Risk Management Guidelines

Rationale

As a community that cares for the welfare of all its members, St Ambrose’s is committed to the ongoing safety of the children and adults who live, work and learn in our school environment. In order to most effectively do this, a Health and Safety program is in place to prevent or minimise the possible harm. To ensure this program is proactive rather than reactive it is important that we implement sound preventive risk management practices into all aspects of life in our school. It will require a culture of risk management involving all members of the community in being aware, gathering information and passing it on through the correct processes to ensure the removal or reduction of any risks that occur at St Ambrose’s.

Guidelines

To ensure an effective Risk Management Program is in operation, St Ambrose’s School will ensure effective processes for:

• The identification of hazards (which may be anything that has the potential to cause harm) and the type and nature of these potential hazards.
• The assessment of the potential risks (the chance that some harm will be caused by the hazard) in the hazards that have been identified. This will include the extent and severity of possible consequences as well as the level of acceptability of the risk to the school.
• Determining appropriate control measures to prevent or minimise the risks
• Implementing the control measures
• Monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the measures implemented.

Procedures

• The WH&S Committee will be responsible for overseeing the Risk Management Program as part of Workplace Health and Safety in the school.
• All Staff have access to “Out of Order Forms” which they are to complete after identifying any hazards in or around the school. These forms are to be handed to a member of the WH&S Committee so that an assessment of the risk can
• be undertaken. Appropriate control measures will then be determined and implemented. A review of these control measures will then be undertaken at a later date.
• All Staff have access to Excursion Risk Management Forms. These are to be completed and forwarded to the Principal before any excursion takes place. Potential hazards, the level of risk and the applying of appropriate control measures must be explained.
• The WH&S Committee will undertake regular Workplace Inspections to ensure appropriate Risk Management processes in such areas as playground safety, storage, hazardous substances, first aid, fire and emergency, classroom environment, electricity, signage, machinery, walkways and floors and security.
• Risk Management processes will be applied to P&F outside school activities on school property to ensure hazards are identified, risks assessed and control measures put in place. Emergency procedures will be clarified after the control measures have been implemented.
• Working Bees will be subject to Risk Assessment to ensure the safety of all volunteers.
• A Job Safety Analysis will be undertaken to assess potential hazards, level of risk and appropriate safety procedures of positions that have particular safety aspects.
• The WH&S Committee will keep all data from the Risk Management assessments for ongoing action and review.

Fire Drill Procedures

The School Critical Incidents Procedures documents details on Fire Drill. Each area of the school has an evacuation map displayed that indicates the route to follow to the designated safety zone. All staff, pupils and visitors on site (including parents) are to take part in ‘practice evacuations.’ The school practices the Evacuation Drill twice a year. The school secretary records the results of the drill in the Evacuation Drill File.​​