Students say increased safety concerns drive need for more trained staff
Students want more Langarans to be trained for emergency situations
By YEORGIOS PRONTZOS
A chemical-related accident on campus last spring has students questioning the reliance on campus security as first responders and the limited role of other departments in medical emergencies.
First year theatre production student Mayara Nobre was working on set construction in Studio 58 when paint splattered into her eye. No eyewash stations were available in the department, and the instructor was only able to help Nobre by contacting campus security.
“I had to go to the nearest washroom and try to do my best to take the paint out immediately … I don’t know the protocol, I could [have made] it worse,” she said.
Security guided her from Studio 58 in A Building across campus to B Building to get the correct treatment and use the eyewash station there. Months later, the college equipped Studio 58 with eyewash stations at the start of the 2024 fall term.
“If the resources were around quicker and in an easier way, I would have felt safer,” Nobre said.
Langara protocols and services
The occupational first aid protocol at Langara was last revised in 2012. The policy says staff and students should call 911 for all life-threatening medical incidents. Anyone experiencing or witnessing a non-life-threatening medical incident should contact campus security at extension 4444.
Langara also has its own app for students called the Langara Safe App, with software embedded with safety-related resources, including the ability to call security from the app. In the event a student needs an escort, the campus security provides a safe walk anywhere on the grounds and as far as the nearest transit line.
Students expectations
Students are now hoping other college staff can be given proper training, so they don’t need to rely strictly on security for medical emergencies.
“Instructors should have at least a basic emergency [training] or clear protocol to follow in case of accidents, especially on the site, because they are the one leading the class,” third year Langara computer science student Luizah Graca said.
Gustavo Castillo, a first year Langara marketing student, said that if he knows his instructor can handle an emergency “[he’s] going to feel more comfortable.”
Safety guidelines posted to the Langara website say that, in addition to security, there are “several Langara employees” with first aid training.
However, there is no information that identifies who they are on campus or how many staff are actively certified. It only mentions that staff “can respond with life-saving equipment, experience, and expertise,” without identifying where that equipment is, or who is certified to use it.
The Voice contacted the college’s facilities and communications departments seeking answers to these questions, but did not get a response from either by the day of publication.
Comments are closed.