Risk assessment of educational support staff’s work in schools

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Educational support staff (educational staff) in schools perform widely distinctive activities according to their occupation and work process. OBJECTIVE: This study analyzes the possible incidents for each occupation and work process, and suggests a risk matrix prioritizing the risks of educational staff’s work. METHODS: A total of 1,566 injuries of educational staff, registered for occupational injuries and illnesses between 2015 and 2016, were used to develop the risk matrix considering injuries, sick leave days, and disabilities. RESULTS: Among the 1,566 injuries, ‘Cook-cooking/serving: Burn’ (8.5%) was the most frequent incident. ‘Cook-manual materials handling (MMH): musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)’ (241.6 sick leave days) was the most severe incident, and the number of disabilities was high in the forms of ‘Cook-cooking/serving: MSDs.’ According to risk assessment results, possible incidents predicted as ‘High’ level of risk management were in the forms of ‘Cook-cooking/serving: MSDs,’ ‘Cook-MMH: Slip and trip,’ ‘Cook-cleaning/repairing: Fall from a height,’ ‘Cook-walking: Slip and trip,’ ‘Cook-MMH: MSDs,’ ‘Cook-cooking/serving: Burn,’ ‘Cook-cleaning/repairing: Slip and trip,’ ‘Custodian-cleaning/repairing: Fall from a height,’ and ‘Instructor-walking: Slip and trip.’ CONCLUSIONS: The results can be used to develop an effective injury prevention policy, and to allocate resources for risk management in ensuring school safety.