Health and Safety in School Workshops

Schools are the building blocks where we send our kids for a better tomorrow, however are we sure that their today is safe, within the confines of these future building blocks. The safety of staff and students is increasingly becoming an issue for school communities, an issue most schools are addressing now. Health and safety law requires employers to appoint a competent and well trained person to help them meet their health and safety duties in accordance with the law. A competent person is someone with the required skills, knowledge and ample experience to give sensible advice about managing the health and safety risks at the school. Following sources maybe pooled in to meet the required result:

·         Person appointed directly by the school or local authority or Academy Trust.

·         One or more staff at the school e.g. principal; head of department, staff members with specialist curriculum knowledge by arranging specialist support from outside.

School authorities should always take a commonsensical and proportionate approach, remembering that in schools risk assessment and management are tools to enable children to undertake activities safely.

Training

Employers must ensure that staff is given updated and suitable health and safety training required for their job and the holistic safety of the school premises. It should provide school staff with basic instructions or information about health and safety in the school. Staff involved with work which involves a greater element of risk, will need more training while rest can be provided with basic safety training. The issues that school employers decide to include in the health and safety policy will depend on the size of the school, the nature of the risks associated with the school’s activities and the competency of staff.

All injuries are preventable. The key to prevention is a positive safety focus in all spheres of our lives. While the laid down guidelines are designed to improve health and safety for school staff, the principles of effective safety and hazard management are applicable in all areas of school activity. It includes students, contractors, visitors and educational activities outside the classroom, which may involve volunteers who also need to follow the school's risk management plans.

@  http://www.risksafetyservices.co.uk/