Risk Management and Workplace Policies

The following policies and procedures are in effect for Education Arts Canada (“EAC”) and its main production partner, All Together Now Corporation (“ATN”).

Volunteer/staff screening and training

All EAC staff and volunteers must receive training in delivery of programming to ensure the maximum benefit to our clients and to eliminate or minimize any potential risks. All EAC staff that come into contact with children, teachers, or other EAC clients are screened through interview and reference checks. EAC performers who come into contact with children also must pass a Vulnerable Services Sector police check.

Equitable Access

All EAC programs are open to attendance by people of any ability or physical condition. Decisions about modifying participation or refraining from active participation in programs requiring physical activity will be the responsibility of caregivers, teachers, etc. as they know the individual children and their needs best.

Conflict of Interest

EAC staff and directors will declare any conflict of interest or recuse themselves in advance of making any decisions or enacting any policies which could be compromised by such conflicts of interest. If you are aware of a conflict of interest involving EAC staff please contact us.

Complaints Procedures

With programs reaching 100,000 students per year, sometimes things go wrong — or not as right as they should. In an effort to continually improve, EAC encourages clients and partners to bring forward any complaints immediately so that EAC can rectify any mistakes and use the opportunity to improve our services. Complaints should be submitted via our Contact Us page. Should you not receive a satisfactory response within 5 business days, or should you feel that we have not taken appropriate action, you may contact our Director of Operations, Sylvia Callaghan, at 1-877-MYSONGS ext 111.

Police Reference Checks

All EAC personnel that go into schools or come into contact with children must undergo a Vulnerable Services Sector police check.

Concussion Prevention and Management

No activities conducted by EAC should put any participant at risk for concussion. With over half a million children participating in our physical education programs, there has never been a report of any head injuries whatsoever. JiggiJump is designed for each participant to do in place at their own seat / place. This minimizes interaction between participants that could result in concussion. All EAC programs are conducted under the supervision of existing caregivers, teaching staff, etc. who have procedures already in place for dealing with injuries.

Quality Assurance

All EAC programs, group leaders, and performers receive training and quality assurance checks from the most senior levels of EAC leadership. EAC leadership randomly attend or videotape programs to assure quality is maintained after the initial training and screening.

Codes of Conduct and Ethical Responsibilities

Every EAC leader and performer must sign a contract in which they must adhere to a strict code of conduct while in or near an EAC program. This includes no swearing, smoking, or any other activity which could be seen as in any way detrimental to the young participants.

Health and Safety

Schools and theatres hosting EAC programs are responsible to provide a working environment that is safe for our performers and program leaders, and an environment that is safe for our program participants. Should EAC personnel encounter a stage or gymnasium that is not safe for our programs, they will not proceed with the presentation.

EAC conducts all its productions in accordance with accepted safety guidelines for the live performance industry. All performers, crew and associated personnel should familiarize themselves with these policies as outlined on the Ministry of Labour website here:
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs/liveperformance/gl_live_intro.php

In addition to familiarizing themselves with the referenced guidelines at the Ministry of Labour site (link above), all performers, crew and associated personal must follow these safety guidelines:

  • Employees will ensure they are alert and aware at all times of any potential danger/health risk in a situation. Should there be a risk, they must stop and seek assistance immediately.
  • Employees may refuse work in which they deem unsafe.
  • At NO time will children under the age of 18 assist in loading or unloading a vehicle.
  • At NO time will a vehicle reverse without a person in clear view guiding the person to back up safely. Person signaling will wear orange safety vest provide.
  • Emergency contact information will be kept in the tech director’s binder at all times.
  • Tech director must carry a charged cell phone at all times in case 911 must be called.
  • Tech director must ensure the stage is clear of all non-essential personnel while any construction is on the stage or while a Genie is on stage.
  • Safety meeting will be held at the beginning of each run
  • Upon arrival at a venue, tech director shall learn the location of emergency exits and fire extinguishers as well as the procedure for a fire alarm.
  • Tech director will have first aid kit with him/her
  • Crew will follow the safety guidelines of each venue
  • Crew will know the location of the emergency exits and fire extinguishers
  • All loading and unloading crew will wear steel toe shoes, gloves, and safety vests.
  • Tech director will fill in an incident report any time there is an injury of cast or crew. If medical help is called at time of incident, tech director must contact the EAC administration office or senior EAC staff on site(if applicable) immediately. If only a first aid kit treatment is required, incident must be reported to the EAC administration office by end of day.
  • Should tech director be injured or fall ill, it will be the responsibility of the senior cast member to take on responsibilities mentioned above
  • Tech director will ensure stage floor and backstage areas are safe from trips and falls and have adequate lighting and request assistance from theatre staff if adjustments need to be made.
  • Tech director will ensure vehicle is loaded in a safe and secure manner.

Anti-Harassment / Anti-Discrimination

EAC complies with all provisions of the provincial Human Rights code and will not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, sexual preference, etc. for any of its staff or performers. While keeping with these provisions, EAC may need to fill some dramatic roles with characters matching a certain description or gender. Also, EAC will attempt to present a diversity of races and genders in its programs. While we have never yet had an instance of harassment or discrimination connected with our programming, should you have any concerns in this regard, please contact us immediately.

If you are an EAC worker and you experience harassment in the workplace, please take these steps:

  1. If it is possible, tell the harasser that their behavior is unwelcome and ask them to stop.
  2. Keep a record of the incidents (date, times, locations, possible witnesses, what happened, your response). You do not have to have a record of events in order to make a complaint, but a record can strengthen your case and help you remember details over time.
  3. Make a complaint. If, after asking the harasser to stop their behavior, the harassment continues, report the problem to one or more of the following individuals:
    1. Your immediate supervisor
    2. EAC Director of Operations
    3. EAC Chair
    4. A senior member of the cast/crew that is in a position to help you
  4. You also have the right to contact the Ontario Human Rights Commission to make a complaint of harassment that is based on any of the grounds protected from discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

As the employer, EAC’s responsibilities around harassment are to:

  • have a workplace harassment policy and review it as often as necessary, but at least annually;
  • have a workplace harassment program that describes how to make a complaint or report an incident of workplace harassment and how those complaints or incidents will be investigated and dealt with;
  • provide information and instruction to workers on the employer’s workplace harassment policy and program.
  • ensure the written program is developed and maintained in consultation with the Joint Health and Safety Committee or health and safety representative, if any.
  • ensure an appropriate investigation is conducted into incidents or complaints of workplace harassment;
  • inform a worker who has allegedly experienced workplace harassment and the alleged harasser, if they are a worker of the employer, in writing of the results of the investigation and any corrective action that has been or will be taken;
  • review the workplace harassment program as often as necessary, but at least once a year.

Conflict Resolution

Problems, misunderstandings and frustrations may arise in the workplace. It is EAC’s intent to be responsive to its employees and their concerns. Therefore, an employee who is confronted with a problem may use the procedure described below to resolve or clarify his or her concerns.

The purpose of this policy is to provide a quick, effective and consistently applied method for a nonsupervisory employee to present his or her concerns to management and have those concerns internally resolved.

Procedures

Step 1: Discussion with supervisor

  1. Initially, employees should bring their concerns or complaints to their immediate supervisor. If the complaint involves the employee’s supervisor, the employee should schedule an appointment with that supervisor to discuss the problem that gave rise to the complaint within five working days of the date the incident occurred.

  2. The immediate supervisor should respond in writing to the complaint within five days of the meeting held with the complainant employee.

Step 2: Written complaint and decision

  1. If the discussion with the immediate supervisor does not resolve the problem to the mutual satisfaction of the employee and the supervisor, or if the supervisor does not respond to the complaint, the employee may submit a written complaint to the employee’s director/department head. Employees may request assistance with writing their complaints from the Director of Operations.

    The employee’s director/department head should forward a copy of the complaint to the Director of Operations.

    The submission of the written complaint is due within five working days of the response from the supervisor. The complaint should include:

    • The problem and the date when the incident occurred.

    • Suggestions on ways to resolve the problem.

    • A copy of the immediate supervisor’s written response or a summary of his or her verbal response and the date when the employee met with the immediate supervisor. If the supervisor provided no response, the complaint should state this.

  2. Upon receipt of the formal complaint, the director/department head must schedule a meeting with the employee within five working days to discuss the complaint. Within approximately five working days after the discussion, the director/department head should issue a decision both in writing and orally to the employee filing the complaint.

Step 3: Appeal of decision

  1. If the employee is dissatisfied with the decision of the director/department head, the employee may, within five working days, appeal this decision in writing to the Director of Operations.

  2. The Director of Operations may call a meeting with the parties directly involved to facilitate a resolution or refer complaints to a review committee if it believes that the complaint raises serious questions of fact or interpretation of policy. The Director of Operations may gather further information from involved parties.

Additional Guidance

If an employee fails to appeal from one level to the next level of this procedure within the time limits set forth above, the problem should be considered settled on the basis of the last decision, and the problem should not be subject to further consideration.

Because problems are best resolved on an individual basis, the conflict resolution procedure may be initiated only by individual employees and not by groups of employees. All complaints must be made in good faith.

EAC reserves the right to impose appropriate disciplinary action for any conduct it considers to be disruptive or inappropriate. The circumstances of each situation may differ, and the level of disciplinary action may also vary, depending on factors such as the nature of the offense, whether it is repeated, the employee’s work record and the impact of the conduct on the organization.

No EAC employee will be subject to retaliation for filing a complaint under this policy.