Pests
Feeling itchy? Ready to jump on a chair?
Bugs and other pests don’t belong in school!
Bed bugs? Lice? Cockroaches? Rodents?! Your employer might say that they’re “just a nuisance,” but these critters can pose a real hazard to health and safety.
- While bed bugs aren’t known to spread disease and their bites don’t usually require medical treatment, people react differently and scratching the bites can lead to infections. In rare cases, the bites may lead to an allergic reaction.
- Head lice are generally not considered a primary health hazard because they don’t transmit disease, but unaddressed infestations are uncomfortable and can lead to secondary infections.
- Cockroaches can contaminate food and aggravate symptoms of asthma.
- Rodents carry disease. The excrement from some rodents may expose workers to the dangerous hantavirus.
Dealing with these pests can also have other impacts on your health and safety:
- Encountering bugs or rodents, especially on an ongoing basis, can have a psychological effect.
- Pesticides can have negative health effects for humans.
References
School boards should have clearly communicated protocols for dealing with each type of pest. In general:
- Removing clutter and regular cleaning are preventative actions.
- The board protocol should be clear on who is responsible for additional checking or cleaning, if required. For example, custodians are responsible for the building and its furniture but sometimes teachers and education workers are responsible for education materials such as manipulatives.
- The principal should be in contact with public health and provide advice to families to help prevent the spread of any pests that may be coming in from students’ homes.
- If a pest control company is hired, precautions need to be in place and workers must be notified.
- Safety data sheets for any substances used by the school board or an outside contractor to control pests should be available to workers. These sheets have important information such as the possible health impacts of exposure.
- The pest control company should be aware of how spaces are used when determining what type of treatment to employ – for example, if young students will be crawling on the floor, if students might put items in their mouths, if staff and students eat in the room, etc.
- Pests are difficult to get rid of, so it often takes a few treatments. Ongoing monitoring, communications, and support are important.
Members should complete injury reports to document bites, exposure, and any mental health impacts.
