Safe Work Procedures

Safe work procedures are required for the purpose of addressing significant hazards in the workplace and for dealing with circumstances that may present other significant risks/liabilities for the staff, students, and the school division. Because safe work procedures assist in eliminating or controlling risks in the workplace, Pembina Trails requires all departments to develop safe work procedures (SWP) for each task, piece of equipment or tool that staff or students are required to perform/use as part of their job/training or used for education purposes and that may expose them to an uncontrolled risk.

Safe work procedures are a series of specific steps that guide a worker through a task from start to finish in a chronological order. These procedures are designed to reduce the risk by minimizing potential exposure.   The first step in writing safe work procedures is to create a critical job inventory (CJI), which includes a hazard risk assessment. The second step is to conduct a job hazard analysis which identifies the hazards in each step of the procedure.  The third and final step is writing the safe work procedure (SWP) which captures all of the information related to the safe execution of the task. The SWP includes information such as the name of the task, hazards associated with the task, detailed steps, personal protective equipment and training required, references to regulatory requirements, and identifies the person who has approved the procedure. 

STEP 1: CRITICAL JOB INVENTORY

A critical job inventory is a list of  jobs/tasks and the potential loss associated with each one. To create a critical job inventory, review the specific tasks within your department.  Rank each activity identified using the scales below based on the potential Severity of the incident, Probability of the incident occurring and Frequency of the task. Total all rankings. The lower the Critical Rating, the more hazardous the job/task is.  When a new job is introduced into the workplace, add it to your inventory list.  It is important that this process never stops.  

STEP 2:  JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS

A Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is an effective tool in breaking down specific job tasks in order to determine the hazards involved in the task and what is required to prevent injuries and/or accidents. A formal job hazard analysis is a procedure designed to study the job for any potential hazard caused by the machine, the surroundings, specific steps of the task, or the worker.

STEP 3: SAFE WORK PROCEDURE

Safe Work Procedures (SWP) are detailed steps of how to conduct a specific job/task. The SWP should clearly outline what task is being referred to. It also outlines who is responsible for what in the organization; such as provision of equipment, what happens if you fail to wear the equipment and references specific guidelines/regulatory requirements.

All safe work procedures for Pembina Trails SD can be found on the Safety, Health & Environment portal.