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, injury) and incorporate the advice from venue manager.
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. identifying hazards, 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, safety procedures and correct techniques. 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 on safety procedures (e.g. accessing first aid support) and correct techniques (e.g. safe play). 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.
See
number of adult supervisors below.
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
- must
not allow hanging from / holding / grabbing the ring or climbing on the ring framework.
The activity must be suspended if the conditions become unfavourable (e.g. extreme temperatures, thunderstorms).
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 considers 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 required. Consult
concussion management resources.
Medium risk activities
At least 1 adult supervisor is either:
- a registered teacher with competence (knowledge and skills) in teaching basketball
- an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with current
community coach accreditation from Basketball Queensland.
See
FAQs for further support.
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.
Participants must wear
personal protective equipment appropriate to the activity (e.g. enclosed footwear).
Department-owned facilities must comply with infrastructure safety for basketball structures and basketball equipment suppliers and installers (e.g. warning sign specifications). (Departmental staff search 'infrastructure safety basketball structures' in OnePortal).
Portable hoop structures are not recommended. If no safer alternative exists and a portable hoop structure is used, a separate risk assessment must be recorded for this structure using the department's
health and safety risk assessment template.
Confirm sport structures, for example, basketball hoop structures are regularly inspected to assess and maintain structural integrity. See
safety alert—risks associated with metal sporting equipment.
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, 1.5MB) for first aid and hygienic practices
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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
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| Facilities and equipment hazards |
Control measures |
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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 |
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Boundary clearance |
Establish a 2m safety zone around the playing area. If this cannot be achieved, consider ways of reducing risks (e.g. reducing the field size, padding the obstacle).
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 on grass in accordance with the
line marking of sports fields fact sheet |
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Faulty or dangerous equipment |
Check all hoops, backboards and support structures are fixed securely.
Use markers made from non-injurious material (e.g. cardboard, foam).
Check equipment for damage before and during the activity.
Check footwear before each match to ensure they provide sufficient protection for the feet. Look for non-slip soles, no buckles or zips and no sharp-edged soles
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Nets |
If any participant can reach the net, use only nylon nets.
If nets are used, they must be secured to avoid entanglement by:
- having a semi-rigid upper section to check the ball momentarily as it passes through the basket
- being no less than 400mm and no more than 450mm in length
- having adequate loops to secure the ring
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Playing surface |
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.
Cover/fill playing surface hazards (e.g. sprinkler heads, post holes) to be level with the surrounds
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Stray balls |
Implement protocols to manage stray balls (e.g. pause gameplay, wait for break in play for retrieval) |
| Student considerations |
Control measures |
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Physical contact
Breaks, sprains, cuts, abrasions, grazes, concussion, accidental bumping
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Enforce rules to prevent rough play. Consult
play by the rules (conduct and behaviour resources).
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
Exhaustion and fatigue
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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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Student issues |
Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating.
Ensure fingernails, hair and clothing (e.g. pockets) do not interfere with the activity.
Implement procedures (e.g. buddy system, roll marking mechanisms) to account for all participants before, during and after the activity
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