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. separation from group, laceration, provision of CPR and
first aid) and incorporate the advice from facility managers.
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. avoid excessive speeding or weaving through other skaters, follow the flow of traffic, no sitting on the handrail) 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 (e.g. evacuation), safety procedures (e.g. skating rules) 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 and adult supervisors on safety procedures and correct techniques (e.g. avoiding laceration of the fingers on the ice). 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 rely on students to recover a person in difficulty at any time.
The activity must be suspended if the conditions become unfavourable (e.g. overcrowding).
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 required. Consult
concussion in sport resources.
Medium risk activities
At least 1 adult supervisor is either:
- a registered teacher with competence (knowledge and skills) in teaching ice skating
- an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with
Level 0 coach accreditation from Ice Skating Australia.
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. protective clothing to prevent ice grazes, wrist guards). For speed skating activities, participants must wear properly fitted speed skating helmets.
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 equipment used in the workspace. 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.
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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Environmental conditions
Temperature
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Monitor participants for cold related illness (e.g. hypothermia). Wear warm clothing on the rink if required.
Manage cooler temperatures with additional control measures (e.g. shorter time on the ice, warm clothing, etc.). Note: sudden temperature changes may trigger
seizures.
Ensure drink breaks occur regularly. Make water available for individual participants between drink breaks
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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, 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 venues to ascertain suitability
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Boundary clearance |
Establish and implement exclusion zones to maintain a safe activity area for beginners
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Electricity |
If the power is required on the ice:
- use portable safety switches, where there are no residual current devices installed
- do not use extension leads, electrical equipment and cord
- use battery powered or non-powered equipment
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Faculty or dangerous equipment |
Use markers made from non-injurious material (e.g. soft plastic, foam).
Check equipment (e.g. skates, wrist guards if worn) for damage before and during the activity.
Ensure boots fit snugly around the ankle and have toe stops.
Lace boots very firmly across the instep and ensure laces do not hang below the ankle
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Playing surface |
Check the skating area is well lit. Isolate any shaded or dark areas to be avoided by all participants.
Check the skating surface is hard, flat and free of any major cracks.
Clear the skating surface from any water, loose items or debris.
Continually monitor the ice surface for debris and ice build up. All participants must leave the rink when the surface is being cleaned
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| Student considerations |
Control measures |
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Physical contact
Breaks, sprains, cuts, abrasions, grazes, collision
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Consider additional protective equipment (elbow, knee, wrist guards and/or helmet) appropriate to participant age and ability.
Designate specific fast skating times for participants with the appropriate skills only
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Physical exertion
Exhaustion and fatigue |
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 and hair clothing (e.g. trouser legs, shoelaces) do not interfere with the activity.
Warn students on the injury risk when their hands are on the floor surface
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