Introduce Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in schools

I refer to a recent NST report (9th July 2008) which stated that the Ministry of Education would launch a Pilot Project in 720 schools next month to fine-tune school safety standards before they are introduced in all schools.

NIOSH is pleased to note that the Education Ministry has agreed to introduce Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in schools and make them safe and health places of work for teachers, students and visitors alike.

The subject of “safe schools” should not be confined only to aspects concerning indiscipline, crime, threats to the safety of students, bullying and gangster-like behaviour etc but also matters concerning the safety of school buildings, classrooms, equipment and all available amenities in schools. In short the aspect concerning occupational safety and health in schools should be looked into.

In this regard, there is a need for schools to be aware of the existence and importance of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 and its application to educational institutions in the interest of safety and health.

The application of the Act to the schools as “the place of work” aims to make all schools safe and healthy places of work for teachers, students or visitors alike.

Although the Act is primarily intended for the protection of workers, it does include sufficient provisions for protecting “others” affected by the activities of the working people.

In a school these “others” would primarily be the students. Both the schools management and the Department of Education would be the “employers” of the school while the workers would be the teachers and the administrative and other support staff.

In accordance with the Act, the school management and the Department of Education representing the employers have general duties to ensure the safety, health and welfare of their employees (teachers and support staff) as well as to protect the others (students and visitors) affected by the activities of the schools.

In line with the provisions in the Act, it is the duty of the employers (school management) to formulate a safety and health policy for the school, implement risk prevention through safety and health inspection and safety and health auditing of schools to identify weaknesses and shortcomings and to decide on remedial measures in the interest of safety and health at the workplaces.

Schools with 40 or more employees are required to set up safety and health committees where the staff and school managements are represented to discuss and resolve all matters pertaining to health and safety at work.

The most urgent task is of course to create safety and health consciousness among the teaching and support staff as well as among the students and to promote a safety culture.

Through safety and health training and education as well as safety and health promotion, every school will be more aware of the potential safety and health hazards in all parts of the school such as the classrooms and school laboratories and be more capable of dealing with them.

Ensuring that all schools and educational institutions take an active interest in safety and health will also benefit the students who can learn more about safety and health and be safety conscious from an early and receptive age.

School leavers should not only have academic qualifications, but also practical safety knowledge that they can take with them into the working environment.