Health and Safety Policy Scoil Eoghain The purpose of the Health and Safety statement is to provide guidelines for staff and other relevant parties on safety procedures in Scoil Eoghain, Moville. It outlines the responsibilities of management and staff in ensuring our school is safe for all employees working in the school. The Board of Management (BoM) of Scoil Eoghain along with teachers draft the school policy in this regard. The policy will evolve after consultation with the teachers, Caretaker, Secretary, Cleaner and B.O.M. The Board of Management will: Appoint from within the Board a Health and Safety Officer who will oversee the implementation of the Health and Safety policy Organise training for staff on Health and Safety, Fire Drill, and Fire Equipment. Identify hazards or risks to employees or third parties and review these periodically Provide a safe school for the staff and children as far as is reasonably practicable Ensure a Health and Safety Representative is appointed within the staff Hazards/Risks To reduce the risks the following hazards are highlighted together with the suggested means of eliminating or mitigating the risk. Other hazards/risks are in the full version of the Health and Safety statement, available from the office. Accidents All reasonable precautions are taken to keep and maintain the school building, school equipment, the playing area and other areas of the school site in such a condition that it does not create a hazard likely to cause injury to pupils, teachers or other persons. School policy and procedure endeavours to provide effective and adequate supervision of pupils at all times during school hours. Games or activities which are deemed to place pupils at any risk of injury are not allowed. All employees are encouraged to think Safety First in all school-based activities. Where an accident does happen, however trivial, the details are recorded in an accident book. The details include date, time, nature and location of the accident, what action was taken afterwards and who witnessed the accident. In the event of a serious accident, more detailed accounts are recorded. Where a child is injured in an accident, the parent/guardian is informed immediately. In an emergency situation, where it is not possible to make contact with a parent / guardian, qualified medical treatment should be sought at the earliest opportunity.
Electrical Equipment The following precautions will apply: All live parts will be adequately covered. Precautions will be taken by earthing and automatic disconnection in the event of a fault, to prevent danger from any electrocution. Due practices will be complied with in choosing and using electrical portable tools. Note: Only appropriately qualified and trained personnel will work on the installation/repair of electrical equipment and circuits e.g sockets and lighting circuits and switches. Manual Handling A training course will be organised for the staff on manual handling. Work Equipment All machinery will be used in line with safety instructions provided and manufacturers specifications. Paper shredders, photocopiers, fax machines, printing machines etc. will be used in accordance with safety instructions and suppliers instructions and will be maintained in good condition at all times. Employees should take all due care when using ladders or climbing. Defects to equipment will be reported to the Health & Safety Representative/Officer and will be repaired or serviced by qualified persons only. Work areas, Classrooms, School corridors etc. Staff will be responsible to keep classrooms and work areas safe and free of all hazards. This includes careful storage of sharp implements and potentially dangerous products. It is the responsibility of management to provide a healthy working environment for employees. It is the responsibility of employees to use facilities provided by management to ensure a healthy environment is maintained for children and adults e.g. correct ventilation, temperature, lighting etc. Fire Safety Fire Drill will be carried out once termly. Portable fire fighting equipment will be checked on a regular basis and evidence of these checks will be recorded. All fire points will be kept clear at all times and will be highlighted. Exits and entrances will be kept un-locked during normal operating hours and adequately signposted. All teachers are responsible for making the children in their class aware of procedure in the event of a fire. A school fire officer, appointed by the staff, co-ordinates school policy and procedures with regard to fire safety. The school fire officer is the Principal. Three practice fire drills take place each year one in each term.
Evacuation procedure is as follows: (a) On hearing alarm, each teacher collects roll book and takes their class to the designated exit and assembly point outside. A map of the exits and assembly points is on display in the staffroom and each classroom. Toilets must be checked before leaving room and door closed. (b) Children attending Learning Support or Special Needs exit with the teacher they are working with but re-join their class at assembly point outside for roll call. (c) Each assembly point has a designated co-ordinator. When the class teacher calls the roll, he / she then reports to the assembly point co-ordinator who then makes a report to the principal. Head Lice Where headlice is detected in any classroom, a standard note is circulated to parents / guardians of all children in the class informing them of the problem. The note outlines procedures to be followed in an effort to prevent the spread of the headlice and ultimately to eradicate the problem. First Aid A fully equipped First Aid box is available in the staffroom. Each classroom is equipped with basic first aid items eg. plasters and wipes, sterile water. A First Aid box is available for the school playground during break times. A First aid kit available on football trips at all times A number of first aid boxes are available for taking on sports activities, fieldtrips etc. Teachers must ensure they have First Aid requirements on all school tours or outings. In the case of an injury / accident which requires further attention, the parent / guardian is informed. If they cannot be contacted, the child is taken for medical attention where necessary. The details of all accidents are recorded in the Accident Report Book. Floor Surfaces Floor surfaces will be constantly inspected by staff and tripping hazards corrected. Spillages of all liquids will be cleared up immediately. Serious spillages will be reported to the caretaker and she will deal with it. Delph Broken or chipped delph, pottery or glassware will be disposed of immediately. Emergency Telephone Numbers Parents / guardians are required to supply the school with relevant home phone numbers and an emergency telephone contact number (Data Capture 2010 listings). These numbers are recorded on the child s registration form/school data base.
Emergency telephone numbers / registration forms are kept at the front of classroom roll books. Parents will be reminded regularly to supply details of any changes to these numbers at the earliest possible opportunity. Parents are encouraged to educate staff on any disabilities or medical conditions of their children (asthma, Diabetes etc) Feedback from staff members involved to the rest of the staff is best practice and always encouraged. Reporting and recording It is the responsibility of employees to report any hazards/risks, problems or concerns. SPOT IT, SORT IT, CAN T SORT IT, REPORT IT All incidents will be recorded in writing by the staff member/s involved and passed on to the Health and Safety Representative. The Health and Safety Representative records the account. A report is passed to the B.O.M. if deemed necessary by the Health and Safety Representative. The Health and Safety Officer appointed by the B.O.M. will subsequently deal with the matter. Communication The Health and Safety representative will ensure that a copy of this Health and Safety statement is displayed in the school and that staff and third parties are given a full version of the statement if they so request.
ACCIDENT REPORT FROM NAME OF CHILD CLASS TEACHER PLACE OF ACCIDENT/INJURY DAY, DATE & TIME OF ACCIDENT/INJURY: / / at NAMES OF ALL SUPERVISORS PRESENT: NAMES OF WITNESSES (Teachers/Supervisors/Pupils/Others) CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH ACCIDENT/INJURY OCCURRED DESCRIPTION OF INJURIES DETAIL PROCEDURES TAKEN PERSONS INFORMED FINAL OUTCOME GENERAL COMMENT SIGNED DATE PRINCIPAL'S SIGNATURE DATE
Review The Policy was developed and is being implemented by all teaching staff and future developments for change will be discussed during staff meeting. The Headteacher will co-ordinate the progress of the policy, encourage and accept feedback on its implementation and report to staff on findings Policy evaluation will happen on a 6 monthly basis rolling from Sept 2011 Roles and Responsibilities Those involved in the review o Teachers o Pupils o Parents o Post holders/plan co-ordinator o BoM/DES/Others. Review Timeframe Sept 2011 Ratification and Communication Board of Management. Date; Chairperson Signature: