Worksafe at Schools - Information and Training

Action Guide 5: Information and Training

Introduction

Members of the school community and people visiting the school need to understand the hazards they are exposed to or can create, and know how to minimise risk. The school can achieve this through an ongoing programme of providing information and training.

Schools are required to provide information and/or training for existing staff, students, relieving staff, professional visitors, contractors, other school users, parents and members of the community who visit the school workplace.

Health and safety information must be accessible to all employees.

Assessing Information and Training Needs

An analysis of the following will help decide what health and safety training and information is needed:

• Strategic and annual plans
• Hazard registers and control plans
• Hazard checklists
• Job descriptions
• School user database
• The injury/incident register and investigation reports
• Staff, student, visitor and contractor induction processes
• Staff professional development and job training plans

As part of this process, schools must demonstrate that the health and safety information given to employees has been understood.

Employee training records must be signed as evidence of completion.

Information

Schools have a responsibility to provide health and safety information to staff and other school users. Action Guide 5, Toolkit 8B provides an information and/or training matrix.

Health and safety information can be provided in the following formats/forums:

• Posters and signs
• Staff and student handbooks
• Induction
• Parent/whanau and community meetings
• Classroom activities
• Health and Safety Committee meetings
• Staff meetings

Training

Training is an active process of providing information and skills, and a commitment to doing things in new ways.

Health and safety training needs to ensure that staff are provided with at least the following health and safety information:

• Managing emergencies
• Managing hazards
• Employee/employer health and safety responsibilities
• Injuries/incidents investigation and reporting responsibilities
• Identifying/recording hazards
• How to use equipment safely

Action Guide 5, Toolkit 8A provides a more detailed list of common health and safety training needs.

Induction Processes

Induction of employees, students, visitors or contractors to the school is an important opportunity to provide health and safety information and training.

Each school needs to maintain a checklist of what is to be provided and a record must be kept of each induction. (See Action Guide 5, Toolkit 8C)

Provision of Information and/or Training

Schools need to decide how the information and training is going to be provided. A training plan should consider the following stops:

• What type of information or training should be provided
• When it should be provided
• Who should receive it
• Where it will take place
• Trainer
• Budget/resources
• Job release time for training

A list of training sources may be obtained from agencies including the Ministry of Education, ACC, OSH and NZSTA.

Records

A training record needs to be maintained for each staff member and reviewed regularly to track progress on achieving health and safety competency (see Action Guide 5, Toolkit 8D).

Supervision

Supervision for new employees is necessary to protect themselves and others.

There are two aspects of supervision; monitoring and support.

Some level of formal monitoring should be provided until the staff member demonstrates competent health and safety behaviour and skills, and safety standards are being met.

Support may be provided through additional information or training. Designation of responsibility for the supervision of new employees is required.

Review and Assessment

The effectiveness of information and training programmes can be assessed at the same time as health and safety components of the Annual Plan. The assessment needs to determine whether:

• Programmes are effective and still appropriate
• Any updates are required
• Further topics should be added

Individual training needs can be reviewed, in consultation with staff members, when professional development and job training plans are updated.