Don’t forget that slips, trips and falls are a major concern during winter months! Your Joint Health and Safety Committee representatives want to remind you of your right to decline unsafe work. This right includes any unsafe work conditions, such as concerns about physically attending campus during inclement weather.
Procedurally, declining unsafe work involves reaching out to your direct worker supervisor to indicate their concern and notifying them. (If you’re a Teaching Assistant, this supervisor could be your Course Director. If you’re a Course Director, this supervisor could be the department.) If accommodations are not provided, a worker can continue to refuse work. As part of this process, a worker should fill out a Workplace Incident Report form. (Note that it’s often still worth filling out the WIR more than 24 hours after the incident, despite what the form’s text might say!)
Any injuries on the job or near injuries should also fill out a Workplace Incident Report form with their supervisor or health and safety officer. This includes any falls or near accidents that do not result in injury, but could have. Submitting a WIR requires a JHSC to investigate and becomes part of the broader statistics that give JHSCs the ability to recommend direct action to the employer. Submitting a WIR helps make sure that unsafe conditions at York get improved or fixed!