The United Federation of Teachers

ARTICLE EIGHT

Jan 26, 2007 3:16 PM

SAFETY AND HEALTH

The joint committee, from time to time, may establish sub-committees to deal with special safety/discipline issues. It shall establish a sub-committee to deal with the issues of safety and discipline in special education schools and programs.

D. Environmental Health and Safety Joint Committee

  1. The Union and the Board shall establish a joint committee which shall meet on a regular basis to discuss and consider appropriate means of resolving health and safety issues. The School Construction Authority will be invited to participate on issues raised by school capital modernization projects.
  2. The joint committee or joint designees, and any experts the Union and/or the Board may designate, will have access to all schools and other Board workplaces in which staff represented by the UFT are assigned for the purpose of investigating and assessing allegedly hazardous working conditions. Such visits will be made upon reasonable notice to the Board’s office of occupational safety and health and in a manner that minimizes disruption to the school or other workplace.

E. Safe Environment

  1. In recognition of the importance of employee safety and health, the Board agrees to provide the appropriate recognized standards of workplace sanitation, cleanliness, light, and noise control, adequate heating and ventilation. The Board of Education agrees to eliminate recognized hazards that are likely to cause serious physical harm.
  2. If the Union believes a situation has arisen that is likely to cause serious physical harm, it may bring it to the attention of the Chancellor or designee who shall immediately assess the situation, including onsite inspection where appropriate, and take such action as the Chancellor deems appropriate. In the event the Union seeks to contest the Chancellor’s determination, it may exercise its statutory rights under New York State Labor Law Section 27a (PESH) or other legal authority.
  3. The Board will issue a circular advising staff of their rights under PESH and other applicable law and post the notices required by law.

F. Renovation and Modernization

The Union and the Board believe that modernization and renovation projects are vital to enable children to receive the educational services to which they are entitled. However, in order to limit any educational disruption that a modernization project can create, and to protect the health and safety of the staff and students that use a school setting undergoing modernization, the Board and Union have agreed to standard procedures that help to ensure that health, safety and educational standards are maintained during school capital modernization projects. These standard procedures will be applied in school capital modernization projects undertaken by the School Construction Authority and will be posted and reviewed with all staff in any school undergoing modernization. Where conditions require it, the standard procedures may be modified after consultation with the Union.