Know your rights
Environmental safety
Jun 4, 2009 12:37 PM
With the newest safety issue, the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, seemingly hitting every school, it is a good time to talk about the UFT’s Safety and Health Department, which can work with you and your school if you encounter environmental health and safety hazards. You have a right to work in a healthy and safe school building. Our mission is to prevent and address safety and health hazards in the schools and to ensure that your right to a safe and healthy workplace is enforced.
What do we do?
We strive to increase awareness of risks, promote injury prevention, take action against unsafe and/or unhealthy conditions, and advocate for staff. We also assist school staff with any school building and/or environmental issues and work closely with both the School Construction Authority and the Department of Education Division of School Facilities and DOE Office of Occupational Safety and Health to address environmental health and safety issues such as mold, asbestos, construction and renovation activities, indoor air quality, and other environmental concerns.
How do we do it?
By providing assistance and services to the chapter leaders and staff members including on-site training, workshops and conferences, technical assistance such as work site inspections, Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau enforcement, fact sheets on health and safety topics, information on standards and regulations, workers’ compensation assistance and “Right to Know” information.
The UFT Safety and Health Department also works with a number of city and state health and environmental agencies to prevent and address environmental health and safety hazards. These agencies include the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the New York State Department of Labor Public Employees Safety and Health Bureau, which conducts school site inspections to assess DOE compliance with occupational safety and health regulations.
We also advocate for stronger health and safety regulations at the city, state and federal levels.
What topics do we cover?
Communicable diseases; bloodborne pathogens (HIV, HBV, HBC, TB); needlestick prevention; violence in the workplace/injury prevention; ergonomics; right-to-know/chemical awareness; laboratory standards; personal protective equipment; emergency preparedness; indoor air quality; asbestos; lead; mold; workers’ compensation; swine flu; and other relevant topics.
Training courses
The UFT Environmental Health and Safety unit offers training and workshops to our members relating to environmental issues on staff development days and extended days, and at union meetings and other forums. Topics include bloodborne pathogens, communicable diseases, ergonomics, lab specialist training and several other areas. If you would like to have one of these workshops offered to your school, please have your chapter leader contact the UFT Safety and Health Department. Alternatively, you may call 1-212-598-7739 or fax a request form to 1-212-510-6434. (Information on trainings and request forms are available online at www.uft.org by clicking on Member Services on the left navigation bar, scrolling down to Workplace Safety, and then clicking on Environmental Safety.)
Contact us
For further information about environmental health and safety or to report an environmental safety hazard, please call your borough UFT health and safety representative:
Bronx: 1-718-379-6200
Brooklyn: 1-718-852-4900
Manhattan: 1-212-598-6800
Queens: 1-718-275-4400
Staten Island: 1-718-605-1400
In the event of an emergency, please call 1-212-701-9407.
