Personal Injury Lawyer | Safety in the Classroom
Personal Injury Lawyer | Safety in the Classroom
Personal Injury Lawyer | Classrooms are full of inherent danger, from extension cords, to damaged tools and improper use of equipment, injuries can happen at any time. Focusing on injury prevention and preventative education, your school can reduce risk and insurance costs considerably. In fact, many injuries can be avoided by adopting practices that reduce the potential for injury. Take a look at our 12 classroom injury prevention tips, below.
Self-Safety Checklist
Consider these simple safety tips that you can enforce in daily practice.
- No standing rules. Prohibit teaches and students alike from standing on chairs or tables to reach overhead items. Better yet, include this as a provision in your safety policy and ask teachers to promote this safety tip with students.
- Inspect Regularly. Inspect classroom chairs and tables for defects and damage that can cause them to break or collapse. Repair or replace defective items promptly.
- Decoration Tips. For fire safety, limit hanging decorations to 20% of the wall surface area. Never cover doorways, windows or emergency exit signs and never hang items from the sprinkler system. Decorations should be flat and not 3-dimensional. Combustible materials should be kept at a minimum in hallways and corridors.
- Safe Hanging Practices. Prohibit decorations, artwork or other items that require climbing to hang, or have custodial staff hang items if they are essential and cannot be hung from floor level.
- Teacher Participation Rules. Injuries can happen on the job, especially if teachers are participating inappropriately in activities. Establish policies on teacher participation in sports, and clearly identify the differences between active participation as opposed to coaching or instructing. This can reduce unnecessary injuries and accidents. Be sure your school’s athletic director discusses policy and acceptable participation standards with teachers and coaches.
Special Equipment Considerations
Each classroom presents unique safety challenges. Consider these tips for special circumstances.
- Prevent Tipping Hazards. Each classroom requires specific equipment to function at the optimal level. If your classroom requires chairs with wheels, consider that proper chair selection could play an important role in injury prevention. Consider using 5-wheeled chairs to limit the potential for tipping.
- Safety Equipment. Based on the potential classroom hazards, always have an ample supply of personal protective equipment on hand and enforce use as deemed necessary. Be sure you provide proper instructions of use to teachers and students.
- Install Guarding. Install and use guarding on power equipment used in the classroom. Be sure to contact the manufacturer for instructions on the proper guards to use and verify they are installed properly by a qualified professional.
Storage Safety Considerations
Storage is very important in classrooms and can also pose many safety issues. Consider these tips to reduce and prevent storage-related injuries.
- Storage 101. In your storage policy, be sure to include information on storage height. Try to avoid high-level storage areas that require reaching, and instruct teachers where they can and cannot store materials.
- Keep Aisles Clear. To prevent trips and falls, always keep aisles clear of stored items including backpacks, boxes and classroom supplies. Clear aisles are also important for fire safety in case of evacuation.
- Store Items Neatly. Encourage staff and students to keep storage areas neat and orderly, to prevent items from falling and to reduce tripping hazards.
- Create or Update Your Storage Policy. Storage is something every teacher struggles with and improper storage can be hazardous. Ensure your storage policy is up to date and make sure it includes provisions that encourage safety from every angle, including: who can store items, where items can be stored, who can remove items from storage and proper lifting considerations.
Injury prevention in the classroom can be simplified, if you follow the right steps to promote safety. Make sure your safety policy specifically addresses classroom hazards and consider the tips outlined above and how they fit into your processes.
Since 1989, the personal injury lawyers of Clekis Law Firm have been representing injured people and their families in Charleston and throughout the Low Country. At the Clekis Law Firm our clients always come first. If you or a loved one has suffered a serious personal injury due to the negligence of another, don’t be victimized twice. You need someone on your side to help you with your personal injury case and obtain the fair and reasonable compensation that you deserve. Call Clekis at 843.779.1160!
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