GENERAL ASSISTANT’S NEWSLETTER – April 2014
| Please circulate this newsletter to all General Assistants and PSA members |
General Assistant’s Newsletter April 2014 (PDF Version)
WORKING ALONE PROCEDURES FOR GENERAL ASSISTANTS
Ahead of the holidays, the PSA reminds Principals and GAs of the need to implement together, the Working Alone Procedure, negotiated by the PSA.
The Department circulated the Safety Alert No 45 Bulletin to all Principals and GAs prior to the September holidays. This bulletin details the requirements and responsibilities for working alone and is still current.
PSA members are concerned that some Principals are not adhering to the circulated Safety Alert No 45 Bulletin. The Association met with the Department on 25 March 2014 to discuss our members concerns.
Meeting Outcomes
- Your Principal must meet with you to discuss theRisk Management Plan and the Working AloneProcedure prior to the end of term.
- If this has not occurred, request a meeting with your Principal.
- You can also, through your Principal, request assistance from the Department’s WH&S directorate.
- If you are concerned about requesting a meetingwith your Principal, please feel free to contact anyof the members of the General Assistant AdvisoryGroup.
Please provide feedback to the PSA in the following areas:
- Has your Principal or Deputy met with you todiscuss the Working Alone Procedure and RiskManagement Plan?
- Did the Risk Management Plan cover all the jobs allocated?
- Have you received a school mobile phone with the Principal or Deputy Principal’s contact numbers?
- Was there a need to contact your Principal whilst working alone, and if so were you able to make contact?
- Do you have any recommendations you would like to put forward?
To access the documents:
- Log onto the DEC Intranet (using your user name and password)
- Click on A-Z of directories
- Click on Work Health & Safety
- Click on Safety Alerts
- Working alone arrangements for GA’s (Safety Alert 45)
If you are having any difficulties accessing these documents, please contact the PSA Schools Team on 1300 772 679.
WORKING WITH CONTRACTORS
School Principals are to ensure arrangements are made with the School Executive and the Asset Management Unit for the supervision and management of any contractors working on site in the vacation period.
During the school holiday period the Principal or the Deputy Principal must always be on-call.
Contractors should call the Principal or Deputy Principal and organise to meet them on site for allocation of work and to have the work signed off.
GAs are not responsible for the supervision or management of contractors and must not sign off on the work of contractors.
Principals must inform GAs who will be on call during the holidays and provide relevant contact details. This information can then be provided to any contractors who present on site.
HOURS OF WORK
The ordinary hours of work for full time GAs are 38 per week, and shall be worked between the hours of 6.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday for eight hours per day on 19 days of each 20 day cycle.
A GA shall be credited with 0.4 of one hour for each day worked with such time accruing as an entitlement to take one day off duty, with pay, in each four weekly cycle of 20 working days.
The rostered day off duty shall be determined by mutual agreement between a GA and the Principal. It may be taken on a rostered basis or accumulated and taken in the school vacation next occurring or such other method as may be agreed upon.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Principal (or their nominated delegate on the Executive or teaching staff) is responsible for supervision of GAs. Responsibility to supervise any staff apart from School Administrative Officers cannot be delegated to School Administrative Managers.
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Join the PSA online today at
https://membership.psa.asn.au/join/
