Summarise The Role Of The Health And Safety Executive In Schools

In addition to having to answer to local and national government, schools have to report to regulative bodies such as OFSTED, the Health and Safety Executive and the schools own governing body, all of whom are there to monitor and enforce legislation.

The governing body is compiled from various members of the school community, including parents, school management, teaching and non-teaching staff and members from the local community. They are responsible for setting the ethos that the school should be delivering and overseeing the review and monitoring process of to ensure that those aims and objectives are being met. It and the Head Teacher are both accountable to staff, pupils, parents and the local community. The governing body of a school

It is a requirement of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 that schools comply with Health and Safety law. The Health and Safety mission is to prevent ill health, injuries and to ensure that professionals within education or elsewhere are overseeing and diminishing any avoidable risks resulting from school activities.

The Health and Safety Executive’s task is to monitor all health and safety responsibilities. The HSE will check a number of things within a school e.g. toilet facilities for both staff and pupils, the condition of the school building and grounds, medical provisions, the quality of water supplies, provision of protection from the weather, safety and quality of lighting, heating and ventilation. In the outdoor areas such as the playground, if the play equipment that the children use is safe and fit for purpose and that the playground surfaces are adequate for the ongoing needs. It includes carrying out regular risk assessments in the school premises and proposing changes where necessary, PAT testing of electronic equipment, ensuring the safety on school trips e.g. any special educational needs of the students, the age, competence and fitness of pupils, adult to student ratios, the proficiency and experience of the accompanying adults, the methods of transport to be used, what are the journey routes and alternatives if necessary and location visit as well as emergency procedures and also vetting of visitors to the school. It is essential that all areas of the school provide and safe environment for children, who, depending on their age or development level, might be less observant of risks and less aware of the importance of their own safety. Inspections need to be carried out on the classroom and playground furniture, PE equipment and any other specialised equipment needed for such subjects as chemistry etc. to ensure they are all in a safe