Schools must consider age, maturity and skill level of students when planning curriculum activities. Ensure participants' current level of confidence and skills in the water have been tested. Consult the sequence of competency found in the
water safety and swimming education program for guidance at each year/band level.
Adjustments are required for
students with disability to support access and participation in the curriculum. Consult with the parents/carers of students with disability or, when appropriate, the student to ensure risks related to their child's participation in the activity are identified and managed.
Schools must consult current student medical information and/or health plans in accordance with the
managing students' health support needs at school procedure. Record information about any student condition (e.g. physical or medical, such as
epilepsy) that may inhibit safe engagement in the activity and include specific support measures within emergency procedures.
For activities with students with a medical condition or disability that may impact on safety during the activity, consultation with parents is required prior to allocating supervision to determine the impact of students' medical condition or disability on safety during the activity.
For participants with known allergies, schools must comply with the
supporting students with asthma and/or at risk of anaphylaxis at school procedure and the school's
anaphylaxis risk management plan (DOCX, 159KB), including an adult supervisor of the activity with
anaphylaxis training.
Emergency plans and injury management procedures must be established for foreseeable incidents (e.g. accidental ingestion, exposure to poisonous material) and incorporate the advice from local authorities (e.g. position and location of lifeguard).
Adult supervisors must have:
- emergency contact details of all participants
- a medical alert list and a process for administering student medication
- communication equipment in waterproof containers suitable to conditions (e.g. mobile phone) and a process for obtaining external assistance and/or receiving emergency advice.
Safety procedures must be determined for the location (e.g. using specialised equipment, handling organisms safely) and are to be informed by details provided on manufacturer's instructions, product labels, vendor safety data sheets (SDS),
standard operating procedure (SOP) and local authorities,
Beachsafe website and/or Royal Life Saving key facts as appropriate.
Ready access is required to buoyant and rescue aids (e.g. lightweight poles, water noodles or ropes with a float attached).
Access is required to
first aid equipment and consumables suitable for foreseeable incidents. Refer to
Queensland Poisons Information Centre for further information about types of poisoning and first aid treatment, or phone
13 11 26.
Induction is required for all adult supervisors on emergency procedures (e.g. location of first aid support and equipment, evacuation assembly points) and safety procedures (e.g. storing fishing equipment safely, handling hooks and fishing knives, spacing between participants, identification of ingestion hazards, safe casting). If the activity is conducted at an off-site facility, induction is to be informed by advice provided in consultation with expertise at the location (e.g.
marine park rangers).
Induction is required for students and adult supervisors on correct techniques (e.g. correct set-up and operation of equipment, safe handling) to ensure preliminary water safety knowledge and learning prior to the activity. Rule-reminders are to be provided throughout the activity.
Teacher demonstrations are recommended to exemplify safe and hygienic practices and techniques.
When conducting fieldwork, participants must receive prior instruction on potential hazards (e.g. fragile banks, back casting, oyster hazards), basic first aid procedures for biological hazards (e.g. blue bottle stings, midge bites), appropriate behaviours to help keep themselves safe during the activity (e.g. remain in an appropriate depth of water) and the process if lost or separated from the group.
Parent consent (DOCX, 309KB) is required for all activities conducted
off-site and all
extreme risk level activities conducted onsite. It is
strongly recommended that parent consent is obtained for
high risk level activities conducted on-site.
Supervision
Principals, in consultation with the qualified adults, make final supervision decisions for the activity that considers the local context.
Appropriate adult supervision must be provided to manage the activity safely (i.e. prevent an incident from occurring and manage an incident if one were to occur, including managing emergency situations). At no time should students be relied upon to recover a person in difficulty. The principal must give active consideration to the minimum standards set in the CARA guideline for the activity, the CARA planner and the risk assessment when determining the appropriate level of supervision.
See
number of adult supervisors below.
Prepare a supervision plan to prevent drowning that considers the advice provided in this CARA guideline.
Where a lifeguard service is available, schools are to collaborate with the lifeguard on the contents of the CARA record prior to the activity for advice and to address any queries they may have. Note: The presence of a lifeguard service does not absolve the school of any supervision requirements unless secured for the sole purpose of the activity.
Participants must adhere to all rules and advice communicated by the local lifeguard service, facility operator/owner and any safety signage at the facility/location.
Before the activity, all adult supervisors:
- must be familiar with the contents of the CARA record, including the emergency and supervision plans.
During the activity, all adult supervisors:
- must provide active and direct supervision—be constantly vigilant, attentive and rescue ready
- must comply with control measures from the CARA record and adapt as hazards arise
- must
not rely on students to recover a person in difficulty at any time.
The activity must be suspended if the conditions become unfavourable (e.g. poor visibility, extreme temperatures).
Number of adult supervisors
Principals, in consultation with the qualified adults of the activity, determine the final number of supervisors to fulfil instructional, emergency and supervision roles for the local context that consider
Royal Life Saving Society Queensland's guidelines for safe pool operations, the nature of the activity, students' ages, abilities and specialised learning, access and/or health needs. In some instances, the final supervision ratio may be 1:1.
To support decisions about the number of qualified adults required for the activity, confirmation of student water safety and swimming ability is required prior to participation. The process is determined by the school and must consider the specific aquatic environments in which the activity will take place. Consult the sequence of competency
water safety and swimming education program for support in determining age-appropriate suitability and consider student self-rescue skills in the specific aquatic environment.
If the minimum safety standard cannot be met, modify the activity (or elements of it) and use the
hierarchy of controls to implement alternative control measures to meet or exceed the minimum safety standard (e.g. reduce the number of students participating at any one time).
See
FAQs for further support.
Supervisor qualifications
Qualifications support the minimum safety standard for this activity. Principals make final decisions* in determining supervisor capability (competence, relevance and currency) and whether the activity leader meets an appropriate teaching standard.
*See
FAQs for further support.
All adult supervisors must comply with the
working with children authority—blue cards procedure.
Qualified adults for the activity
Recovery/emergency—CPR, first aid, rescue
Adults at the venue, including registered teachers, engaged for recovery/emergency are to have
current knowledge, judgement, technique and physical ability to carry out safe water rescues and enact an emergency procedure.
Supervisors must have CPR and first aid qualifications relevant to the activity. Emergency qualifications may include:
An adult with concussion management knowledge or training is recommended. Consult
concussion in sport resources.
At least 1 adult supervisor is:
- a registered teacher, or other adult supervisor working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with competence (knowledge and skills) in recognising, and responding to, toxic and dangerous marine organisms and in handling marine organisms relevant to the level of risk identified.
For activities where students enter, or are at risk of entering water:
- a registered teacher with demonstrated ability to perform rescues appropriate to the location. Examples of demonstrated ability include qualifications in physical education or similar.
See
FAQs for further support.
Maritime-related enquiries should be directed to the nearest
Maritime Safety Queensland regional office .
Facilities and equipment
The qualified adult supervisor of the activity, in consultation with the principal, determines the requirements for facilities and equipment appropriate to the local context.
Activities on rocky outcrops (e.g. specimen collection) must consider environmental factors (e.g. tides, rock stability) when determining an appropriate location for the activity.
Provide hygienic facilities if food is to be prepared for human consumption (refer to the
food experimentation activity guideline).
Field guides, charts and/or keys must be consulted to correctly identify species.
Do
not handle organisms that cannot be positively identified by a qualified adult supervisor. Refer to
dangerous marine life for information on toxic and dangerous Australian marine animals.
Confirm the suitability of any species intended for human consumption. Consult
protected and no-take species.
Consult
chemicals in curriculum activities for support in assessing the risks of chemicals used with/by students in curriculum activities.
If a CARA record is required in OneSchool, a summary of chemicals, plant, equipment and/or materials used in the activity must be provided by entering directly onto the CARA record in OneSchool or by attaching a summary. Sample templates are provided on chemicals in curriculum activities and
plant, equipment and materials in curriculum activities.
Schools must maintain, store, transport and dispose of biological material appropriately, for example, use
clinical and related waste guideline (PDF, 760KB). Such materials include but not limited to: live animals (e.g. worms, fish), biological material (e.g. specimens), wastes (e.g. paper towel, gloves) and used instruments (e.g. dissection boards, tongs).
Participants must wear
personal protective equipment as relevant (e.g. enclosed footwear with thick soles, safety gloves, personal flotation device).
Other personal protective equipment appropriate to the activity may include lab standard eye protection, appropriate face protection (e.g. mask to protect against airborne toxins, eye protection when casting during fishing).
First aid equipment and consumables, as required. All emergency equipment and processes (e.g. eye wash unit) must be functional.
Equipment and tools must be well-maintained, transported safely (e.g. using a protective cover) and stored appropriately. Conduct a visual inspection of equipment to identify damage and remove from use.
Clean up equipment as necessary (e.g. dustpan, waste bags, spill kit, disinfectants).
Common hazards and controls
Further to those listed, include any additional hazards and control measures considering the local context of the activity.
|
Animal bites/diseases
Stings, poisoning, infection
|
Advise students not to handle marine organisms until explicitly instructed by the qualified adult supervisor. Avoid contact with marine creatures where spines may inject poison or break off and cause infection and/or bites may be poisonous.
Treat all wounds and bites immediately for
infection control.
Adhere to established practices regarding the use of insect repellent, outlined in
insect viruses and allergies
|
|
Biological material |
Manage open wounds before, during and after the activity. Consult
infection control guidelines and Queensland Health's
exclusion periods for infectious conditions poster (PDF, 1.4MB) for first aid and hygienic practices.
Wash hands and other contaminated areas of the body with soap and water before leaving the activity site.
Clean tools and equipment following use to reduce the risk of contamination or accidental exposure.
Dispose of hazardous biological materials using a double-bagging technique.
Label and date all specimens and samples for storage. Refrigerate as necessary. Dispose within appropriate timeframes
|
|
Dangerous marine life
(e.g. crocodiles, sharks, stonefish, marine stingers, sea snakes, blue-ringed octopus, cone shells, cyanobacteria, coral—scrapes)
|
Check with the local authority (e.g. local government) for the presence of known water contaminants (e.g. blue-green algae) or other marine hazards (e.g. stonefish) at the location.
Look for and obey warnings and/or safety signs.
Follow
Queensland Government dangerous marine life and
Surf Life Saving Queensland marine stinger safety advice.
Marine organisms are not to be handled and contact is to be avoided.
Continually assess threat of dangerous marine life. Immediately move the participants to a safe location if dangerous marine life is detected or suspected.
Ensure stinger suits and/or footwear is worn in the water when appropriate (e.g. enclosed footwear with thick soles when swimming in creeks or estuaries where dangers such as stonefish may be present)
|
Environmental conditions
Weather, surfaces, surrounds |
Assess
weather conditions prior to undertaking the activity, inspecting the intended location in order to identify variable risks, hazards and potential dangers.
Follow the
school's sun safety policy, including appropriate clothing (e.g. long sleeved shirts), sun protection (e.g. sunscreen) and shade facilities when outside.
Follow the
managing excessive heat in schools guidelines when participating in very hot or extreme heat conditions.
Ensure drink breaks occur regularly. Make water available for individual participants between drink breaks.
Monitor participants for cold related illness (e.g. hypothermia). Manage cooler water temperatures with additional control measures (e.g. ensure warm clothing is prepared for cold weather conditions etc.). Note: sudden temperature changes may trigger
seizures.
When participating at night, provide appropriate lighting/illumination
|
| Facilities and equipment hazards |
Control measures |
|
Activity location
|
Location must be suitable for the activity being undertaken to ensure safe participation and that safety rules and procedures can be followed. Undertake a reconnaissance of new or infrequently used venues to ascertain suitability
|
|
Faulty or dangerous equipment |
Comply with
recreational fishing rules for all fishing equipment.
Check equipment for damage before and during the activity.
Check jetties for tripping hazards such as loose boards and protruding nails.
Consider using flattened barbs on hooks
|
|
Hazardous chemicals |
All chemicals required for the decontamination processes must be arranged in advance and be readily available
|
|
Heat sources and radiation
Hot plates, fire, steam
|
Only appropriately-qualified adult supervisors may manage radiation sources and equipment (e.g. fires, stovetops). Establish and implement an exclusion zone away from radiation.
Clearly identify hot surfaces and allow to cool before being returned to storage.
Manage heat sources and/or combustible substances safely. This includes, but is not limited to: using only small quantities of combustible substances, keeping combustible or toxic substances away from naked flames
|
|
Vehicles/vessels |
Ensure access to waterways is available for emergency vehicles |
|
Wastes |
Dispose of waste according to established safety procedure as soon as possible after the activity |
| Student considerations |
Control measures |
|
Physical exertion
Exhaustion and fatigue
|
Continually monitor participants for signs of fatigue and exhaustion, particularly if wading while dragging a bait net.
Ensure drink breaks occur regularly. Make water available for individual participants between drink breaks
|
Manual handling
Lifting equipment |
Use
correct manual handling processes when lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying.
Use aids for safe handling, lifting and carrying (e.g. guards, safety steps and mobile trolleys), as appropriate
|
Student issues
High risk behaviours, separation from the group |
Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating.
Ensure fingernails, hair and clothing (e.g. long hair, loose shirts) do not pose a hazard.
Account for all equipment, chemicals and resources (e.g. matches, sharp tools) after the activity.
Implement procedures (e.g. buddy system, roll marking mechanisms) to account for all participants before, during and after the activity.
Adopt system of signals to clearly communicate the need for assistance if in difficulty
|
|
Visibility |
Provide adequate space for each participant.
Have students wear easily identifiable clothing (e.g. high visibility rash vest).
Ensure staff can easily recognise those students with health support needs (in and out of the water) and are familiar with their needs
|
Additional links