safety education

Safety education is the responsibility of all staff in the school, includingteaching and non-teaching staff, through the formal and informal curriculum.If safety education is to be effective, safety should underpin the whole culture and ethos of the school.

What can safety education achieve?Safety education can enable children and

young people, and their parents/carers, to put effective safety measures into practice. For example, young cyclists can be taught how to plan safer routes to avoid difficult junctions where most accidents happen. Fitting smoke alarms and rehearsing escape routes can save lives in fires.

What pupils learn about risk assessment in school can be applied to life outside the school gates and can increase receptiveness to safety information and advice from other sources. Safety education can help young people make decisions about, and undertake, a wide range of activities - sport, adventurous activities, travel, work experience - confidently and competently.

What is safety education? Safety education should enable pupils to keep

themselves safe and to contribute to keeping others safe. It helps them be aware of possible hazards in different areas of their lives, and be able to take appropriate decisions and actions.

Safety education is not about isolating young people from all hazards – the bumps, cuts and bruises which are a normal part of growing up -but about equipping them to deal safely with a wide range of situations.

Safety education includes:

The skills of hazard awareness and recognition, and risk assessment and management. Pupils will be taught about risk assessment in subjects such as design and technology, science and physical education. Safety education enables pupils to transfer this learning to other areas of their lives.

The factors which influence attitudes and behaviourwhich relate to safety. Safety education should include consideration of the stereotypes and pressures which affect risk taking, for example, media images linking driving and speed, or the influence of fashion trends on the wearing of protective equipment.

Personal and social skills like assertiveness are important in enabling pupils to take responsibility for their own and others’ safety: for example, when asking for help or calling the emergency services, or asking an adult to wear a seat belt or to drive more slowly.

The role of emotions in recognising and managing risky situations. Being able to control anger and deal with stress and fear are valuable safety-related skills.

Playing a part in making communities safer. Safety education involves learning to take responsibility for social and moral issues. Discussing safety issues to do with their school and local environment can lead on to pupils taking part in activities to improve safety. It should include discussion about social and political issues, which impact on improving safety.

Contexts for safety educationEffective safety education should include a

range of contexts appropriate to the age and developmental stage of the pupils. Account should be taken of the immediate environment of the pupils, for example, urban or rural roads, as well as unfamiliar environments that pupils may encounter, for example, driving, field visits, family holidays or work experience settings.

Contexts and Issues for Safety Education play

sport and leisure

construction sites

Water

roads

rail

Fire

electricity, gas

agricultural settings

school

community safety

the world of work

home

personal safety

socio-political issues

Effective planning for safety education will help teachers to promote key skillsand thinking skills:

Key skills

information technology

improving pupils’ learning and performance

information processing

enquiry

evaluation

Thinking skills

working with others

problem solving.

Reasoning

creative thinking

The general teaching requirement for health and safety requires teachers toteach pupils how to:

Recognise hazards: A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm (this can include objects,

substances, machines, ways of working and the working environment).

Assess risk : A risk is the likelihood of potential harm from the hazard being realised. The extent of the

risk will depend on :

1) the likelihood of that harm occurring

2) the potential severity of that harm

3) the number of people who might be affected.

Control risk : The purpose of the risk assessment is to

determine what measures should be taken to control the risk, taking into account existing precautions and their effectiveness.

POINTS TO PONDER UPON

Is student safety a priority for your school and your community?

Do parents have access to reports that include information about the number of violent or other unsafe incidents at the school?

Does your school have procedures for responding quickly to unsafe situations?

Is your school addressing ways to prevent as well as respond to crises?

Are the school board, school principal, school superintendent, teachers, school staff, parents, students, and community professionals all involved in these efforts?

Has someone been designated to coordinate activities to maintain a safe and healthy environment?

Are counselors and psychologists available to work with students who are troubled or disruptive?

Do students in all grades participate in classes to help them develop conflict resolution and other life skills?

Do school health service providers help or refer students who come to them with concerns about safety?

Does the school emphasize promoting self-esteem and respect for others in all aspects of the school program?

Are parents and students involved in activities that promote school safety?

Are teachers encouraged to set examples of positive physical, social, and emotional health?

Does the school have fair, firm, consistent discipline policies?

Are school facilities attractive and hazard-free?

Is safety addressed in all aspects of the school program-the cafeteria, physical education, classrooms, playgrounds, after-school programs, etc.?

Do school staff, parents, and community members working on school safety collaborate?

Unhealthy Building

Contaminated air If the children frequently has symptoms similar to

a cold, an allergy, or the flu—and if the doctor has eliminated other causes—watch your child to see if the problem clears up on the weekends.

Another sign is when people with asthma or allergies have more reactions to these conditions when they are inside the school building than outside it.

Pesticides in School

Because their young bodies are still developing, children are more susceptible than adults to harm from pesticides and other lawn-care products.

Some schools are employing firms that use safer alternative pest control methods.

Unsafe Drinking Water

Occasionally, schools are found to have contaminants such as lead in the drinking water. Lead pipes in older buildings can be one of the culprits. All schools should have their water tested periodically.

COMING TO THE SCHOOL Safety measures can take a variety of forms, everything

from stepped-up traffic enforcement to in-class education on such topics as school bus safety rules.

Many schools have adult crossing guards and school safety patrols, for example. Still, there probably are traffic situations that could use improvement.

A safety audit with the help of a school safety committee should be done that includes staff, parents, police, and someone from your community's traffic engineering department.

The engineer can look at signs, traffic lights, street markings, and other features of the streets around your school and make recommendations on additional traffic control measures that might be needed, for example.

One project of the school safety committee should be preparing maps that show the safest routes to school.

The maps should be big enough to incorporate the entire enrollment area.

Many of the traffic problems around schools are caused by parents. Some ignore the pick-up zones, double park, or block the buses.

Schools can alleviate congestion by taking such steps as staggering the dismissal of walkers and riders, having them exit on different sides of the building, and creating more pick-up-lane space if possible.

Traffic rule violations put kids in danger. If this is a problem at your school, talk to the parent-teacher association or the school staff—both about ways to ease congestion and to enforce the rules.

School Bus Safety: Kids should be taught school bus safety rules. For example, they should stay away from the wheels and the back of the school bus. If they cross in front of the bus after deboarding, they should move to at least 10 feet in front of the bus and wait for a signal from the driver that it's safe to cross.

Safety of Playgrounds If the equipment is metal, it should be painted or

galvanized to prevent rusting. Otherwise, the structure can become weakened or develop sharp, broken edges. Parts used for climbing and gripping are safest if covered with slip-resistant material.

Wooden equipment can deteriorate and become splintered. Bolts can loosen.

Moving parts can pinch or crush a child's finger. Give special scrutiny to merry-go-rounds, seesaws, and suspension bridges.

Exposed mechanisms, such as joints or springs, are prime places for injury. Moving parts should be kept lubricated.

Kids should never wear clothing with drawstrings. The strings can get caught on playground equipment—and other places—and stranglechildren.

Make sure elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, have guardrails to prevent falls.

Fire and Safety drills Have monthly drills and time them to be sure that

students are exiting in a timely manner.

Hold fire safety assemblies to review procedures.

Review each fire drill over the intercom or on the schools television broadcast. Provide recommendations for improvement and commend exemplary behavior.

Use of fire extinguishers should be known to all.

Earthquake Simulation and Evacuation Drill Give your students several opportunities to ask

questions and discuss their fears and concerns. They’ll have plenty of “what if ’ questions. Don’t feel that you must provide all the answers. Let your students hold problem-solving sessions. Class and group discussions provide opportunities for students not only to express their negative feelings, but also to develop pride in the positive competency they have gained.

Classroom Hazard Hunt

Are free-standing cabinets, bookcases, and wall shelves secured to a structural support?

Are heavy objects removed from shelves above the heads of seated students?

Is the TV monitor securely fastened to a stable platform or securely attached to a rolling cart with lockable wheels?

Are wall mountings secured to prevent them from swinging free or breaking windows during an earthquake?

Are hanging plants all in lightweight, unbreakable pots and fastened to closed hooks?

Laboratory safety measures Use of Lab-gear viz. lab coats, hand gloves etc.

Adequately trained lab staff.

Safety drills for the lab in case of an emergency.

Training the students for safety precautions related to use of chemicals, electric points, hazardous equipment etc.