Health & Safety
Answer
The Board strives to create and maintain a safe workplace to minimize and/or prevent occupational injuries, illnesses, and accidents for all library personnel. The Board is required to comply with Occupational Health and Safety Act, Occupational Health and Safety Code and its regulations.
The Board will establish and enforce programs and procedures to reduce the risk of occupational injuries, illnesses, and accidents as well as minimize and/or prevent violence and unacceptable behaviour in the workplace to foster the safety and security of employees and visitors.
Definitions
“Violence” may mean any of the definitions below:
- Library personnel are threatened or assaulted on the library premises or while executing job duties.
- Library personnel threaten or assault other personnel or a library visitor while executing job duties.
- A library member or visitor is threatened or assaulted on the library premises
Guidelines and Procedures
The Library Manager will:
- Examine and identify safety risks and ensure that library personnel are aware of potential risks.
- Ensure that working conditions are safe and suitable for library personnel. The Library Manager may close the Library at their discretion in the case of inclement weather that poses a risk to library personnel and visitors.
- Ensure an effective means of communication, and other security measures shall be available to all library personnel who work alone or in isolation.
- Develop and publish a comprehensive Emergency Response Manual for library personnel ensuring that appropriate health and safety standards are implemented in accordance with Alberta statutes.
- Ensure that employees receive proper medical treatment when injured and that accident and injury reports are properly prepared and issued.
Library personnel will:
- Report any incident of violence in the workplace to the Library Manager and complete and incident report.
- Ensure they are working safely and in compliance with accepted safe work practices, procedures, and legislated health and safety standards.
- Ensure the safety of all visitors to the Library premises by following the guidelines in the Emergency Response Manual.