Health and Safety Policy

St Patrick’s Catholic School

Proverbs 27: 12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Rationale

The board of St Patrick’s Catholic School Board(the ‘board’) of St Patrick’s Catholic School (the ‘school’) has consulted with the proprietor, staff and parents in the formulation of this Policy (‘the Policy’).

The board used the following key resource to formulate this policy : Health & Safety at the Work Act 2015, A practical guide for boards of trustees and school leaders, (March 2016).

Purpose.

The school board is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all staff, students, visitors and contractors by complying with relevant health and safety legislation, regulations, New Zealand standards and approved codes of practice.

The school board

The board is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for all staff, students, and other people in the workplace through :

1. making health and safety a key part of our role

2. working with our staff to improve health and safety systems in our school

3. doing everything reasonably possible to remove or reduce the risk of injury or illness

4. making sure all incidents, injuries and near misses are recorded in the appropriate place

5. investigating incidents, near misses and reducing the likelihood of them happening again

6. having emergency plans and procedures in place

7. training everyone about hazards and risks so everyone can work safely

8. providing appropriate induction, training and supervision for all new and existing staff

9. helping staff who are injured or ill to return to work safely

10. making sure contractors and sub-contractors working at the school operate in a safe manner

All staff

All staff are encouraged to play a vital and responsible role in maintaining a safe and healthy workplace through :

1. being involved in improving health and safety systems at work

2. following all instructions, rules, procedures and safe ways of working

3. reporting any pain or discomfort as soon as possible

4. reporting all injuries, incidents and near misses

5. helping new staff, trainees and visitors to the workplace understand the safety procedures and why they exist

6. Reporting and health and safety concerns or issues through the reporting system

7. keeping the work place tidy to minimise the risks of any trips or falls

8. wearing protective clothing and equipment as and when required to minimise exposure to workplace hazards

Others in the workplace

All others in the workplace including students and visitors are encouraged to :

1. follow all instructions, rules and procedures while in the school grounds

2. be proactive in reporting to staff, any hazards that they come across

3. report all inquiries, incidents and near misses to their teacher, the office or another staff member

4. wear protective clothing as and when required to minimize exposure to hazards while learning

Students are provided with basic health and safety rules, information and training and are encouraged to engage in positive health and safety practices. Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Reviewed and Ratified 14 May 2023