While Iowa schools focus on helping students achieve their potential and pursue their dreams, those same buildings are also workplaces for the thousands of teachers, administrators and staff that welcome students into the classroom every day.
Similar to other workplaces, such as construction sites, offices and factories, school employees are entitled to a hazard-free workplace. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) can help schools provide that hazard-free workplace through consultation services.
"Our jurisdiction is basically anywhere there's an employer-employee relationship, including public-sector employees," said Labor/OSHA Division Administrator Adam Lathrop.
IOSHA fulfills its mission through not only enforcement but also consultation and education.
"We have teams that can come in and do hazard analysis, and a lot of people don't know that side of IOSHA even exists," Lathrop said. "The other side is our enforcement team that comes in once something happens, and we have to get involved, and penalties can easily get into six figures."
However, Lathrop and IOSHA aspire to avoid those hefty penalties and enforcement by addressing potential workplace hazards through no-cost consultations to minimize concerns before they become potential issues.
These no-cost, confidential consultations can help employers identify and mitigate workplace hazards and provide guidance to follow OSHA standards. The consultations include worksite walkthroughs, program reviews and noise or air monitoring. Questions about mold, asbestos and lead paint are some of the most common concerns IOSHA receives from school employees seeking consultation.
When performing these consultations, IOSHA staff will evaluate only areas at the employers request.
"We can do sampling and test what's there, give some advice on how to correct any issues and prevent them from happening again," Lathrop said. "If we get a complaint about mold in a freezer, we will only evaluate the freezer. Or if a school is renovating and says, 'We have these three rooms we're renovating. Can you show us ways to work with that and be safe?' We will only look at those three rooms unless something else in plain sight needs to be addressed."
Schools can also request a more thorough evaluation of potential hazards at their discretion, extending to any areas the school has concerns regarding.
"This can be as broad or narrow as the school wants and the consultation can be stopped at any time," Lathrop said. "However, if we find something that violates standards, we will ask you to fix it."
IOSHA works with those schools to remediate those issues with cost-effective solutions that safeguard staff and students while protecting the school from future costs. IOSHA's consultation services are not limited to evaluating facility issues but can also assist in assessing and crafting emergency policies and procedures.
In addition to mold, asbestos and lead paint, bloodborne pathogens are among the most common issues IOSHA addresses in schools. Bloodborne pathogens, including certain viruses, can pose risks to workers in certain occupations. Employers are required to establish exposure control plans, provide protective equipment, offer hepatitis B vaccinations and ensure proper training and communication.
"Is there record-keeping of those injuries and how is that log maintained?β Lathrop said. βMany schools don't understand they're under IOSHA jurisdiction and don't understand they need to be doing those things."
Collaborating with IOSHA on procedural reviews or facility evaluations not only protects a school from costly penalties, but ensures that educators and students have an environment that allows them to provide and experience a world-class education.
Schools interested in learning more about the services IOSHA can provide in creating safe workplaces through its consultation services should visit dial.iowa.gov/iosha/consultation-education or call 515-281-7629.