety regulations, school safety rules, following safe job
procedures and notifying the lead worker or supervisor in the event of accident or
unsafe work conditions.

IV. SAFETY COMMITTEE

The purpose of the safety committee is to assist in the detection and elimination of
unsafe conditions and work procedures utilizing the following measures:

 Kathy Haider will oversee the committee and maintain records of committee
activities. Copies of minutes shall be provided to:
 Management
 Committee members
 Employees by posting on bulletin boards
 Management representatives from each work area ( i.e. office, warehouse,
shop, etc.) should be present at each meeting. In the event they are unable to
attend an alternate should attend.
 Employees shall select fellow workers from each work area to represent them
on the committee.
 The terms for all committee members should be no more than one year (with
the exception of the safety coordinator). Should a vacancy occur a new
member from the represented area shall be selected.
 The frequency of meetings shall be determined by the committee, but shall not
be less that once per month.
 The committee shall determine the date, hour and location of meetings.
 The length of each meeting shall not exceed one hour.

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Scope of activities:

 Conduct safety inspections

 Assist in accident investigations to uncover trends
 Review accident reports to determine means of eliminating accidents
 Accept and evaluate employee suggestions and concerns
 Promote and publicize safety
 Monitor safety program effectiveness
 Review job procedures and recommend improvements

V. INSPECTIONS

Safety inspections of District facilities will occur on a continual basis and may be
performed by the safety coordinator, managers, supervisors, consultants, insurance
agents, government representatives and/or the safety committee.
These inspections will take the following form:

Departmental or work site analysis - inspections involve wall-to-wall inspection of a

given department or work site and are normally performed in the presence of a
departmental supervisor. These inspections will include:

 Art Facilities
 Dark Room
 Wood Shop
 Kitchen
 Metals shop
 Agricultural Shop
 Graphic Arts
 Maintenance/Custodial
 Grounds/garage
 Sciences
 Halls, gyms, etc.

Critical Items - involve the inspection of stationary and hand tools, processes, or
areas, with a critical eye for possible sources of injury and methods of making these
areas safer to employees.

Special Purpose - inspections will involve specialized tests or evaluations including,

but not exclusive to:

Air quality
Noise
Ventilation
Ergonomics

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VI. SCHOOL SAFETY RULES AND STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Each District employee is part of the safety team. Co-workers are dependent on each
person correctly performing their assigned duties. The keys to preventing accidents
are; following safety rules and procedures by all employees, the proper use of all
machines, equipment and personal protective equipment. The following rules are
provided to help employees perform their jobs safely and correctly. Compliance with
these rules is required to help prevent injuries to individual employees or others
and to prevent damage to property.

These rules apply throughout the school, although some departments, because of
their specialized work, may have special, additional rules. Employees are required to
read all safety rules, to know and follow them. A copy of the safety rules will be given
to each employee and will be posted on school bulletin boards. New employees will
receive a copy of the safety rules upon hire. Employees are asked to sign an
acknowledgment form that states that they have read the safety rules and understand
them. This form will be kept with the employees personnel file. Violations of safety
rules or safety instructions may be followed by disciplinary action even though the
particular violation did not result in an accident. These rules may not be completely
detailed or all-inclusive, therefore, whenever unique or unusual problems arise or
more specific information is necessary employees are to contact their supervisor.

SAFETY RULES

All Employees will:

1. Observe all St. Michael’s Parocial School safety and health rules and apply the
principles of accident prevention in all day-to-day activities.
2. Refrain from horseplay, throwing objects, scuffling, fooling around and/or
distracting others in ways that may lead to injuries.
3. Obey all posted rules, warning signs and no smoking areas.
4. Read safety bulletins.
5. Never report to work under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs nor
shall any employee consume, purchase or possess these items while on school
premises.
6. Never climb upon, through, under or around racking, pallets, trucks,
equipment, forklifts, rail cars or other obstructions.
7. Not attempt to lift or push objects that may be too heavy for them. Ask for
help when needed. Learn to use correct lifting techniques to avoid strains:
bend knees, keep upper body erect, push with the legs.
8. Advise fellow employees to work safely and warn workers who are working
carelessly.

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9. Remove jewelry, rings, bracelets and chains as these items may get caught in
machinery or cause accidents.
10.Always use proper personal protective equipment for each assigned job.
11.Report hazards to lead workers or supervisors immediately.
12.Never wear frayed or loose clothing or unrestrained hair in areas where it may
get caught in machinery.
13.Check to make sure ladders are free from defects, broken rungs and have solid
feet.
14.Never use makeshift ladders, scaffolding or climb on boxes.
15.Never tamper with electrical switches, extension cords or circuits unless
authorized.
16.Always shut down machines before cleaning, adjusting or repairing. Lock and
tag the machine and switches.
17.Never oil machines while in motion.
18.Never use hands to remove obstructions from equipment unless equipment is
shut off and locked and tagged.
19.Never use defective hand tools.
20.Never operate equipment for which you have not been properly trained and
authorized. Observe safe operating procedures for equipment or processes.
21.Always insure that they follow safe procedures and use all safety devices and
equipment. Never operate machines when guards are not in place. Guards
must never be removed except when necessary to make adjustments or
repairs or when their use is impractical and they should be replaced
immediately upon completion of work.
22.Never alter equipment without prior authorization.
23.Always wear respirators when there are heavy fumes or dust present. Insure
that proper training in the use, care and cleaning of respirators has been
received prior to use.
24.Always wear appropriate footwear for each assigned task.
25.Always keep work areas and floor clean. Put all oily and wet materials in
proper containers. Put all rubbish in containers provided. Pick up all broken
pallets and wrapping from floor.
26.Keep doors, aisles, control switches, emergency equipment, fire extinguishers
eyewashes, first aid kits and exits clear.
27.Learn the location of firefighting equipment, safety exits and evacuation
procedures for their department.
28.Report all accidents, near misses and injuries to their supervisor immediately.

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29.Always find out the safe way to perform a task.

30.Actively support and participate in the school's efforts to provide a workplace
accident and injury reduction program.

VIII. ENFORCEMENT

The following procedures will be followed in dealing with safety infractions:

1. Any employee observed committing an unsafe act, violation of safety rules or

causing an unsafe condition to exist will be stopped immediately and
questioned.
2. The reason for the violation will be determined.
3. Instruction in the safe procedure will be given. When this instruction is given
the following will be observed:
a. Tell the employee what is to be done.
b. Show the employee the correct way to do the job.
c. Test the employee, let them practice, observe and suggest
improvements as needed.
d. Check the employee by following up after the employee has returned to
work to see that the safety rules are being followed.
e. Unsafe conditions will be corrected at once. If unable to do so, all
employees involved will be warned of the hazard. Prompt notification of
those responsible for making the correction will be made.
f. Employees will be spot checked occasionally to see that they are
following instructions.

ACTION REQUIRED FOR VIOLATION OF SCHOOL SAFETY RULES.

1. Verbal warning - Employee will be given a verbal warning for a minor offense.
A record of this warning should be placed in employees personnel file.
2. Written warning - Employee will be given a written warning for relatively
serious or repeat offenses. Copies of the written warning are filed in employees
personnel file.
3. Suspension - Employees may be suspended from duty without pay and with a
written warning for continual repeated offenses or severe violations that result
in injury to him/herself and /or others.
4. Termination of employment - may occur for flagrant violations of school
policies and procedures. Dismissal may also occur if employees persist in
continued or repeated violations of school rules and/or their work, after
repeated warnings, continues at an unacceptable level of performance.

IX. ACTION PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION

A. WRITTEN EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

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1. Communications - Each employee will receive a copy of this program

for review and training. All new employees will receive this
information through the new employee orientation process.
Additionally, employees will be kept aware of changes and additions
to the program through: notices on bulletin boards, signs, school
newsletters, booklets and accident alert notices.

2. Supervisor training - All supervisors will receive copies of this AWAIR

program and instructions on how to train their employees in this
material. Supervisors will receive training in new processes and
procedures, as these programs are developed and prior to the
assignment of employees in these areas. School management,
vendors or consultants will conduct this training. Refresher training
will be provided as needed, but not less than annually.

3. New employee orientation - Orientation will begin the first day of

employment for all new employees, rehires, and part-time
employees. The orientation program will include school policies and
rules and will provide a thorough safety briefing, as it relates to the
job the employee will be performing. The orientation will include:
a. A tour of the facilities to acquaint employees with the scope of
operations. This tour will identify: Emergency facilities, locations
of emergency exits, telephones, warning sirens, first aid kits,
supervisors offices, eye washes and other emergency equipment.
b. Explanation of how the employee’s job is important to the
finished product or service.
c. Applicable training sections on:
i. School safety and health policy
ii. Employee responsibilities
iii. Safety rules and enforcement
iv. School emergency action plan
v. Employee Right to Know
vi. Blood borne pathogens
vii. Lock out/tag out procedures
viii. Confined space entry
ix. Personal protective equipment

4. The employee’s immediate supervisor will thoroughly instruct the

employee in the specific safety and health requirements of each job
before assigning the employee. A safety orientation checklist must be
completed by checking each item as it is covered, signed by the
supervisor, the employee and placed in the employees personnel file.

5. Existing employee training will include:

a. Regular safety meetings

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b. Training on new hazards or operations

c. Training prior to all work assignments, including specific hazards
d. Annual refreshers on all existing school safety programs
e. Specialized training would include, one time use of certain
equipment, first aid training, emergency response training, etc.

B. HAZARD ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL

St. Michael’s Parocial School will conduct safety surveys of all departments and work
sites on a periodic basis to determine potential hazards that may be encountered in
the normal course of duty.

Periodic follow-up surveys and/or environmental sampling may be conducted when it

is believed employees may be exposed to hazardous materials in concentrations that
may be above recognized OSHA standards. Qualified individuals retained by the school
may conduct this sampling. Results of the sampling will be provided to employees on
a timely basis.

Employees are encouraged to report potential hazards and unsafe conditions to their
supervisor or lead worker. It will be the responsibility of the supervisor to verify
whether or not a hazardous condition actually exists and to initiate corrective actions
should they be necessary.

It will be the responsibility of the supervisor to report noted hazards to the safety
coordinator who will document the identified hazard and the corrective actions
taken. This documentation will be kept on file with the safety coordinator.

Once hazards are identified we will take measures either eliminate the hazards by
removing them from our operations or work sites or to control those hazards through:

1 Engineering controls - which would include replacing defective equipment,

changing processes, utilizing different procedures or making additions or
modifications to facilities, equipment or processes that would eliminate or control
identified hazards.

2 Administrative controls- that will be implemented after all practical engineering

controls have been reviewed, include: new procedures, limits on employee
exposures, written policies and training.

3 Personal protective equipment - is the final method of controlling hazards and

will be implemented upon review of engineering and administrative controls.
Personal protective equipment will be provided for all tasks that present risks that
cannot be reasonably controlled using the other two methods. The use of PPE will
always require administrative controls in the form of written policies and formal
training of the employees exposed to the identified hazard.

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C. ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

The school recognizes that accidents do not "just happen", rather they are caused by
a series of actions, steps or failures. Once these steps are identified, they can be
eliminated or controlled. The purpose of accident investigations is not to place
blame, but rather to determine the cause of the accident or "near miss" and eliminate
the causative factors. Accident investigations begin with prompt reporting of
accidents by employees to supervisors. It is then the responsibility of the supervisor to
insure that employees receive prompt medical attention as required. Basic
information collected at the scene of the accident should be entered on the District
accident report form. Supervisors have access to copies of these forms. Upon
completion of the form it should be sent to the safety coordinator to review and
corrective actions should be taken to prevent a reoccurrence.

The safety coordinator will monitor all workplace injuries and illnesses. These injuries
and illnesses will be recorded on the OSHA 200 log which will be posted on school
bulletin boards each February.

The safety coordinator, managers and insurance staff will be responsible for
monitoring these records to identify trends that may indicate previously unidentified
hazards or additional training that may be required.

D. ACCOUNTABILITY

All employees are responsible for safety; therefore safety will be one item that is
included in every employee’s job description.
Safety attitude and participation will also be considered as part of all employee
performance reviews.

For employees - accountability includes adherence to safety rules and procedures,

using protective equipment as required, participation on the safety committee and
prompt reporting of any hazard.

For Supervisors- accountabilities include training new and existing employees in safe
practices, enforcement of safety rules and procedures, prompt reporting and
correction of hazards, accident investigations, department safety inspections, positive
reinforcement of safe behavior and timely employee communications.

For Managers - accountabilities include all of the areas required for supervisors with
the addition of participation on the safety committee, reductions in injury rates and
workers compensation costs, accident investigations, proactive elimination of hazards
and demonstrated leadership in safety related matters.

E. ESTABLISHED GOALS

The number one goal of the St. Michael’s Parocial School AWAIR program is to

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establish a safe work environment for all school employees. In order to measure the
effectiveness of our program the school has established the following additional goals:

1. Reduction in lost workday incidence rate (LWDIR) that is calculated using the
following formula:

Number of lost time injuries/illnesses per year X 200,000

LWDIR = Total number of employee hours worked during the year

2. Reduction in workers compensation premium.

3. Reduction in accident reports filed.
4. Reduction in near miss accidents.
5. Actual documentation of hazards removed from the work place.

X. ANNUAL PROGRAM REVIEW

District safety and health efforts are ongoing and will be reviewed and updated
annually or as often as necessary to help us meet our program goals.

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