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. emergency shut off procedures).
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. movement around the workspace, location of first aid support and equipment) 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), safety procedures (e.g. movement around the workshop) and correct techniques (e.g. safe use of plant and equipment). 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 and correct techniques (e.g. safe use of plant and equipment, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and safe work procedures). 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 practical activities.
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.
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/or identify 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 the activity, its potential hazards and safe use of equipment
- an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with demonstrated competence (knowledge and skills) in the activity, its potential hazards and safe use of equipment specific to the activity.
Medium risk activities
At least 1 adult supervisor is either:
- a registered teacher with demonstrated competence (knowledge and skills) in teaching the activity and safe use of equipment specific to the activity
- an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with a current relevant trade qualification or similar.
High risk and extreme risk activities
At least 1 adult supervisor is either:
- a registered teacher with qualifications in Design and Technologies or equivalent demonstrated capability (e.g. relevant trade qualification or similar)
- an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with demonstrated competence in safely using plant, equipment and machinery specific to the activity. Examples of demonstrated competence include either
- relevant VET trainer qualifications
- another method determined by the principal.
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.
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.
Safe work zones to be outlined (e.g. yellow painted floor lines or similar).
Participants must wear
personal protective equipment when required by the safety data sheets (SDS) or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) (e.g. safety glasses with Australian Standard specification, appropriate enclosed footwear, earplugs and leather gloves).
Clean up equipment (e.g. broom, dustpan, bin, spill kit) must be available.
Maintain the ducted waste (dust) extraction system, if installed. Ensure it is connected, operational, cleaned and emptied.
Ready access must be available to appropriate safety equipment, including fire extinguishers and fire blankets.
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. hand/power tools, machinery). Consult
Equipment Maintenance Records (EMR) and
Plant and Equipment Risk Assessments (P&ERA) documents.
A retirement schedule must be developed to replace plant and equipment by manufacturers' nominated expiry date or when significant wear causes a hazard.
The risks associated with
working at heights,
confined spaces (PDF, 1.5MB),
biological,
asbestos,
slip/trip/fall and
noise must be assessed and managed.
Refer to the
design and technologies handbook to manage the workspace in relation to layout and conditions (e.g.
working at heights).
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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Environmental conditions
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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. Where possible, utilise air conditioned or cooled workshops for summer months.
Ensure drink breaks occur regularly. Make water available for individual participants between drink breaks
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Noise
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Manage excessive noise levels during practical activities (e.g. control the use of equipment/machines) |
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Dust, gas or fumes
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Ensure adequate ventilation/extraction when sanding and when using materials that release fumes or particles (e.g. contact adhesives, paints, solvents, glues, dust)
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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, including sufficient space to prevent overcrowding, adequate lighting and ventilation to ensure safe participation and that safety rules and procedures can be followed.
This may be in a specialised facility (e.g. workshop) or other suitable location (e.g. welding bay). Consider additional hazards created by oversized products (e.g. stability, sharp edges). Undertake a reconnaissance of new or infrequently used locations to ascertain suitability
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Slips, trips, falls
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Floors and walkways must be clean and clear of debris and obstructions.
Extension leads must not be run across the floor
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Faulty or dangerous equipment
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Check equipment for damage before and during the activity
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Heat sources
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Monitor temperatures from heat sources in the workspace
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Confined spaces
Asphyxiation
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Ensure adequate lighting and ventilation |
Waste disposal/spill clean up
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Procedures must be in place to immediately manage the removal of all spilt substances (e.g. breakages bin, spill kit for large spills) |
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Equipment |
Equipment and implements to be stored safely and securely when not in use |
Manual handling
Lifting equipment |
Use correct
manual handling processes when lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying
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| Student considerations |
Control measures |
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Injury |
Ensure equipment is not accessed and used without direct supervision of an adult supervisor.
Students aware of the location of emergency and first-aid equipment
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Student issues
Student numbers, special needs, high risk behaviours, medical conditions
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Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating.
Ensure clothing, fingernails and hair do not pose a hazard.
Footwear must be appropriate to the activity.
Monitor and enforce the correct use of plant and equipment. Maintain close supervision of students |
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