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.
Emergency plans and injury management procedures must be established for foreseeable incidents (e.g. evacuation procedure, provision of
first aid).
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. location of first aid support and equipment, heat sources) and are to be informed by information provided as manufacturer's instructions, product labels, vendor safety data sheets (SDS) and standard operating procedures (SOP) as relevant.
Access is required to
first aid equipment and consumables suitable for foreseeable incidents.
Induction is required for all adult supervisors on emergency procedures (e.g. evacuation procedure) and safety procedures (e.g. heat sources). 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. use of sharp implements). 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.
It is recommended that teacher demonstration be used as the principal teaching strategy for medium and high activities.
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 and attentive
- must closely supervise students when using and mixing chemicals and when using machines
- must comply with control measures from the CARA record and adapt as hazards arise.
The activity must be suspended if the conditions become unfavourable.
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:
Low risk activities
At least 1 adult supervisor is either:
- a registered teacher with knowledge of fabric and fibre activities and the potential hazards
- an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with knowledge of fabric and fibre activities and the potential hazards.
Medium and high risk activities
At least 1 adult supervisor is either:
- a registered teacher with demonstrated competence (knowledge and skills) in fabric and fibre activities and knowledge of the properties and hazards associated with all materials and equipment used
- an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with demonstrated competence (knowledge and skills) in fabric and fibre activities and knowledge of the properties and hazards associated with all materials and equipment used.
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 as relevant (e.g. enclosed footwear).
Stable benches (e.g. sewing or drafting tables) and chairs or stools of a height suitable for the activity must be available.
All equipment must be used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
A process for checking for damage for all equipment used in the activity must be established and employed.
A maintenance schedule (e.g. checking for damage, repairing, sharpening) must be established and enacted for all plant and equipment used in the workspace (e.g. sewing machines). Consult
Equipment Maintenance Records (EMR) template.
A retirement schedule must be developed to replace plant and equipment by manufacturers' nominated expiry date or when significant wear causes a hazard.
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.
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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Activity location
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Location must be suitable for the activity being undertaken, including sufficient space, adequate lighting and ventilation to ensure safe participation and that safety rules and procedures can be followed. Undertake a reconnaissance of new or infrequently used locations to ascertain suitability
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Electricity
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If power is required, ensure electrical or extension leads do not pose a tripping hazard
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Heat sources
Steam, burns
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Ensure explicit instruction is provided in safety precautions when using an iron (e.g. temperature, steam).
Discourage students from unnecessarily moving or carrying hot liquids
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Equipment and materials |
Ensure fabric and craft glues are clearly labelled (e.g. when decanted into smaller containers).
Provide explicit instructions on safe use of equipment (e.g. sewing machines, overlockers, irons, weaving looms) prior to the activity.
Ensure equipment (e.g. scissors, sewing machines, overlockers, irons, weaving looms) is stored securely, and correctly lifted and set-up when it is required for use.
Ensure students are aware of the potential hazards of plants (including those that are poisonous if eaten and those with corrosive sap) before collecting them for use in activities
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Sharp implements or objects |
Keep scissors sufficiently sharp to allow for easy cutting, and store in a way that allows safe selection |
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Slips, trips, falls |
Procedures must be in place to immediately manage the removal of all spilt substances (e.g. breakages bin, mop, spill kit for large spills) |
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Control measures |
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Injury
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Students aware of the location of emergency and first-aid equipment
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Student issues
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Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating.
Ensure fingernails and hair do not pose a hazard.
Monitor and enforce the correct use of equipment
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