Safety education is the
responsibility of all staff in the
school, including teaching 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

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

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 andactions.
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 behaviour
which 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
education
Effective 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 experiencesettings.

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
skills
and 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 to teach 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 beaffected.
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 unsafesituations?
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 healthyenvironment?
Are counselors and psychologists available to work
with students who are troubled ordisruptive?
Do students in all grades participate in classes to help
them develop conflictresolution 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 schoolprogram?
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 safetycollaborate?

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 seeif
the problem clears up on theweekends.
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 TOTHE
SCHOOL
Safety measures can take a variety of forms, everything
from stepped-up traffic enforcement to in-class
education on such topicsas school bus safety rules.
Many schools have adult crossing guards and school
safety patrols, for example. Still, there probably are
traffic situations that could useimprovement.
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 onadditional
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 toschool.
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 therules.
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 theycross
in front of the bus after deboarding, they should move
to at least 10feet in front of the bus and wait for a
signal from the driver that it's safe tocross.

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 strangle
children.
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 timelymanner.
Hold fire safety assemblies to reviewprocedures.
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 toall.

Earthquake Simulation
an
d 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 inthe
positive competency they havegained.

Classroom Hazard
Hunt
Are free-standing cabinets, bookcases, and wall
shelves secured to a structuralsupport?
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 anemergency.
Training the students for safety precautions related to
use of chemicals, electric points, hazardous equipment
etc.