Schools must consider age, maturity and skill level of students when planning curriculum activities.
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. evacuation procedure, provision of
first aid) and incorporate the advice from local authorities.
Adult supervisors must have:
- emergency contact details of all participants
- a medical alert list and a process for administering student medication
- communication equipment 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. out-of-bounds areas, location of first aid support and equipment) and incorporate advice from off-site facility, if relevant.
Access is required to
first aid equipment and consumables suitable for foreseeable incidents.
Induction is required for all adult supervisors on emergency procedures and safety procedures. If the activity is conducted at an off-site facility, induction is to be informed by advice provided in consultation with expertise at the venue.
Instruction is required for students and adult supervisors on correct techniques (e.g. calls to begin play, safe batting/fielding techniques). Rule-reminders are to be provided throughout the activity.
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). 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.
Participants must adhere to all rules and advice communicated by the 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.
The activity must be suspended if the conditions become unfavourable (e.g. 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, 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.
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
frequently asked questions (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
An adult with current emergency qualifications is required to be quickly accessible to the activity area.
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.
Medium risk activities
At least 1 adult supervisor is either:
- a registered teacher
- an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with competence (knowledge and skills) in teaching minor games.
See
FAQs for further support.
Facilities and equipment
The qualified adults of the activity, in consultation with the principal, determines the requirements for facilities and equipment appropriate to the local context.
Confirm sport structures e.g. batting cages are regularly inspected to assess and maintain structural integrity. See
safety alert—risks associated with metal sporting equipment.
Participants must wear
personal protective equipment appropriate to the activity (e.g. enclosed footwear).
Equipment must be sized to match the ability and strength of students.
Consider using a whistle for command signalling.
All equipment must be in used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Bats must have non-slip grips and/or safety knobs on handles.
Common hazards and controls
Further to those listed, include any additional hazards and control measures considering the local context of the activity.
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Biological hazards
Body fluids (e.g. blood, saliva, sweat)
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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
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Visibility |
Adjust the field orientation to avoid the sun affecting the line of sight of participants |
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Environmental conditions
Weather, sun, humidity
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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, 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.
Dry equipment (including bat grips, balls) if conditions cause dampness
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| Facilities and equipment hazards |
Control measures |
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Activity location
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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. |
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Boundary clearance |
Establish a safety zone around the playing area. If this cannot be achieved, consider ways of reducing risks e.g. reducing the field size.
Ensure playing areas do not overlap. Where playing areas are placed parallel to each other, ensure there is sufficient distance to prevent stray balls creating a hazard.
Ensure there are no sharp or rough edges (e.g. portable signage) facing the field of play
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Chemicals |
Lines are marked in accordance with the
line marking of sports fields fact sheet
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Faculty or dangerous equipment |
Use markers made from non-injurious material (e.g. cardboard, foam).
Check equipment for damage before and during the activity
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Fast moving objects |
Use a soft (e.g. sponge) ball for inexperience participants.
If using hard balls:
- ensure throwers are at least 5 metres apart during group instruction
- use personal protective equipment (e.g. face masks, gloves, helmets)
- position left and right-handed participants to ensure maximum player visibility
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Playing surface
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Conduct a field check to identify and manage surface hazards. Clear the playing surface from loose items or debris. Do not participate on a surface that is slippery, unduly rough or chopped up.
If securing bases to the ground, peg them in firmly to be level with the ground using rounded over pegs
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| Student considerations |
Control measures |
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Manual handling
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Use correct
manual handling processes when lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying
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Physical contact
Accidental bumping |
Manage injuries according to established procedures. If in doubt, do not allow students to return to play after injury until medically cleared |
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Injury |
Students aware of the location of emergency and first-aid equipment |
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Physical exertion |
Conduct
warm-up/cool-down activities.
Continually monitor participants for signs of fatigue and exhaustion.
Ensure drink breaks occur regularly. Make water available for individual participants between drink breaks
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Sharp objects
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Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating.
Ensure fingernails and hair and clothing (e.g. pockets) do not interfere with the activity
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Student issues
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Implement safety protocols during play including:
- watch play at all times when warming up
- drop, not throw, the bat before running
- avoid intentionally clashing with an opponent
- remove dropped bat/tee as soon as possible
- wait for permission to retrieve equipment from other fields
- Implement procedures (e.g. buddy system, roll marking mechanisms) to account for all participants before, during and after the activity
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