Water Quality
The Delta School District is committed to the health and safety of all its students and staff. At the request of the Provincial Health Officer via the Ministry of Education to all school districts in the Province in early 2016, the Delta School District established a plan to evaluate water quality in Delta schools. We are currently undertaking voluntary water quality testing in our older (pre-1989) facilities. Our testing program is underway, with all results expected back from the laboratory by mid-May. Once results are in, the District will act on any concerns and communicate to schools and parents.
Drinking Water Quality Program
In the interim, schools are undertaking preventative measures, which includes, running water lines water for a couple of minutes at all drinking fountains and classroom faucets each morning to mitigate any trace of any potential contaminants in the water. For more information, click on these links:
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
IAQ deals with the content of interior air that could affect health and comfort of building occupants. If Site Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Committees suspect that there may be an IAQ issue in their buildings, they are to download the IAQ package and complete three simple IAQ forms, which are invaluable in getting information and documenting it accordingly so that Maintenance Services has enough information to begin to make some decisions on what, if any, corrective action is necessary.
The first page of the IAQ package lists basic procedures to follow, outlines the application of the forms and where they are to be submitted. Site OH&S Committees are asked to please be as objective as possible in your statements in all cases. The package provides a basic template for Site OH&S Committees to photocopy when required and not all forms will be required in every case. Any questions regarding the forms or the use of the forms are to be directed to the District OH&S Committee for response.
Asbestos Management
The mandate of the Delta School District’s Asbestos Management Program is to control the hazards of exposure to airborne asbestos fibres by the identification, containment and/or elimination of asbestos-containing materials. The Delta School District has a number of buildings constructed in decades when asbestos was a common addition to building materials such as loose-fill and mechanical insulation, floor tiles and ceiling tiles. Mechanical (piping, ducting, tank) insulation was removed during the 1990s, and gradually ceiling and floor tiles have been replaced during building renewals, renovations or upgrades. However, there still remains some ceiling and floor tiles containing trace amounts of asbestos which, if left undisturbed, do not pose a risk.
The District is managing its on-going process of surveying, documentation, safe handling and removal of asbestos-containing materials in its buildings in strict conformance with Provincial Regulations, including the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations prepared and enforced by WorkSafe BC.
Pandemic Influenza and Viral Gastroenteritis Management
In the event of an influenza pandemic or an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis, more stringent cleaning methods must be adopted in order to protect the safety and health of staff and students. Given the concern regarding the spread of either virus through contaminated objects and surfaces, additional measures are required to minimize the transmission of the virus through environmental surfaces such as sinks, handles, railing, desktops, counters or other shared work surfaces. The additional cleaning requirements contained here will assist in reducing the spread of influenza and viral gastroenteritis:
Custodial Management Guide for Pandemic Influenza and Viral Gastroenteritis
Site Rules for Contractors
The Delta School District has developed a comprehensive set of requirements regarding safety, security and conduct to be followed by personnel contracted by the District to perform construction work at schools and other District sites.
Safe Routes to School
Safe Routes to School is a program initiated by the Corporation of Delta to develop maps for distribution to schools in the Delta School District demonstrating preferred routes for students to take when walking to their elementary schools. The purpose of the program is to help promote walking as a sustainable transportation choice for travelling to school.
The maps were developed with the recognition that some routes would be considered priorities for improvements in the short to long term. See the September 2008 report prepared by Opus Hamilton which describes the recommended routes to all elementary schools in Delta, as well as proposed changes and improvements here:
Safe Routes to School Final Report September 2018
District Emergency Preparedness Program
There are many hazards that could affect the Delta School District, due to its geographical location and naturally occurring events, including but not limited to the following:
- earthquakes
- floods
- fires
- hazardous material incidents
- transportation incidents
- utility failures
Following a major emergency or disaster, first responders (Delta Fire & Emergency Services, BC Ambulance Service, etc.) may not be available for some time during the initial phase. In fact, the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) advises that individuals and organizations should be prepared to carry on without assistance for the first 72 hours. Provincial and municipal governments have structures to respond to these emergencies, but not during this early period. Being prepared should be the greatest asset a school or any other district facility can have in facilitating its occupants’ survival and well-being. DeltaPrepared is the strategy the Delta School District is following to ensure that the District Emergency Plan is complete and workable, and to enable all schools and central operations to maintain a minimum level of preparedness in case of a natural disaster.