SECTION IV:      SPECIFIC SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES

 

 

FACULTY

 

Related WACs

 

WAC 132Q-94-010:  "....the board of trustees of the Washington State Community College District 17 expresses its firm commitment to the safety and health of its students and employees.  The board further recognizes the importance of students and employees developing safe work habits, particularly in the areas of equipment and machinery operation, and in the handling of potentially hazardous chemical substances."

 

WAC 132Q-94-020:  "Adoption of these health and safety rules by the board of trustees is based on the following standards:

 

1.     The possibility of accidental injury to an individual exists at all times and in all places and no place of work nor any human activity is exempt from the possibility of accidents.

 

2.     All community college safety programs are for the benefit of both the Washington State Community College District 17 and the individual students enrolled within the institution.  There is no conflict of interests between the students and the college in the area of an accident prevention program; through accident prevention, everyone benefits.

 

3.     Accident prevention requires both organization and education, consisting largely of the desire to provide and maintain an environment free of hazards through institution of a common-sense safety program and the determination to carry out the program effectively.

 

4.     Effective accident prevention includes instructor leadership, student cooperation, effective organization, thorough training, and good supervision."

 

WAC 132Q-94-120:  Prohibiting Unsafe Acts or Unhealthful Practices

 

"Nothing contained in this chapter shall prohibit an instructor or supervisor form immediately prohibiting an unsafe practice which is not specifically outlined in this chapter.  Any violation of sound health and safety practices not specifically enumerated in this chapter shall not be permitted, and the instructor or supervisor in charge may prohibit such practices."

 

Chapter 131-16 WAC, Washington State Community and Technical College Personnel Standards:

 

"Prior to employment of candidates to perform professional services in Washington community and technical colleges, the district board of trustees shall establish that the candidate possesses:

 

1)  Scholarship and/or technical skill that represents appropriate study, training, and skills in the proposed area of assignment,

2)  Expertise as a practitioner as evidenced by reports of former associates and supervisors....

5)  The ability to perform assigned duties in a manner consistent with the goals of the institution and the community and technical college system, and

6)  Personal characteristics that contribute to the ability to promote the welfare of students, the institution, and the state of Washington."

 

 

 

SPECIFIC FACULTY SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES

 

CCS faculty, both full-time and adjunct, are hired as knowledgeable and highly qualified individuals in their field of instruction with the expectation that the scholarship and/or technical skills they possess at the time of hire include those which will enable them to set a good example and provide hazard warnings and proper instruction regarding safe and environmentally correct practices appropriate to the specific classroom/shop environment in which they teach.

 

The supervisor to whom the adjunct faculty member reports (generally the department chair) is to ensure they possess a workable knowledge of CCS emergency procedures.  As needed, the supervisor is to provide adjunct faculty with hazard warnings and safety training specific to the hazards they will encounter in the CCS classroom, laboratory or shop setting in which they will be teaching.

 

1.     Each instructor, whether full-time or adjunct, is responsible for the safe conduct of his/her class, and is to explain any hazards that might be involved, the rules to be followed, and the precautions to be observed.  The briefing may be short or long, depending on the nature of the class and the hazards involved.  It may be given on the first day of the class or as the class reach that phase of the course, whichever is appropriate.

 

2.     As a minimum, all classroom instructors are required to explain CCS emergency procedures to their students, including facility evacuation procedures:  route to be taken to exit the building; points of assembly after exiting the facility; plans for evacuation of persons of disability, etc.

 

3.     Where the instructional environment brings students into physical proximity with machinery, electrical circuits, biologicals, radioactive substances, chemicals, flammables, intense heat, gases under pressure, excavations, scaffolding, ladders, and other hazards, the instructor is to ensure that appropriate safety training and hazard warnings are provided students (e.g., in courses conducted in laboratories, shops, some physical education classes, etc.).

 

4.     Instructors are to conduct regular, although informal safety surveys and inspections of their areas.  Minor hazards noted should be immediately corrected; hazards of more major consequence should be referred to the faculty members supervisor and may, as appropriate, require completion of a Building Improvement Request or a Hazardous Condition Report form.  It is recommended, but not required, that these safety surveys/inspections be documented.

 

5.     The CCS Accidnet/Incident Report form is to be completed at the time of any and all injuries and/or accidents occurring on the premises of or during Community Colleges of Spokane related activities, regardless of the severity of the injury.  When the accident and/or injury involves a student in a classroom or shop, the faculty member is to ensure that this form has been completed within 24 hours of the event and routed through the established channels, and that his/her administrator has been notified of the incident.  In the case of severe accidents or injuries, notification should be more immediate (e.g., via telephone).

 

(Refer also to the section of this document entitled SPECIFIC SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES:  All CCS Employees.)