Handsam Reminders
In the hustle and bustle of other responsibilities, you may have overlooked some articles from Compliance Matters Issue 39. Below are some of the things making the news in the world of compliance in Summer 2023.
Bee Friendly Schools
This article outlines how to make simple changes in your school that will encourage bees to live on your site and the safety measures you should consider to look after them and for children to observe them.
Solitary bee houses give children a chance to observe bees visiting the nest holes. Holes that have been blocked with mud, leaves or debris are most likely being used by mother bees as nests to lay eggs.
You may have observation windows in your bee houses to allow children to look at the bees safely. However, these particular bee houses should be placed somewhere that is not accessible to pupils during playtimes or out-of-school hours. This is to prevent pupils from opening an observation panel or taking out a drawer without supervision.
New Funding Available for Defibrillators
Organisations will be invited to bid for the funding in areas where they are most needed. These areas include schools, places with high footfall, areas which attract vulnerable people, rural areas, or due to the nature of activity at the site. The aim is to ensure that defibrillators are evenly spread throughout communities and easily accessible in case of unexpected cardiac arrest.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the British Heart Foundation, welcomed the move to improve access to defibrillators in communities across England, stating that for every minute without CPR or defibrillation, a person’s chances of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest decreases by 10%. NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said that it is essential that people are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and equipment they need to be able to save a life, and that access to a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death for a person who is going into cardiac arrest.
The Dangers of Bandage Clips
Handsam has received a small number of reports from schools of secondary-age pupils using bandage clips to self-harm.
Pupils have been using the clips included with first aid bandages to self-harm by cutting or grazing themselves on their forearms with the sharp edges of the clips.
Changes can also be made to safeguard children such as using other types of bandage clips in first aid kits and medical rooms instead of metal ones.
Elastic and plastic bandage clips are available as well as tape to store the bandage or keep it secure when they are being used. Depending on the injury, you can also tie or tuck in a bandage so that it stays in place.
Some bandages do not require clips or pins, for example non-slip bandages and adhesive bandages.
This will then minimise the chance of pupils attaining bandage clips in the first place, and reduce the risk of pupils using them to self-harm.
Are the Tyres on Your School Minibus Legal?
If you have a school minibus, do you know the regulations regarding changing tyres? Recently, we were contacted by a client who was alarmed to learn that tyres on minibuses must be replaced if they are ten years old. Their vehicle had passed its MOT and their garage had not picked up on this vital stipulation.
What should you be doing to ensure that your tyres are legal?
Research has found structural deterioration can occur in older tyres which cannot be identified through visual inspection. Owners are recommended to record and monitor the age of the tyres on their vehicle as per the tyre management section in the ‘Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness’.
Safety Guidance for School Open Evenings
If you’re struggling to find an activity appropriate for science opening evenings, CLEAPSS has produced guidance to help schools and academies plan an exciting and safe opening evening for parents and prospective students. However, practical activities that are great for science lessons may not be appropriate for a public event like an open evening, no matter how much you want to impress potential students and their parents. For help with planning safe activities that are still going to ‘wow’ attendees, CLEAPSS’ guide PS058 is now available for members.
HSE has Updated its Guidance on Violence at Work
The guidance covers all areas of violence at work. It includes:
Overview What violence in the workplace is and how to prevent it
What the law says Health and safety laws which are relevant to violence at work
Assessing the risks How to assess the risks of violent incidents at work
Control measures to prevent violence Put the right controls in place to protect your workers from violence
Reporting and learning from incidents What incidents to report and how to learn from them
Examples of ways to prevent violence Typical examples of how other employers have reduced the risk of violence