Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2020 Time: 2:00 PM EDT Speaker: Allison Palis, OSBIE Session Description: While playground equipment may be closed to students during the school day due to COVID-19, it is important that maintenance and inspection routines continue for those community members that use the equipment after-hours and on weekends. During this webinar we will discuss: The CAN/CSA Z614…
While COVID-19 has resulted in the cancellation of many activities and events, we are pleased to share that OSBIE presentations are not one of them! OSBIE is offering a series of webinars during the month of June at no charge for our members. Here’s a chance to sharpen and enhance your insurance and risk management knowledge from the comfort of…
On March 30 it was announced that Ontario is issuing a new emergency order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to close all outdoor recreational amenities, such as sports fields and playgrounds, effective immediately. The following are some tips to consider for alerting the public of the closure, reprinted by permission of the author, Scott Belair. Scott is…
***Version française au bas de la page*** Schools have always been regarded as short-term evacuation centers. With the schools currently being shut down indefinitely in conjunction with community needs to deal with COVID-19, we believe there is a chance that our members may be approached to help support their communities. We would expect most, if not all, school boards have…
***Version française au bas de la page*** Recent news articles have been published about the closure of public use playground equipment amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19. The concern is valid given that, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, the virus can survive up to three days on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200317-covid-19-how-long-does-the-coronavirus-last-on-surfaces). Some municipalities have made…
***Version française au bas de la page*** Slip and fall (or loss of balance) claims have the highest percentage of liability claims frequency across OSBIE membership. The following is an example of a slip and fall claim and how liability was determined. Description of loss The claimant (the injured person) lost balance in the parking lot (right where the yellow…
***Version française au bas de la page*** With the ongoing withdrawal of services, we’ve received inquiries about managing school activities during this time. Here are some examples that have been brought to our attention along with OSBIE’s recommendations. School event now deemed a non-sanctioned school event Example: A local university is scheduled to host a secondary school event. The event…
OSBIE Webcast – Liability and Risk Management 101 Date: Tuesday November 26th, 2019 Time: 2 PM EDT Speakers: Julie Welsh and Allison Palis, OSBIE Session Description: School boards face many risks in their day-to-day operations, ranging from student injuries from sports or school activities to transportation and the use of volunteers. This workshop provides a background on the social, legal…
***Version française au bas de la page*** The federal election will take place on October 21. During elections it is quite common for schools to be used as Polling Stations, meaning large numbers of people from all age groups will be converging on school properties on voting day. In addition to this, there may be the added risk of wet…
***Version française au bas de la page*** Despite our best efforts, injuries do occur at our schools which may result in a claim being brought against the school and board. As part of the investigation that OSBIE conducts, evidence is collected which assists the claims department in determining whether there is liability on the part of the board. Depending on…
