Sector summary

The education sector comprises early education centres, elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools, colleges, universities, driving schools, other educational services, libraries, driving schools and museums.

Key hazards

The following list represents hazards to which workers are commonly exposed in the education sector:

  • slips, trips and falls
  • activities that may lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
  • material handling hazards (such as workers being struck by objects, caught or crushed between objects)
  • workplace violence and workplace harassment
  • machine (and powered equipment) hazards such as improper lock-out and unguarded equipment
  • exposures such as chemicals, designated substances (i.e. isocyanates, silica, asbestos) and environmental hazards (i.e. poor indoor air quality)
  • exposures to infectious agents (i.e. mold, bacteria, viruses)
  • exposure to noise.

In general, hazards that are not covered by a regulation and hazards in workplaces not covered by a sector-specific regulation are addressed through the application of the general duty clause 25(2)(h) of the Occupational health and safety Act (OHSA).

Workplace parties should refer to the narrative portion of the field visit report, if they have received one, for further information or contact their health and safety association  for guidance.

Slips, trips and falls

Slips, trips and falls hazards include hazards that result in workers falling onto the same surface or falling from a height.

Injuries to workers can include fractures, lacerations and loss of consciousness. In extreme circumstances injuries caused from a fall can lead to permanent disability or death.

The Regulation for Industrial Establishments (Regulation 851) applies to industrial establishments (such as an office building, factory, arena, shop or office or any land, buildings and structures pertaining thereto) and sets out a number of requirements for worker protection against slips, trips and falls, including but not limited to sections 11, 13, 14, 15, 73 and 85.

  • Floors and other surfaces used by workers must be free of obstructions, hazards, accumulations of ice and snow and not have a slippery surface [section 11].
  • Review requirements for guardrails to protect from falls [section 13 and 14].
  • Review fall protection equipment required when working from heights [section 85].
  • Ensure that training is provided to a worker on the use of protective clothing and equipment (i.e. fall arrest equipment) [section 79].
  • In areas requiring ladder use, review compliance with section 73.
  • Employers must provide information, instruction and supervision to protect workers from slips, trips and falls and acquaint workers with the hazards [OHSA clauses 25(2)(a) and 25(2)(d)].

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)

Workplace pains and strains can be serious and disabling for workers, causing pain and suffering ranging from discomfort to severe disability.

MSD is not a medical diagnosis; it is an umbrella term for a group of injuries. Some of these injuries include: back pain, muscle strain, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), rotator cuff syndrome, tennis elbow and shoulder pain.

  • Identify and assess job-related MSD risk factors (i.e. identify tasks and activities involving manual material handling, use of ladders, static or repetitive movements etc.)
  • Review training on job-specific MSD risk factors.
  • Assess controls to reduce worker exposure to MSDs.
  • Contact your health and safety association for guidance in assessments and prevention of MSDs.

Material handling hazards: struck by objects, caught between or crushed by objects

Injuries associated with material handling can include workers being struck by objects, caught between objects and/or crushed by mechanical compression. Manual material handling may also lead to MSDs.

Regulation 851 applies to many workplaces in the sector and sets out requirements for material handling in sections 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 and 50. Section 51 contains requirements regarding mechanical lifting devices. 

  • Review operations/processes involving the movement of raw material and product from receiving area to production line and from production line to shipping area [section 45].
  • Review operations/processes involving material or product movement [clause 45(a)].
  • Review warehousing/storage operations [clause 45(b)].
  • Ensure that mechanical lifting devices are maintained in good condition, are operated by a competent person and are capable of handling loads [section 51].

Workplace violence and workplace harassment

The OHSA sets out requirements for workplace violence and harassment in sections 32.0.1 to 32.0.8.

  • Ensure that appropriate workplace violence and harassment policies have been established in accordance with the OHSA [section 32.0.1].
  • Conduct a workplace violence risk assessment or re-assessment [section 32.0.3].
  • Ensure that workplace violence and workplace harassment programs are developed and maintained to implement the policies [sections 32.0.2 and 32.0.6].
  • Ensure that workers have received information and instruction on the workplace violence and harassment policy and program [sections 32.0.5 and 32.0.7].
  • Subject to some conditions, the employer must provide information, including personal information, to a worker related to the risk of workplace violence from a person with a history of violent behaviour [subsection 32.0.5(3)].
  • Employers may wish to consider the use of the ministry’s Code of Practice to Address Workplace Harassment under the OHSA.

Further information regarding the requirements related to workplace violence can be found in the Ministry of Labour (MOL) guide Workplace violence and harassment: Understanding the law.

Additional information, including more information about new workplace harassment provisions, can be found on the MOL topic webpages for Workplace Violence and Workplace Harassment.

Machine hazards

Machine or transmission start-up (improper lockout)

Injuries experienced by accidental machine start-up can include lacerations, crushing and amputations. In some circumstances these injuries can cause permanent disability or death. 

The Regulation for Industrial Establishments Regulation 851 where it applies, sets out requirements for worker protection against machine start-up in sections 75 and 76. 

  • Review repair/maintenance of machinery [section 75].
  • Ensure requirement/compliance with lockout procedures [sections 75 and 76].

For all workplaces where machine hazards are present, employers must ensure that instruction and information is provided to a worker on the hazard and the requirements to isolate and lockout hazardous energy [OHSA clauses 25(2)(a) and 25(2)(d)].

Unguarded equipment

Injuries to workers can include lacerations, amputations, crush by entanglement and loss of consciousness. Serious injuries can lead to permanent disability or death.

Hazards due to unguarded equipment include worker exposure to pinch points, moving (rotating) equipment, and in-running nip hazards. Equipment that has exposed moving parts such as cutting equipment and exposed drive-motor assemblies used to power compressors and/or ventilation fans may endanger a worker. Regulation 851 sets out requirements for guarding of equipment in sections 24, 25, 26, 28, 31 and 32.

  • Ensure that the requirements for the guarding of prime movers, or transmission equipment are followed [section 24].
  • Ensure that pinch points are guarded [section 25].

Exposures

Chemical exposures

Workers can be exposed to chemical hazards by a variety of different routes such as causing chemical burns to skin, irritation to eyes and airways and by absorption or injection into the body.

  • Review the use of chemicals used in the workplace such as common cleaners, laboratory chemicals and chemicals used in shop classes and for maintenance operations.
  • Ensure that appropriate skin protection is provided.
  • Ensure that appropriate eye protection is provided to workers.
  • Ensure that appropriate emergency eyewash equipment is provided.
  • Ensure that appropriate emergency shower facilities are provided where necessary.
  • Ensure that the requirements outlined in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) (Regulation 860) and the requirements to monitor and control exposure limits as identified in the Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents (Regulation 833) are followed.
  • Asbestos is a designated substance which has been found in a variety of building materials in many older buildings. Asbestos may also be present in after-market motor vehicle brakes. Refer to the regulatory requirements as outlined in the Designated Substance – Asbestos on Construction Projects and in Building Repair Operations Regulation (O. Reg. 278/05) and the Designated Substances Regulation (O. Reg. 490/09).
  • Employers should do an inventory of all designated substances to determine their presence and develop control programs as required under the Designated Substances Regulation (O. Reg. 490/09). (Silica and isocyanates are other examples of designated substances that may be present.)

General workplace environment

Workplace hazards related to the general workplace environment may include exposure to fumes and other contaminants related to poor or inadequate ventilation. Exposure to cold or heat may also be a hazard to worker health and safety.

Exposures to infectious agents

Many infectious agents may be present in workplaces that can be a hazard to workers. Workers may encounter a variety of infectious agents from specific tasks that are performed (e.g. during cleaning or maintenance activities) or workers may encounter students or clients who are sick (e.g. norovirus, common cold, influenza).

Where there is a hazard of infection, employers must ensure that appropriate precautions are put into place.

  • Ensure that workers are educated about routine infection control precautions appropriate for their work.
  • Ensure that appropriate personal protective equipment is available as required.

Noise

Injuries to workers can include varying degrees of noise-induced hearing loss.

The Noise Regulation O. Reg. 381/15 sets out workplace requirements regarding noise.

  • Review the engineering controls and administrative (work practices) controls in place to reduce noise levels and exposures (mufflers on air exhausts, mechanical damping, vibration isolators, enclosures, limiting worker’s exposure time) [subsection 2(2)].
  • Review the availability and use of hearing protection [subsection 2(6)].
  • Review the type of hearing protection provided [subsection 4(1)].
  • Review placement of warning signs at approaches to noisy areas [subsection 2(7)].
  • Review the training provided to workers [section 3].
  • Personal protective equipment is to be used only as a last resort. Engineering controls and work practices must be used where practicable [subsection 2(5)].

Trends

Table 1: Fatalities and critical injuries in education by fiscal year
Events2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17
Fatalities01100
Critical injuries798210569108
  • Only critical injury events reported to the ministry are included here.
  • These represent data that were reported to the ministry and may not represent what actually occurred at the workplace.
  • The critical injury numbers represent critical injuries reported to the ministry and not necessarily critical injuries as defined by the Occupational health and safety Act.
  • Non-workers who are critically injured may also be included in the ministry’s data.
  • The Ministry of Labour tracks and reports fatalities at workplaces covered by the OHSA. This excludes death from natural causes, death of non-workers at a workplace, suicides, death as a result of a criminal act or traffic accident (unless the OHSA is also implicated) and death from occupational exposures that occurred many years ago.
  • Data are subject to change because of inspectors’ updates to the database.
Table 2: Events and activities in education by fiscal year
Events and activities2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17
Field visits2,1331,628871999956
Orders4,7082,604760956683
Complaints193222239285289
Work refusals9781112

Most common orders issued under the OHSA

From April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 the most common orders issued by the Ministry of Labour under the OHSA were:

  • An employer shall take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker [clause 25(2)(h)].
  • An employer shall ensure that, the equipment, materials and protective devices provided by the employer are maintained in good condition [clause 25(1)(b)].
  • An employer shall post, in the workplace, a copy of this act and any explanatory material prepared by the ministry, both in English and the majority language of the workplace, outlining the rights, responsibilities and duties of workers [clause 25(2)(i)].
  •  An employer shall provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker to protect the health or safety of the worker [clause 25(2)(a)].
  • Orders issued to an employer related to workplace violence and harassment provisions [sections 32.0.1 through 32.0.8].

Most common orders issued under the Industrial Regulations

From April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 the most common orders issued by the Ministry of Labour under Regulation 851 were:

  • Where a worker is exposed to a potential hazard of injury to the eye due to contact with a biological or chemical substance, an eyewash fountain shall be provided [section 124].
  • A floor or other surface used by any worker shall be kept free of obstructions, hazards, and accumulations of refuse, snow or ice; and not have any finish or protective material used on it that is likely to make the surface slippery [section 11].
  • Material, articles or things shall be transported, placed or stored so that the material, articles or things, will not tip, collapse or fall, and can be removed or withdrawn without endangering the safety of any worker [clause 45(b)].

Applicable regulations

In addition to the Occupational health and safety Act, there are a number of regulations made under the act which may apply depending on circumstances found at the workplace.

Construction regulation

Employers should be aware that in situations where construction work is undertaken, the Construction Projects Regulation (O. Reg. 213/91) may apply.

Construction work can be described as new work, additions, alterations, or maintenance and repairs. The Occupational health and safety Act defines construction as including erection, alteration, repair, dismantling, demolition, structural maintenance, painting, land clearing, earth moving, grading, excavating, trenching, digging, boring, drilling, blasting, or concreting, the installation of any machinery or plant, and any work or undertaking in connection with a project but does not include any work or undertaking underground in a mine.

General resources

Publications | Ministry of Labour

For information and Guides, Fact Sheets, Information Bulletins, Guidelines, Alerts, Engineering Data Sheets, Extracts, Reports, Consultations, Codes, and Standards.

Videos and photos | Ministry of Labour

To view Ministry of Labour videos and photos.

Health and Safety Partners

To learn about sector-assigned health and safety associations.

By the numbers: WSIB statistical report

To review Workplace safety and insurance board (WSIB) injury experience data.