Managing Serious Injury

Comfort the patient but do not move them, or leave them unattended. Assess the scene to ensure your own safety and that of the first aiders. Keep calm.

Ask for help to:

Summon the trained first-aiders

• Call an ambulance, if necessary. Do not hesitate to do this.
• Prevent further injury if a hazard was involved, for example, direct traffic away.
• Notify the principal
• Secure the scene
• Record names of witnesses
• Keep unnecessary people away from the site.

If the injured person is a student, contact their caregivers as soon as possible.

Record and report as appropriate.

Preserving the site of the event

The board must take all reasonable steps to keep the site undisturbed until authorised by an inspector. This doesn't prevent assisting an injured person, making the site safe to avoid further injury, or removing a deceased person.

Actions done or directed by a member of the police performing their duties are allowed, and any actions an inspector has given permission for.

The chairperson of the board of trustees must be notified as soon as possible in the event of a death or notifiable injury. Depending on the seriousness of the accident, and its effect on the school community, the school may need to employ the Crisis Management Plan.

Definition of a Notifiable Injury or Illness, Incident, and Event

A notifiable injury or illness includes:

• any of the following injuries or illnesses that require the person to have immediate treatment (other than first aid):
  • the amputation of any body part
  • a serious head injury
  • a serious eye injury
  • a serious burn
  • the separation of skin from an underlying tissue (such as degloving or scalping)
  • a spinal injury
  • the loss of a bodily function
  • serious lacerations.
• an injury or illness that requires, or would usually require, the person to be admitted to a hospital for immediate treatment
• an injury or illness that requires, or would usually require, the person to have medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure to a substance
• any serious infection to which the carrying out of work is a significant contributing factor, including any infection that is attributable to carrying out work:
  • with micro-organisms; or
  • that involves providing treatment or care to a person; or
  • that involves contact with human blood or bodily substances; or
  • that involves handling or contact with animals, animal hides, animal skins, animal wool or hair, animal carcasses, or animal waste products; or
  • that involves handling or contact with fish or marine mammals.
• Any of these injuries or illnesses that happen to an employee, student, volunteer, or visitor must be notified to WorkSafe.

A notifiable incident is any unplanned or uncontrolled incident in relation to a workplace that exposes a person to serious risk to their health and safety arising from an immediate or imminent exposure to a hazard, including:

• an escape, a spillage, or a leakage of a substance
• an implosion, explosion, or fire
• an escape of gas or steam, or pressurised substance
• an electric shock
• the fall or release from a height of any plant, substance, or thing.

A notifiable event is any of the following events that arise from work, i.e. at school or school activity, such as EOTC:

• the death of a person
• a notifiable injury or illness
• a notifiable incident.