3019: Workplace Injury and Safety Committee
The ESU is committed to providing and maintaining a safe work environment, and to taking reasonable precautions for the safety of the students, employees, visitors, and all others having business with this school district. Every employee should show concern for the safety of fellow employees, students, and members of the public. The ESU shall have a safety committee as required by Nebraska law. Members of the safety committee shall be established through the collective bargaining process.
The committee shall adopt and maintain a written injury prevention program. The committee shall participate in the development of safety education, training, and the establishment of safety rules, policies and procedures pursuant to this policy, the district’s written injury prevention program, or as otherwise provided by law. Training for employees shall be conducted annually.
The workplace injury prevention and safety committee shall maintain minutes of all meetings and file them in the district office. The committee shall implement accident investigation, record keeping procedures, safety rules, safety and health training, and policies. The district shall maintain records for at least three years, or longer if directed by the Department of Labor.
The committee shall meet at least once every three months or more frequently in the event of an employee complaint or of a job-related injury or death. The workplace injury prevention and safety committee shall keep written minutes of all meetings, and provide a copy to the administrator or designee who shall maintain the minutes in the ESU’s administrative offices for a period of at least three years, unless otherwise instructed by the Department of Labor.
The workplace injury prevention and safety committee shall develop an injury prevention plan and present it to the board. The plan should be developed and presented in the spirit of employees working together in a cooperative, non-adversarial effort to promote safety at the work sites within the ESU.
The administrator or designee shall assure that the safety training for employees is reviewed annually or more frequently, if needed. He or she shall provide the following, as set forth in the initial written Employer’s Injury Prevention Plan:
- Initial safety orientation on rules, policies, and job specific procedures for new employees or employees who are assuming new and different duties within the ESU, if appropriate.
- Job specific training for employees before they perform potential hazardous work.
- Periodic refresher training and dissemination of information on an annual basis, or more frequently if so designated by the administrator, for employees regarding the injury prevention plan of the unit and safety rules, policies, and procedures pertaining to safety within the ESU.
In the event of a death in the workplace, the workplace injury prevention and safety committee shall forward to the Department of Labor within 15 working days a copy of any review of the matter made by the workplace injury prevention and safety committee.
The administrator or designee shall establish or cause to be established record-keeping procedures to control and maintain all accident and injury records pertaining to accidents and injuries within the district or activities under the control of the district. Such records shall be kept for at least three years, or longer if so advised by the Department of Labor.
The workplace injury prevention and safety committee will confer with the ESU’s crisis team and shall review the ESU’s All-Hazard School Safety Plan upon its adoption by the crisis team.
Adopted on: August 11, 2008
Revised on: Sept. 10, 2018
Reviewed on: May 9, 2011
Reviewed on: Nov. 8, 2021