29 March 2011

Policy Review Report - Health and Safety

Section of Operations Policy Being Reviewed:

Health and Safety

Students and staff shall have a safe physical and emotional learning environment. Therefore, the principal shall not fail to:

• Take reasonable steps to protect students from unsafe or unhealthy conditions

• Provide a smoke free environment

• Ensure a risk analysis management process is carried out where and when appropriate

• Ensure that any employee who has, or is likely to have, unsupervised access to students during normal school hours is a registered teacher, or has a current Limited Authority to Teach, or has had a satisfactory Police vet within the past three years

• Consult with the community regarding the health programme being delivered to students

• Provide privacy of personal documentation held at school

Section by Section Review

 "...the principal shall not fail to:...

• Take reasonable steps to protect students from unsafe or unhealthy conditions"

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that the board expects me to ensure all legal requirements with regard to the health and safety of students are complied with, and that there is a commonsense approach embraced by all staff members that ensures that students are healthy and safe.

  • Note that the health and safety of staff is covered in the Personnel section of the Operations Policy.

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • There is a comprehensive Health and Safety section in the on-line staff Handbook.

  • A review of the Health and Safety section of the staff handbook was completed at the 22 March Staff Meeting. This is the first comprehensive review for some years and highlighted areas that need to be deleted, amended or added to. These changes will be made over the next few weeks.

 "...the principal shall not fail to:...

• Provide a smoke free environment"

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that the board expects me to ensure that we comply with smokefree law.

  • The Smoke-free environments act 1990 requires that the "managers of school premises ... must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that

  • (a) no person smokes in any part of the premises (whether an internal area or an open area) at any time on any day; and

  • (b) a notice stating that smoking within the premises is forbidden at all times is prominently displayed at or immediately inside-

  • (i) every entrance to the premises; and

  • (ii) every outer entrance to every building or enclosed area forming part of the premises."

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • Smokefree notices have been checked, and replacement notices ordered.

"...the principal shall not fail to:...

• Ensure a risk analysis management process is carried out where and when appropriate"

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that that I ensure that a risk analysis management process by staff whenever students are on school trips.

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • The Education Outside the Classroom section of the on-line Staff Handbook outlines process that staff follow whenever they take students away from the school environment.

  • There were no safety incidents reported in 2010.

  • This procedure will be reviewed in Term 2.

"...the principal shall not fail to:...

• Ensure that any employee who has, or is likely to have, unsupervised access to students during normal school hours is a registered teacher, or has a current Limited Authority to Teach, or has had a satisfactory Police vet within the past three years"

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • The staff trustee has been delegated to ensure that this is fulfilled, and reports to the board in March and September of each year.

"...the principal shall not fail to:...

• Consult with the community regarding the health programme being delivered to students

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • This consultation process has been overlooked in recent years, and will be reviewed.

"...the principal shall not fail to:...

• Provide privacy of personal documentation held at school

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • As the designated Privacy Officer I ensure that the school complies with the principles of the Privacy Act.

  • No privacy issues or enquiries have arisen.

Summary of Further Action

• 1. Follow up the staff review of Health and Safety Procedures and make appropriate changes to the on-line Staff Handbook.

  2. Put up new Smokefreee notices.

  3. Review the Risk Analysis process for school trips.

  4. Review the Health Programme Consultation process.