Area School Teachers' Collective Agreement (ASTCA)
Part Ten: Health and Safety
This part of the agreement is where you will find specific health and safety provisions, including if you are entitled to protective clothing and/or safety glasses.
10.1 General
10.1.1 The parties recognise the importance of ensuring good and safe working conditions through Health and Safety in the workplace and that it is a mutual obligation of the employer and employees to achieve this through a representative, engagement and participative approach.
10.1.2 To this end, the employers' and employees' attention is drawn to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and associated Regulations. This and other legislation, relevant Codes of Practice and Guidelines are the reference points for gaining a common understanding of what those obligations are, what will assist in meeting those mutual obligations and also in promoting best practice.
10.1.3 Where employees' health, safety or welfare is shown to be at risk in the carrying out of their duties the employer shall take all reasonably practicable steps to eliminate or minimise the identified risk for the employees, and do so in consultation with the relevant health and safety authorities.
10.2 Protective Clothing
10.2.1 Where the nature of a teacher’s work in science laboratories and workshops is considered to be more than normally destructive to clothing, suitable protective clothing shall be issued.
10.2.2 Protective clothing may be issued on a permanent basis or on temporary loan as is decided by the employer.
10.2.3 Protective clothing issued on temporary loan shall be laundered at the employer’s expense.
10.3 Safety Glasses
10.3.1 Where a teacher is considered to be working in an “eye danger” area, the teacher shall receive a personal issue of standard neutral safety glasses which shall remain the property of the employer.
10.3.2 Where a teacher who ordinarily wears optical glasses at work is engaged on work in an “eye danger” area, the teacher shall be supplied for the time engaged on such work, with specially hardened neutral “clip-on” type safety glasses to be worn over normal glasses. Such “clip-on” glasses shall remain the property of the employer.