Safety News

After the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook, we wanted to support the victims and to do our part to help all the schools across the U.S. deal with this tragedy. That’s why we’re offering our Managing the Aftermath of Tragedy courses free of charge to any school administrator or staff member. These courses include:

• Key strategies on how to respond to tragedies.
• Information on typical childhood reactions to crises.
• Ways to provide care and comfort to students and staff members.

EXPERT AUTHORS

The courses are written by our expert-authors, Drs. Scott and Donna Poland. Dr. Scott Poland is Associate Professor at the Center for Psychological Studies at Nova Southeastern University. He is the author of a number of books on youth suicide and school crisis response including Coping with Crisis and is a renowned consultant to schools and districts nationwide. Dr. Donna Poland has served as a school administrator for 19 years including service as principal of three different secondary schools. She is currently Director of University Middle School in Davie, Florida.

ACCESS THE RESOURCES

To access these free courses:

1. Visit http://caring.safeschools.com.
2. Click on the ‘Register’ link in the blue Login box.
3. Type in ‘CARES’ as the Registration key.

Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with the Newtown community as they work to heal and move forward. May they find peace and comfort.

Rich Prill with Washington State University Extension Energy Program is a nationally recognized expert for school indoor air quality. Rich has conducted hundreds of educational indoor air quality walkthrough assessments in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho School Districts. He currently has grant funding left to conduct three days of education and skills training walkthroughs at Oregon Schools next fall. He typically can conduct walkthroughs of two to three buildings in a day. The hope is to fill up these three remaining days to help ensure funding to do more of these in years to come. These walk-through assessments are non-threatening and non-regulatory. If this is something that you would like to have done at your District you can contact Rich via phone at 509-413-8996, or email at PrillR@energy.wsu.edu. You can visit the WSU Energy Program website and view and/or download archived copies of the Indoor Air Quality Newsletter for NW Schools. These newsletters will give you a good idea of the educational approach Rich can provide for your schools. http://www.energy.wsu.edu/PublicFacilitiesSupport/IndoorAirQuality/IAQNews.aspx

School Safety Matters School Safety Matters is a monthly newsletter produced by the Beaverton School District’s Risk Management Department to be used as a resource for school safety committees.   Some information in the newsletter is BSD specific, but the majority of the focus is on general school safety best practices.   To view the May edition of School Safety Matters, Click Here. For previous editions visit OSSOA.org  under Topical Resources.

Summer Workshop Mark your calendars for the 35th annual OSSSOA Summer Workshop July 23rd at the Riverhouse in Bend Oregon.  The theme of this year’s workshop is Can You Afford.. and the focus is on strategies to avoid losses that districts cannot afford.  We will address athletic field and play surface safety,  School Safety and Security, and Safety Within Special Ed. To register and to view the full agenda workshop, Click Here.

Do you have a question you can't find an answer for? Let OSSOA help you. If you send your question to OSSOA at kevin_jones@beaverton.k12.or.us, we can send it out to 250 + other school official members that may be able to help.

Please Join Us for a Free Webinar
SafeSchools is pleased to present Chris Dorn, an international expert on school terrorism, weapon concealment and detection, and emergency preparedness in this free one-hour webinar, Tuesday April 30th from 10:00 am - noon.  For more information and to register for this webinar, Click Here.

We have added a Playground Maintenance Guide with valuable information on maintaining safe playgrounds in our schools.  This guide was provided to us by Recreations brand Group of Oregon, a proud sponsor of OSSOA.  For other valuable information on playground safety, visit the topical resources section of our website.

School Safety Matters is a monthly newsletter produced by the Beaverton School District’s Risk Management Department to be used as a resource for school safety committees.  In the April issue we  focus on safety challenges unique to spring and ODE regulations prohibiting the use of 12-15 person vans when transporting students.   To view the April edition of School Safety Matters, Click Here.  Previous editions are available under Newsletters in the topical resources section.

School Safety Matters is a monthly newsletter produced by the Beaverton School District Risk Management Department to be used as a resource for school safety committees. Click Here for the March edition of School Safety Matters. Previous editions are available under Newsletters in the topical resources section.

PROBLEM: 

Over 1 MILLION workers suffer back injuries each year, accounting for 1 in 5 workplace injuries *

4 out of 5 injuries to the lower back result from manual materials handling including lifting, placing, carrying, holding and lowering.*

25% of all compensation indemnity claims involve back injuries and 1/3 of all compensable back injuries could be prevented via ergonomics.*

MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES: SAFER LIFTING

Avoid manually lifting and minimize distances loads are lifted and lowered. *

Improve access to materials being handled, allowing workers to get closer, reducing reaching and twisting.*

*National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health and Bureau of Labor Statistics

SOLUTION:

Work Safe Access:

Work Safe Access Systems are portable, access systems designed for a variety of industrial applications to increase access and safety in the workplace. All systems are constructed from durable, lightweight, structural aluminum for long life performance. They are attractive and require virtually no maintenance. Manufactured in standard component sizes and engineered to meet OSHA regulations.           

Visit our Web site at www.worksafeaccess.com

Work Safe Access Systems is a proud sponsor of OSSOA

In response to the increased discussions involving the threat of shootings in schools, we are sharing the following resources with our membership:  Board member John Meyer has summarized his interpretation of the book School Shootings by Joseph Lieberman, an insightful exploration of the root causes and nature of these events. To read John's summary, Click Here.

The 2012-2013 flu season began early this year and has become one of the worst we have seen in years. Click Here for informational, flyers, videos, and other valuable resources for dealing with influenza and other infectious disease outbreaks.

The following is a message from Kaiser Permanente outlining strategies to protect ourselves and our staff members:

”Influenza activity is increasing in Oregon and Washington. With heightened media coverage recently, we are seeing an increase in requests for seasonal flu vaccinations in unprecedented numbers.  And, KPNW facilities (especially our urgent care clinics and the Emergency Department) are also seeing an increasing number of members with influenza-like illness.

Do what you can to stay healthy

The flu is spread from person to person, mostly through coughing and sneezing. You can also get a flu virus by touching a contaminated surface.  

•          Take these steps to avoid getting and spreading the flu:   Get vaccinated now if you haven’t already. It’s not too late.

•          Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Carry an alcohol-based hand gel to use when you can’t wash.

•          Cover your cough. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your upper sleeve instead of your hands. If you do use your hands, wash them as soon as you can.

•          Avoid touching your face. Flu viruses can spread by touching something or someone that is contaminated and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Keep surfaces clean. Countertops, telephones, toys, cups, sinks, and other items that sick children or adults come in contact with may become contaminated. The FDA recommends mixing 1 teaspoon of bleach with 1 quart of water or using a household sanitizer to help keep surfaces clean. Disinfect sponges frequently by running them through the dishwasher or washing machine or by soaking them in a bleach and water solution.”  

Here are some additional cold and flu related resources: