SG World are all about solutions that keep students safe and sound at school. Accidents happen and must be managed and reported but even we recognize you can have too much of a good thing. In this blog series we'll be mythbusting some of the stories you will have seen in the press where schools look like they're taking H&S a bit too far.
Health and safety at work legislation is about reducing death, serious injury and ill health in workplaces, including schools. It is about taking the necessary action to reduce significant risks - it is not about banning activities. Let's look at some controversy surrounding a school trip to the zoo.
A primary school had arranged a trip to a local zoo and asked for parents to volunteer to go with them. A parent volunteered and she told her son she was going and booked the day off work. However, the day before they were due to go she was told she was not required as they already had three parents going, so she asked if she could drive herself there to meet her son and the school class, and pay for herself to get in as she had told son she was going and he was excited. The school said she was not allowed to go for "health and safety" reasons. They said that the risk assessment doesn't allow for her to go.
What the HSE say: There is nothing in health and safety law that would stop an additional parent accompanying a school trip to the zoo. It is ridiculous to suggest that having additional support creates a health and safety risk. Whatever the school's real reason they should say so and stop being cagey about it – they are just monkeying around with health and safety excuses.
SG World offer schools a range of safeguarding solutions including accident and incident reporting systems and software.