Classified Staff Association General Meeting Minutes: Friday, June 28, :00 a.m. / MDP Campus Room A134

Transcription

1 Classified Staff Association General Meeting Minutes: Friday, June 28, :00 a.m. / MDP Campus Room A134 Committee Members Present: Jessie Arellano, Laura Estrada, Laura Gaither, Mary Jáuregui, Cecilia Montoya, Marisol Negrete, Belinda Quiñones, Evangelina Rangel, Clara Topete Absent: Jennifer Campbell, Claudia Del Hierro, Isabel Flores, Ana Guerrero, Isabel Hernandez, Luis Juárez, Barbara Moreno, Jennifer Perkins, Rosario Pulido Quorum present? Yes Non-Members Present: Nancy Tharp, Christine Hines, Gustavo Chavez, Vera Azaria, Isabel Chavira Proceedings: I. Call to Order- Belinda Quiñones, President Meeting called to order at 10:11 a.m. Welcome made by Belinda Quiñones. II. Approval of May General Meeting Minutes Motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the General Meetings held on May 31, Motion was passed. Minutes can be found at the CSA website: III. Financial Report A treasurer s report detailing the breakdown of the revenue and expenses was distributed to the attendees. IV. Safety in the Workplace Presentation Nancy Tharp Risk Manager, Nancy Tharp gave an entertaining and informative presentation on workplace safety. The College encourages everyone to practice prudent working habits and to ensure that their work environment is also safe. It was urged that safety practices extend into employees home lives as well. Most accidents can be avoided by implementing preventative measures utilizing a 3 point protocol: 1. Engineering Controls The first and best strategy is to control the hazard at its source. Engineering controls do this, unlike other controls that generally focus on the employee exposed to the hazard. The basic concept behind engineering controls is that, to the extent feasible, the

2 work environment and the job itself should be designed to eliminate hazards or reduce exposure to hazards. 2. Administrative Controls Safe work practices are to be considered forms of administrative controls. They are means or other measures aimed at reducing employee exposure to hazards. These types of controls are normally used in conjunction with other controls that more directly prevent or control exposure to the hazard. 3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) PPE is used when exposure to hazards cannot be avoided and when safe work practices and other forms of administrative controls cannot provide sufficient additional protection. An example of a supplementary method of control is the use of protective clothing or equipment, back supports, wrist braces. Proper Lifting Technique Preventing Back Injuries 1. Plan ahead before lifting. Knowing what you're doing and where you're going will prevent you from making awkward movements while holding something heavy. Clear a path, and if lifting something with another person, make sure both of you agree on the plan. Do not stack items to the point where they block your vision. 2. Lift close to your body. You will be a stronger and more stable lifter if the object is held close to your body rather than at the end of your reach. Make sure you have a firm hold on the object you are lifting, and keep it balanced close to your body. 3. Feet shoulder width apart. A solid base of support is important while lifting. Holding your feet too close together will be unstable, too far apart will hinder movement. Keep the feet about shoulder width apart and take short steps. 4. Bend your knees and keep your back straight. Practice the lifting motion before you lift the object, and think about your motion before you lift. Focus on keeping your spine straight--raise and lower to the ground by bending your knees. Do not twist your waist. 5. Tighten your stomach muscles. Tightening your abdominal muscles will hold your back in a good lifting position and will help prevent excessive force on the spine.

3 6. Lift with your legs. Your legs are many times stronger than your back muscles--let this strength work in your favor. Lower yourself to the ground by bending your knees, not your back. Keeping your eyes focused upwards helps to keep your back straight. 7. If you're straining, get help. If an object is too heavy, or awkward in shape, make sure you have someone around who can help you lift. Rule of thumb: it you cannot move it 6 inches with one foot, it s too heavy to lift. A break was taken at this point in the presentation, giving attendees the opportunity to stretch by participating in Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Employees were encouraged to take a 5-10 minute break every few hours from their work stations, as working at a computer often involves very few changes in body position. This lack of movement can lead to muscle pain and strain. Following are some of the recommendations made to break up the monotony: Vary the work tasks. Break up keyboarding tasks work by doing other job duties or tasks that involve moving around or changing body position. Try to stand up and move around. Look away from the screen occasionally and focus your eyes on an object far away. Take regular rest breaks to ease muscle aches, eye strain and stress. Relax your muscles, stretch and change position. Common Safety Hazards Using chairs as ladders or step stools Slips, trips, and falls (Statistics providing by emergency rooms indicate that texting while walking is now the greatest contributor to this these of accidents.) Electrical hazards Repetitive use injury (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) Chemicals/Exposure to hazardous materials Fire Safety Tips Identify two exits Know your evacuation plan In case of fire, leave the building immediately (you have 3 minutes or less to safely evacuate) Close the door behind you Do not use the elevator

4 Contact EPCC or 911 if unable to exit Once clear of the building, stay together with your group Keep a distance of at least 300 yards from the building Use the buddy system (always let at least one person know where you are at all times) The Office of Risk Management promotes Safety Shares and recommends beginning meetings with a suggestion on how to foster a safer work/home environment. As an incentive, EPCC offers Safety Share pins to those who contribute. The Office of Risk Management may be contacted for more information about this program. Following is a link to their website: The website provides valuable tips and printable resources that will allow you to Keep safety in your mind. V. Other Business --Belinda Quiñones briefly discussed the recent from Dr. Serrata regarding the SACS accreditation review and the warning imposed on the College. The College is not on probation and has not lost its accredited status. EPCC has been given 12 months to address and resolve the issues brought to light by the review. Three particular points were addressed: 1. A disparity between the number of full-time faculty and the number of enrolled students was noted. Many instructor positions are currently being held by part-timers. It is estimated that approximately 30 fulltime faculty members will need to be hired in order to correct this imbalance. 2. Job performance evaluations were not conducted in an appropriate manner. It was indicated that all employee evaluations must be based upon the merit of the work performed by the individual. 3. Better measurement of program review processes is necessitated in order to accurately gage the success of each program. For example, state funding is tied to the College s graduation rate, rather than the enrollment rate. Although enrollment rates have substantially increased, our graduation rate is not reflective of that. --Members of CSA will be scheduling a meeting with Dr. Serrate to follow up on items previously discussed with him at the beginning of the year as well as to address any new concerns. Attendees were invited to bring any topics or issued they d like to discuss to the attention of any CSA representative.

5 --Belinda Quiñones announced that the Annual Christmas Dance will be held on December 20, 2013 at BeBe s Hall on Yarbrough from 08:00 p.m. to 01:00 a.m. Tickets are expected to be available for purchase beginning in late September, early October. --Those present were reminded that CSA General Meetings are held on the last Friday of each month. Meeting agenda notifications are sent through the district announcements and copies of the approved minutes for previous meetings can be found on the CSA website. --Drawing was held for door prizes. Following are the recipients: EPCC Coffee Cup Gustavo Chavez, Risk Management EPCC Coffee Mug Isabel Chavira, MDP Library EPCC Coffee Cup Nancy Tharp, Risk Management EPCC QEP Coffee Mug Vera Azaria, Student Success MDP Meeting was adjourned at 11:04 a.m.