Under the Education Act, a school authority shall ensure that each student enrolled in a school is provided with a safe and caring environment that fosters and maintains respectful and responsible behaviours. Teachers must provide competent instruction to students; teach the programs of study that are prescribed, approved, or authorized; and are responsible for each student’s health and safety while under teacher supervision.

School authorities, school administrators, and CTS teachers are responsible for exercising due diligence, taking reasonable care, and doing everything that is reasonably practical to ensure that CTS learning environments are in compliance with applicable legislation and are healthy and safe for teachers, instructors, and students.

The health and safety of individuals and the environment is protected by law. All workers have the right to know about potential hazards they may come in contact with, to be protected from injury, and to receive proper care and attention if they do become involved in an incident.

In Alberta, Human Services' Safe and Fair Workplaces is responsible for developing and enforcing occupational health and safety legislation. The Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulation, and Code (OHS) identify the roles and responsibilities of employers and employees in maintaining a healthy and safe working environment in order to minimize the occurrence of workplace incidents. OHS exists to protect and promote the health and safety of all workers, including all paid workers, visitors, volunteers, contracted staff, and temporary workers.

For more information, visit the Alberta Labour website.

As an employer, the school authority must comply with OHS legislation. The superintendent, senior officers, principals, and non-school-based district staff have a statutory obligation to do everything reasonably practical to provide a safe and healthy environment for all employees, students, and volunteers. Additionally, school authorities ensure that their employees are

• aware of their responsibilities
• aware of the hazards associated with their work
• able to carry out their work safely
• routinely inspecting their instructional areas
• trained in measures for their own health and safety

For classroom resources on the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulation, and Code, visit Alberta Labour: Resources for the Classroom.

A student is not generally defined as a worker while taking instruction in a school or classroom situation, and, therefore, is not covered by the OHS legislation; however, a student may be considered a worker under OHS legislation while in certain off-campus programs. Many of the components of OHS are applicable to student health and safety.

For more information on students as workers, see the Workplace Health and Safety Bulletin titled Are students and volunteers workers?

The school principal, in accordance with school authority policy and/or regulation, has the authority to establish class size. OHS does not define a maximum number of students permitted in a CTS learning environment.

The Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) insures many of the workers in a school, including clerical, custodial, support staff, non-certificated instructors, and teacher aides. Teachers, principals, vice-principals, and others with the certification required to be teachers, and who are employed as teachers, are covered only in specific instances, such as those who teach designated CTS courses (WCB occupational descriptors), as well as anyone who performs duties related to the teaching of these courses. Certificated instructional staff not teaching CTS courses are covered through the Alberta School Employee Benefits Plan or another insurer.

For more information on WCB coverage of school personnel, see Policy 06–01 Part II, Application 3(8) (October 2013) at the Workers' Compensation Board: Policies and Information Manual website.

The Workers’ Compensation Act (WCA) applies to students participating in work experience or the practical experience part of a work-related program. For the purposes of insurance coverage, the WCA states that these students will be considered to be workers employed by the Government of Alberta. This statement affects procedures for reporting student injuries in the workplace and is important information for employers involved in off-campus education programs.

For more information on insurance coverage of students in work experience and off-campus education programs, see section 7(1)(e) in the Workers' Compensation Regulation (AR 325/2002) and section 153(3) in the Workers' Compensation Act.