Risk Assessment in School and Classroom Environment - Assignment Example

Critically Evaluating the Need for PE Teachers to be Aware of Risk Assessment in School and Classroom Environment Introduction As part of the educational curriculum in the primary and secondary education, physical education (P.E.) is a subject that encourages the students to develop their psychomotor learning through active movements. As a common practice throughout the educational system in the United Kingdom, the local schools are required to purchase the Baalpe “Safe Practice in Physical Education” guidance to keep them updated with regards to the safety policies and practices (Association for Physical Education, 2009). Upon examining the management of safety in physical education and outdoor activities, the report that was recently published by Estyn (2005) entitled “The management of safety in physical education and outdoor activities” found out that 9 local education authorities (LEAs) located in Wales have no specialist PE advisers or teachers and that the schools do not clearly understand how LEAs can improve the safety techniques that are commonly adopted by PE advisers or teachers to avoid accidents within the educational institutions. Physical injuries could significantly affect the children’s punctuality in school attendance. With the ration of 37:1, male students are more prone to cuts/lacerations and fractures in face and upper limbs as compared to female students (Stark et al., 1996). Among the common injuries that occur during breaks and physical education and sports activities includes: fracture (24%), wounds (21%), sprains/strains (15%), and dental injuries (14.5%) (Schelp, Ekman, & Fahl, 1991). Based on the research study that was conducted by Williams, Latif, & Cater (2003), the most common accident-prone activities in school area is related to children’s behaviour and the type of footwear they use when playing in playgrounds. Considering that accidents could happen when least expected, this study will critically evaluate the need for PE teachers to be aware of risk assessment within the school and classroom environment. As part of going through the main discussion, the study will discuss the rationale behind the need to conduct safety risk assessment in the school and classroom environment followed by explaining the main purpose of risk management in education. Eventually, a research survey study will be conducted to test the knowledge of PE teachers on risk assessment within a classroom setting. Based on the gathered literature review and research survey results, recommended ways on how to evaluate the risk assessment within the school classroom settings will be provided. Rationale behind the Need to Conduct Safety Risk Assessment in School and Classroom Environment Although safety and injury prevention is widely taught and practiced in the local schools, the number of accidental deaths among the young individuals between the age brackets of 16 to 24 years old continuously increases (Hazards Magazine, 2009). (See Figure I – Increasing Cases of Fatal and Major Injuries between 16 – 24 years old individuals in UK on page 4) Figure I – Increasing Cases of Fatal and Major Injuries between 16 – 24 years old individuals in UK As a way of increasing the students’ awareness with regards to the importance of safety, risk control, and workplace hazard, DfCSF (2001) has published a universal guidance on safety education which serves as a framework for educators when teaching safety issues and healthy lifestyle in support of the National Healthy School Standard (NHSS) (Teachernet, 2009). Incorporating the safety and risk education in teaching, the National Curriculum implemented a non-statutory programme called Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) which can be used by school teachers or PE instructors in teaching the students about health and safety issues (National Curriculum, 2009). Encouraging the students to learn about the health and safety issues within and outside the school environment is essential not only in preparing the students to be safe and healthy once they join the work force and avoid physical injuries while in school (Health and Safety Executive, 2002). For this reason, conducting safety risk assessment in school and classroom setting is important in terms of determining the effectiveness of PE teachers in educating them about risk management. Main Purpose of Risk Management in Education Risk assessment is the process of calculating the probability of harm. In line with this, risk management in education is crucial part of the students’ curriculum since risk education includes all aspects of the PSHE. Aside from improving the physical safety of the students while in school, risk management in education also tackles other important topics or health consequences related to the use of illegal drugs, sexual health practices, road safety, and other sources of hazards. Risk management in education teaches the students how to apply strategic ways of controlling health and safety risks in different environment. Based on the research study that was conducted by the Health and Safety Laboratory, PE educators should focus more on teaching the students safely rather than focusing on assisting the students to increase their understanding and experiences related to the risk assessment process which is highly recommended in the general teaching requirements (Sreenivasan, 2001). Risk assessment process includes not only the recognition of hazardous materials or environment but also risk assessment and control management. In the case of physical education class, PE teachers can effectively reduce the environmental and non-environmental hazards by implementing effective risk assessment management such as teaching the students about the importance of balancing (Hertfordshire, 2008). The problem with allowing PE teachers to teach the students about the health and safety issues without evaluating the risk assessment they use inside the classroom setting is that these individuals are less knowledgeable as compared to health and safety professionals. Research Methodology The methodology used in the primary research study includes the random distribution of the research survey questionnaire to eight (8) PE teachers who are currently teaching health and safety issues to students at the All Hallows RC High School, Campion Catholic High School, Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School, Childwall School, Parklands High School, St. Margaret’s Church of England High School, and West Derby School. To increase the researcher’s understanding with regards to the basic skills and knowledge of PE teachers in conducting risk assessment within the school and classroom environment, the research survey questionnaire used in the study will focused on determining what the PE teachers consider appropriate practices before allowing the students to physically engage themselves in indoor (dance, gymnastics, etc.) and outdoor (soccer, football, etc.) activities and inside the classroom setting. Aside from allowing the PE teachers to briefly discuss some ways on how they will conduct risk assessment within a classroom setting, the research questionnaire will be used in determining whether or not PE teachers consider the practice of proper body mechanics important in terms of preventing strains and sprains, etc. (See Appendix I – Research Survey Questionnaire on page 12) Data Collection and Analysis of Research Methods Together with the gathered secondary research information, the researcher will analyze the gathered primary research data quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative information will be analyzed with simple statistical method using the excel software. Justification for the Choice of Research Method Considering the fact that PE teachers are not experts of health and safety issues, it is necessary to examine the technical expertise, skills, knowledge, and personal experiences of PE teachers in terms of developing and implementing health and safety plans within the classroom setting. In line with this, the research survey questionnaires designed for this study will be used in evaluating the PE teachers’ basic technical skills, knowledge, and personal experiences on health and safety in school. Ethical and Access Considerations Prior to the actual research survey study, the researcher will personally approach and request a total of eight randomly selected respondents to participate in the research survey. In general, the research respondents have the right to participate or not to participate in the research study. Therefore, it is ethical to personally explain the main purpose of the study and seek their approval to participate in the research survey. Research Findings Risk assessment in classroom is necessary in terms of allowing the PE teachers to effectively guide the students on strategic ways to protect their physical health from environmental harm. To minimize the incidence of school accidents each year, PE teachers should be aware of the risk assessment within and outside the classroom setting. A total of eight research survey respondents between the age brackets of 26 to 35 years old participated in the research study. As much as 75% of the research respondents are male whereas the remaining are female PE teachers. All of the research respondents are PE teachers who are teaching students about health and safety within and outside the classroom environment. Defective sports equipments are threats to the health and safety of the students. As part of ensuring the safety of the students outside the classroom area, all respondents agreed that students should be encouraged to inspect sports equipments whenever there is a need for them to participate in outdoor activities like soccer, baseball game, etc. Likewise, students are obliged to follow the rules on clothing and footwear to avoid physical injury while engaging in indoor or outdoor sports activities. Hertfordshire (2008) explained that wearing shoes with slippery soles, open toed and sling back sandals, untied shoe laces are among the common causes of fall and ankle strain/sprain. Aside from obliging the students to strictly follow the school’s health and safety policies, teaching the students regarding the importance of proper body mechanics is also equally important in terms of enabling them to protect themselves from back pain or injury. (See Appendix II & III – Quantitative and Qualitative Research Survey Results on pages 13 – 14) When asked how each of the PE teachers would conduct a risk assessment within a classroom setting, the research respondents revealed that it is important to assess the classroom for potential risks or hazards such as defective flooring, liquid spillage, the use of extension wires and the presence of electrical cord along the pathways. These factors often cause the students to encounter accidental falls. Likewise, the use of heaters in classrooms should be noted. In line with this, PE teachers should report heaters that can be reached by the students to prevent the incidence of burn. With regards to teaching-learning equipments like LCD or projector, PE teachers should make it a point that these equipments are kept clean and functional to prevent the students from straining their eyes while listening to classroom discussion. In case PE teacher encounters a student with suicidal tendency, it is important not to allow the student to seat close to a window. Instead, the student should always be requested to seat on the other side of the classroom. Although fire seldom happens within a school environment, it is equally important to always be prepared for such emergency case. In line with this, PE teachers should make it a point that the classroom is complete with fire alarm, smoke detector, and a fire extinguisher. To prevent the health consequences and incidence of fire, students and faculty members should never be allowed to smoke inside a classroom. Likewise, PE teachers should seek permission from the school administrator to conduct an annual fire drill to prepare the students in case of fire. (See Appendix III – Qualitative Research Survey Result on page 14) Among the other ways of evaluating the awareness of PE teachers with regards to the risk assessment applied within a classroom setting includes testing the qualification and competence of the PE teachers on health and safety issues in school. In line with this, the knowledge and skills of the PE teachers in designing and implementing a safety plan within the classroom environment is necessary (Hertfordshire, 2008). Recommended Ways on How to Evaluate the Risk Assessment within Classroom Settings The qualification of the PE teachers is important in increasing the quality of risk assessment within the classroom setting. Other than having completed a set of required initial teacher training (ITT) and/or professional development courses related to health and safety in schools, the law does not impose strict educational requirements for PE teachers to teach health and safety associated with physical education (Hertfordshire, 2008). For this reasons, the local schools should provide the PE teachers with a continuous training and development in order to increase the PE teachers’ experiences and accreditation to a competitive level. Aside from encouraging the local schools to provide proper training and development for PE teachers, the head teachers are highly recommended to strictly assess the level of ITT each of the school’s PE teachers before giving them the permit to teach health and safety subject to the students (Hertfordshire, 2008). Knowing the qualification of PE teachers in teaching the students a wide-range of environmental and non-environmental health and safety measures is useful in terms of making the students know how to prevent and respond to emergency cases. Invite several teachers or health and safety experts to evaluate the performance of PE teachers while discussing health and safety issues with the students. Likewise, it is also possible to invite the same group of professionals without the knowledge of the PE teachers to ensure that they keep the classroom environment free from risk and hazards. Between the two methods, it is better not to inform the PE teacher that a group of health and safety experts are already inside the school area to conduct a random audit on each classroom. Conclusion Under the law, PE teachers are obliged to follow the ‘code of safe practice in physical education’ (Hertfordshire, 2008). Since PE teachers are responsible in ensuring that the students are safe under their supervision, PE teachers should teach the students about the principles of safety applied not only to themselves but also to other people around them. Now-a-days, physical education class is not limited in outdoor activities. Given the fact that physical education class may occur inside the classroom environment, assessing the PE teachers’ knowledge and skills on risk assessment and management in classroom has gained equal importance. Although the research findings suggest that each of the research participants is knowledgeable about the basic health and safety measures inside the classroom, it is still highly recommended that the school administrator will invite a group of health and safety experts to conduct a random audit in each classroom for possible risks and hazards. By doing so, PE teachers will be more aware of keeping the classroom safe at all times. *** End *** Appendix I – Research Survey Questionnaire Sex: male ___ female ___ Age: < 18 y/o ___; 19 – 25 y/o ___; 26 – 30 y/o ___; 31 – 35 y/o; 36 – 40 y/o ___; 41 – 45 y/o ___; 46 – 50 y/o ___; 51 y/o and above ___ 1. As a PE teacher, are you currently teaching the students on health and safety?  ( ) A. Yes B. No 2. Do you teach and encourage the students to inspect sports equipments before using?  ( ) A. Yes B. No 3. Do you consider defective sports equipments as a significant threat to the health & safety of the students?  ( ) A. Yes B. No 4. Do you impose strict rules on clothing and footwear before allowing the students to participate in indoor (dance, gymnastics, etc.) and outdoor (football, soccer, etc.) activities?  ( ) A. Yes B. No 5. Do you allow the students to wear jewelleries when participating in indoor and/or outdoor activities?  ( ) A. Yes B. No Why? __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 6. Briefly explain why teaching the students about proper body mechanics is important? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 7. As a PE teacher, discuss how you will conduct risk assessment within a classroom setting. _______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ *** Thank You! *** Appendix II – Research Survey Quantitative Results Research Question Frequency Percentage (%) Male Female 6 2 75 25 < 18 y/o; 19 – 25 y/o; 26 – 30 y/o; 31 – 35 y/o; 36 – 40 y/o; 41 – 45 y/o; 46 – 50 y/o; 51 y/o and above. 0 0 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 37.5 62.5 0 0 0 0 As a PE teacher, are you currently teaching the students on health and safety? Yes No 8 0 100 0 Do you teach and encourage the students to inspect sports equipments before using? Yes No 8 0 100 0 Do you consider defective sports equipments as a significant threat to the health & safety of the students? Yes No 8 0 100 0 Do you impose strict rules on clothing and footwear before allowing the students to participate in indoor (dance, gymnastics, etc.) and outdoor (football, soccer, etc.) activities? Yes No 8 0 100 0 Do you allow the students to wear jewelleries when participating in indoor and/or outdoor activities? Yes No 0 8 0 100 Appendix III – Research Survey Qualitative Results Briefly explain why teaching the students about proper body mechanics is important? Proper body mechanics prevent unnecessary strain or back pain on the part of the students. Information on proper body mechanics is useful for the students especially when they reach the old age. Back pain is normally caused by improper body posture. Therefore, proper body mechanics is important. In football game, balancing together with proper body mechanics when carrying heavy equipments is important in the health and safety of the students. Proper body mechanics is necessary in keeping our spine healthy. Proper body mechanics help us prevent back injury. I always teach my students the importance of proper body mechanics to help them avoid the degeneration or injury of the spinal column. Note: Only 7 out of 8 provided answer for this question. As a PE teacher, discuss how you will conduct risk assessment within a classroom setting. As a PE teacher, I will conduct risk assessment inside the classroom in terms of determining the possible risk or hazard involved. This includes examining the classroom for defective flooring, liquid spillage and the presence of electrical cord. For classroom risk assessment, liquid spillage is the most common risk factor that makes the students fall. Other than liquid spillage, electrical wiring should also be considered. During winter, the use of heaters should be out of the students reach to avoid incidence related to burn. The use of LCD or projector should be in good condition to prevent the students from straining their eyes while listening to classroom discussion. I have encountered a student with suicidal tendency in the past. In case a student has a suicidal tendency, make sure that the student is not seated close to a window. The classroom should always have fire equipment like fire extinguisher, fire alarm, and smoke detectors. Teachers should be careful of using extension wires. Always make sure that electric sockets are out of reach of students below the age of 5 years old. Always have a licensed electrician to check on the electrical wirings, sockets, and electrical equipments. References Association for Physical Education. (2009). Retrieved October 10, 2009, from Safe Practice in Physical Education and School Sport - NEW 2008 EDITION!!!: http://www.afpe.org.uk/public/publication_4.htm Estyn. (2005 ). The management of safety in physical education and outdoor activities. Hazards Magazine. (2009). Retrieved October 10, 2009, from Too Young To Die: http://www.hazards.org/2young2die/ Health and Safety Executive. (2002, September). Retrieved October 10, 2009, from The Right Start. Work Experience for young people: Health and Safety Basics for Employers : http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg364.pdf Hertfordshire. (2008, March). Retrieved October 10, 2009, from Safety in Physical Education and School Sport. Issue 05: http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:UtbbTWBRZLEJ:www.thegrid.org.uk/info/healthandsafety/documents_manual/physical_education_v2.doc+Rospa+health+and+safety+PE+teacher+class&cd=3&hl=tl&ct=clnk&gl=ph National Curriculum. (2009). Retrieved October 10, 2009, from Personal, social, health and economic education: http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/pshe/index.aspx?return=/search/index.aspx%3FfldSiteSearch%3DPSHE Schelp, L., Ekman, R., & Fahl, I. (1991). School accidents during a three school-years period in a swedish municipality. Public Health , 105(2):113-120. Sreenivasan, B. (2001). Health & Safety Laboratory. Retrieved October 10, 2009, from A Review of Young People's Attitudes to Health and Safety: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2001/hsl01-03.pdf Stark, C., Wright, J., Lee, J., & Watt, L. (1996). Two years of school injuries in a Scottish education sub-division. Public Health , 110(4):229-235. Teachernet. (2009). Retrieved October 10, 2009, from Safety Education: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/s/safetyeducation/ Williams, W., Latif, A., & Cater, L. (2003). Accidents in the school environment: perspectives of staff concerned with data collection and reporting procedures. Public Health , 117(3):180-186. Read More