2006 Covid-19 Special Health and Safety Policy Review Report - 9 June 2020

9 June 2020

Covid-19 Special Health and Safety Policy Review Report

• • This special report has been prepared in the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

    • The relevant sections of the school’s Health and Safety Policy Statement are highlighted below.

    • The pandemic has led to unprecedented health and safety issues and the need to introduce specific procedures to ensure the health and safety of students and staff.

    • The purpose of this special report is to give board members a degree of assurance that its reasonable expectations are being met in this extraordinary situation.

Health and Safety Policy Statement

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

• • Take all reasonable steps to protect students, staff and visitors to the school from unsafe or unhealthy conditions

  • Ensure there is zero tolerance to bullying

  • Ensure there are effective processes in place for dealing with bullying

  • Comply with the provisions of the  Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

  • Provide a smoke free environment

  • Ensure a risk analysis management system (RAMS) is carried out where and when appropriate

  • Seek approval for all overnight stays/camps attesting first to their compliance with the Risk Analysis Management requirement above

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

  • Provide privacy of personal documentation held at the school

  • Advise the board chair of any emergency situations as soon as possible

Section by Section Review

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

• • Take all reasonable steps to protect students, staff and visitors to the school from unsafe or unhealthy conditions"

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that the board expects me to take whatever steps reasonably possible to ensure that students, staff and visitors to the school are protected from the Covid-19 Virus.

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • The unique risks that we are facing have been recorded in the Hazard and Risk Assessment Register.

    • The risk assessment shows the risk of a person being exposed to Covid-19 at school is “Significant”

    • It is probably not possible to totally “Eliminate” the risk, but it is clear that all practicable steps must be taken to “Minimize” it.

    • To control this risk in the best way practicable all staff members, (and students where appropriate) are being made aware of the advice being received from the Ministry of Education.

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

• • Comply with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Interpretation

• • I interpret this to mean that the board expects me to ensure that the board,  as a responsible employer, meets all of its legal requirements under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • Extract from the school’s online Health and Safety procedures

  • The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015  requires the school to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of its workers, and ensure that the health and safety of other persons is not put at risk.

  • The act specifies that everyone has a duty to eliminate risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable, and if it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate risks to health and safety, to minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable.

  • Furthermore the act states that every staff member must “take reasonable care for his or her own health and safety”  and “take reasonable care that his or her acts or omissions do not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons.”

  • A set of specific COVID_19 Procedures for Kaikohe East School have been developed in consultation with staff.

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

• • Ensure a risk analysis management system (RAMS) is carried out where and when appropriate

Interpretation

• • Although this is a system normally used for school trips I think that it is a very appropriate procedure to follow to meet the health and safety challenges of the Covid-19 epidemic

Data to Verify that this Interpretation has been Fulfilled

• • The risk analysis management system (RAMS) process was carried out:

    • Link to the Risk Analysis Management System spreadsheet.