Section One - Health and Safety
Section One - HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
Health and Safety
While Health and safety is primarily the responsibility of the Proprietor in consultation with the Head teacher, all teachers and other staff members share the oversight and responsibility for the prevention of dangerous practices, faulty equipment, which includes the fabric of the building, furniture and fences, gates and playground surfaces etc.
While undertaking their day to day work in the school, all staff should take careful note of anything which may cause injury to other members of staff, parents, visitors and particularly to the pupils.
Using our system (reporting via Head, in book or verbally) for reporting any faulty and dangerous equipment, repairs can be undertaken as quickly as possible.
Any equipment awaiting repair should be put out of use and clearly labelled.
External Areas
The external parts of the school site are usually monitored by the Maintenance Officer and Groundsman.
The exterior parts of the school grounds must be kept in good repair and holes or loose wire repaired as quickly as possible. Serious accidents can be caused by loose ends of wire, sharp pieces of wood, loose screws, protruding nails.
Gates should be fastened open or shut and not left swinging, as they are a temptation for children to climb and swing on them, or shut their own or other pupil's fingers in them.
Playground Surfaces
If holes appear in asphalted or tarmacadam surfaces, they seem to enlarge overnight. Children seem quite unable to resist a hole and will dig in it, until it is a hazard to anyone running by.
Car Parking or Delivery Areas
If humanly possible, pupils or visitors should not be allowed access to these areas, as they are a constant focus for serious accidents, when vehicles are manoeuvring to park in crowded areas.
There is usually an alternative path which does not entail pupils in particular crossing these areas.
The Fabric of the Building
Mainly in the brief of the Maintenance Officer.
Damaged brickwork, splintered window or door frames etc. should be repaired as quickly as possible. Windows, particularly on upper floors should have stops fitted to limit the amount by which they can be opened, to prevent a pupils from falling out.
Interior of the Building.
Inside the building is also part of the staff responsibilities.
The Hall where P.E. activities take place is probably one of the main areas where accidents to pupils are likely to happen.
All apparatus should be regularly checked as if an accident can happen, it surely will!
All moveable apparatus like benches and mats should always be checked at regular intervals and so kept in excellent repair.
Pupils should wear suitable clothing and footwear (or bare feet) for all indoor P.E. Activities. Hair should be tied back (boys or girls) so that it does not restrict vision or become caught in apparatus or even other pupil's fingers.
Earrings should not be worn, except either small studs, or rings and, if possible covered with masking tape or plaster. There have been quite a few accidents with earrings, where the ear lobe has been split. Often the earring has become caught in the owner's or someone elses hair or fingers, while pupils are rushing about, as they are prone to do.
All P.E. activities should take place without undue noise and in a disciplined manner.
Health and Safety in the Classroom
Classrooms should be set out so that easy access is available to all equipment and between tables, chairs and other furniture. Tall storage cupboards should be screwed to the wall behind, to prevent them from over balancing on top of a pupil.
Dangerous equipment or materials should be kept locked up. It is not sufficient for the teacher to tell the pupils not to use them unless supervised. Knives, sharp pointed scissors, staple guns, technology tools, glue guns, can be lethal in inexperienced hands.
Pencils:
Should never be sharpened at both ends, or to such a point that they become lethal weapons. A piece of fine sandpaper will blunt the point to a safe level to preserve bodies and particularly eyes from danger.
Felt Pen Lids:
Should always have a hole in them to prevent pupils from choking themselves on them, if they are swallowed.
Powdered Wallpaper Paste:
Often contains an anti-mould ingredient, which can be poisonous.
Craft Knives:
These need careful supervision as they are razor-sharp. They should be used only to cut downwards onto a board and never across onto fingers etc.
Staple-Guns:
Can become a dangerous weapon if fired at another pupil.
Hole-Punches:
Can also punch holes in fingers especially small ones.
Scissors:
Should always have rounded points if being used by a pupil up to year 6. Seniors use pointed scissors in CDT and should be very carefully supervised.
Compasses:
Safety compasses should be provided for pupils up to year 6. Ordinary compasses are provided for the seniors and, when not in use, the points should always be covered by a cork.
Water Pots:
These should be plastic not glass. A glass jar will inevitably be broken and a pupil may then fall on the broken glass causing added stress in your life.
Chairs:
Chairs normally have four legs but for some reason, many pupils feel that chairs really only need two. It is very easy to do yourself serious damage, if balancing on the back two legs. It is normally the pupil's head which hits the ground first. If a pupil has to climb on a chair for any reason, make sure the chair is being held steadily by a responsible class mate, who will not walk away at the crucial moment.
Sewing Needles:
These should not be left about but threaded carefully into needlework and packed away in a safe place.
Nature Exhibits:
Some flowers, berries and fungi are poisonous. Be very careful about displaying any that are.
Handwork Tools:
Make sure all pupils are instructed how to use the tools and particularly the need to put them away safely. Technology is an extremely useful subject and is much loved by all pupils. A little care will ensure that accidents are rare, and relatively minor.
First Aid
At least two qualified First Aiders should be on call at all times.
First Aid equipment must be provided and all staff must be aware of the where abouts of the First Aid Box.
The First Aid Box should contain as a minimum:
Thermometer
Sharp Scissors
Tongue Depresser
Tweezers
Eye Bath
*Assorted Elastoplast (type) dressings
Non-allergic plaster and dressing pads
Gauze
*Cotton wool swabs
Triangular Bandage
Bandages of various widths
*Antiseptic liquid and cream
Antihistamine cream for stings etc.
Calamine Lotion
*Sterile needle for splinters etc.
Disposable plastic gloves.
With the increase in Hepatitis and HIV, it is essential that disposable gloves are used by anyone who deals with a bad cut, or a sick pupil, as infection can be caught from body fluids. These gloves should only be used once and then, together with swabs and soiled dressings placed in a bag, which can be sealed and disposed of according to the correct procedures.
The common playground accidents
Bumps:
Bathe with cold water and calm the pupil down. If a bad bump on the head, particularly if a pupil is sick, dizzy or loses consciousness, even for a very short time, the pupil should be seen by a doctor. Take to Accident and Emergency Department of local hospital (dial 999 if necessary). Always contact the parent and ask them to meet you at the hospital, as many hospitals will not treat the child without parental consent.
Cuts and Grazes:
Wash with antiseptic liquid in warm water or saline solution. Dry well and cover with a plaster, or gauze and plaster strip.
Stings:
Many pupils panic if a wasp or bee comes too close to them. By waving their arms about and screaming, they are almost certain to be stung. Wasps do not leave the sting in the wound. Bee stings can be removed by scraping with a tongue depresser.
Splinters:
Can be removed with tweezers. Then wash well and apply a plaster.
Nose Bleed:
Sit pupil up and hold bridge of nose fairly tightly. An ice pack on back of neck cuts down blood flow. Do not let them blow their nose or bleeding will recommence.
A Possible Fracture:
Immobilise limb as far as possible with triangular bandage and take to hospital. (Dial 999 for ambulance if necessary).
Swallowing something poisonous:
Remember acids, caustic soda and many dangerous substances can do damage coming back up again so beware of using an emetic. Call an Ambulance.
Allergies:
There seem to be many more pupils now, who are allergic to certain foods such as peanuts. No one may be aware of this until the pupil comes into contact with this food for the first time (which may be in school). The pupil becomes red and swelling can appear, often followed by breathing difficulties, which can be fatal if not dealt with quickly.
The pupil may have an inhaler or a syringe loaded with adrenaline if he/she has had such an attack before. If not dial 999 or take to A&E Department of local hospital quickly. The same allergic reaction may occur with such things as bee stings. Treatment is the same for any serious allergic reaction.
Asthma attacks:
It will usually be known if a pupil is asthmatic and the pupil will have an inhaler in school for his/her use. Calm the pupil down and don't panic yourself. Use the inhaler as directed. If no inhaler is available and/or it is a serious attack get the pupil to a doctor or hospital quickly.
Medication:
If a pupil has to have regular medication written instructions should be provided by the parent and only a nominated staff member should administer the dose to avoid duplication.
Educational Visits
When planning an educational visit, there are some safety rules which should be kept in mind.
1. Adequate planning and a preliminary visit should be undertaken by the teacher in charge to ensure the suitability of the venue for the visit.
2. Pupils should never be taken off site without the parents being aware of the details of the visit and its purpose. A permission slip must be signed by parents.
3. Adequate supervision must be provided. The rule is: - The younger the pupil - the higher the ratio of adults. If parents are invited, it is unwise to allow them to bring pre-school children with them.
4. Frequent counting of the pupils is absolutely essential. One or more can disappear in seconds if you don't.
5. If public transport is used, every group of pupils needs to be supervised by an adult. Remember, often there may be room for only small groups on each bus when they are crowded in the rush hour, so a generous ratio of adults to pupils is needed.
6. If using private hire coaches etc. makesure that they have seat belts. Do not overcrowd the seats and make sure the pupils sit down and keep their voices at a reasonable level. Drivers can lose concentration if pupils are too noisy or moving up and down the coach, (making an accident more likely).
7. Limit packed lunches to sensible food which is unlikely to cause travel sickness. (No cream cakes, chocolate, milk shakes or similar). Provide plastic bags in case of travel sickness plus a bucket with a lid which has some disinfectant in the bottom.
8. Do not allow pupils to wander off on their own or even in small groups. Any potentially badly behaved pupils should be in the teacher's group. Set a suitable place as a meeting place if anyone should get lost. Emphasise to supervising parents the need to count their group regularly.
9. Each adult should carry a small quantity of First Aid equipment and know where the First Aid Post is situated at the venue in case of a minor accident.
10. Notify parents of the time the party is expected to return. If being delayed for any reason, telephone the school to warn them so that a large poster can be displayed telling parents of the new arrival time. Make sure that all pupils are collected by parents or, at least, seen safely across the road, if school crossing patrol is no longer on duty.
11. A Risk assessment must be completed and given to the Head.
Fire Safety
Periodic checks are made by the Fire Service to ensure that fire safety-routes are open and safe. Checks are made annually on the Fire Extinguishers by the designated company to ensure they are in full working order.
Instructions for clearing buildings in the event of fire, should be clearly displayed in every teaching or other area.
Fire drills take place every term, with teachers checking registers to ensure all pupils are clear of the building and lined up in the designated safe area, in the front playground.
Reviewed – June 2008
Updated June – 2009
Review – June 2010