Managing Safety, Health and Welfare in Schools
10 August 2018
Who is responsible for managing safety, health and welfare in schools?
The board of management is responsible for managing safety, health and welfare of students. All of the members of staff in the school including teachers;
- Special needs assistants
- Ancillary staff
- Students
- Parents and visitors
They all have a role to play in securing their own safety and welfare. Everyone has a part to play.
How does the Board of Management begin the process of managing safety, health and welfare more effectively? By using the guidelines set out by the Health Safety Authority.
The Board of Management might consider taking the following steps
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- Decide who will lead the process on behalf of the Board. This could be the principle or the deputy principal, or an employee or member of the Board appointed to act as a Safety, Health and Welfare Officer.
- The Guidelines on Managing Safety, Health and Welfare in primary Schools (The Guidelines). This is both a guidance document and a toolkit to assist schools in managing safety, health and welfare.
- This resource is a guide to help school plan, organise and manage a safe and healthy school environment for staff, students and visitors.
- All of the members of the school community have responsibilities for their own safety, health and welfare and that of others. The school is charged with informing staff, students and visitors of these responsibilities.
These guidelines do not place any additional responsibilities on schools that are not already in legislation or part of the school’s common lay duty of care.