Table tennis

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Guideline review date: 28 October 2021

This guideline is provided to support schools in implementing the managing risks in school curriculum activities procedure.

The CARA planner must be used for the specific school context in conjunction with this guideline considering additional risks, hazards and controls and including environmental, facility, equipment and student considerations.

For activities beyond the scope of this guideline, complete a CARA record using the CARA generic template.

Activity scope

This guideline relates to student participation in table tennis as an activity to support curriculum delivery.

For activities conducted at a non-Department of Education venue, and/or when engaging external expertise, request written risk assessment advice and attach it to this CARA record.

For activities conducted off-site, schools must comply with the school excursions procedure.

Low risk
Table tennis activities involving regulation equipment

Activity requirements

If any requirement cannot be met, the activity must not occur.

If any other safety recommendation 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.

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Students

Emergency and first-aid

Induction and instruction

Consent

Supervision

Principals make final supervision decisions for the activity. Sufficient adult supervision must be provided to manage the activity safely (including emergency situations).

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.

The number of adult supervisors required to fulfil emergency and supervision roles must consider the nature of the activity, students' ages, abilities and specialised learning, access and/or health needs.

Before the activity, all adult supervisors must be familiar with the contents of the CARA record.

During the activity, all adult supervisors:

must be readily identifiable
must closely monitor students with health support needs
must comply with control measures from the CARA record and adapt as hazards arise
must suspend the activity if the conditions become unfavourable (e.g. extreme temperatures).

Supervisor qualifications

Principals are responsible for encouraging and enabling school-based activity supervisors to raise their qualifications to improve safety standards.

All adult supervisors must comply with the working with children authority—Blue Cards procedure and be able to identify, and respond to, risks or hazards that may emerge during the activity.

A registered teacher must be appointed to maintain overall responsibility for the activity.

For low risk activities:

At least one adult supervisor is required to be:

a registered teacher with knowledge of table tennis and its potential hazards; or
an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with competence (knowledge and skills) in table tennis (e.g. TOPS coach).

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.

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.

Participants must wear personal protective equipment appropriate to the activity (e.g. enclosed footwear).

Bats must be in good condition and have sufficient non-slip properties.

Common hazards and controls

Further to those listed, include any additional hazards and control measures considering the local context of the activity.

Environmental hazards	Control measures
Biological hazards Body fluids (e.g. blood, saliva, sweat)	Manage bodily substances (e.g. blood) and 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 hygienic practices and first aid. Follow appropriate cleaning and hygiene management practices when using shared equipment (departmental staff search 'practical subjects cleaning equipment' in OnePortal).
Environmental conditions Weather, sun, humidity	The school's sun safety strategy must be followed. Assess weather (Bureau of Meteorology) and environmental conditions prior to participating outside. Follow the managing excessive heat in schools guidelines when participating in very hot or extreme heat conditions. Ensure drink breaks occur regularly. Make water available for individual participants between drink breaks.
Facilities and equipment hazards	Control measures
Boundary clearance	Establish a sufficient safety zone around the playing area. If this cannot be achieved, consider ways of reducing risks e.g. reducing the playing area, padding obstacles. Ensure there are no sharp or rough edges (e.g. portable signage, chairs) around the playing area.
Electricity	If power is required, ensure electrical or extension leads do not pose a tripping hazard.
Faulty or dangerous equipment	Follow manufacturer’s instructions to assemble tables and lock wheels in place. Check tables, nets and bats for dangerous/sharp edges and replace or repair as appropriate (e.g. using edge tape). Use markers made from non-injurious material (e.g. cardboard, foam). Check footwear before the activity to ensure they provide sufficient protection for the feet. Look for non-slip soles, no buckles or zips and no sharp-edged soles.
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. tripping hazards) to be level with the surrounds.
Stray equipment	Do not allow balls to remain on the ground during play. Implement safety protocols to manage stray balls (e.g. calling a ‘let’ to break play, waiting for a break in play to retrieve balls from other playing areas).
Student considerations	Control measures
Collision	Position left and right-handed participants to ensure they face the instructor. Pair same-handed participants on the same side of the net during play where possible.
Manual handling	Use correct manual handling processes when lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying.
Physical exertion Exhaustion and fatigue	Conduct warm-up/cool-down activities. Continually monitor participants for signs of fatigue and exhaustion.
Student issues	Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating. Ensure fingernails, hair and clothing (e.g. pockets) do not interfere with the activity.

Additional links

Table Tennis Australia

Disclaimer

This information is developed and distributed on this website by the State of Queensland for use by Queensland state schools only.

Use or adaptation of, or reliance on, this information by persons or organisations other than the State of Queensland is at their sole risk. All users who use, adapt or rely on this information are responsible for ensuring by independent verification its accuracy, currency and appropriateness to their particular circumstances. The State of Queensland makes no representations, either express or implied, as to the suitability of this information to a user's particular circumstances.

To the full extent permitted by law, the State of Queensland disclaims all responsibility and liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs arising from the use or adaptation of, or reliance on, this information.

Links to external websites are for convenience only and the State of Queensland has not independently verified the information on the linked websites. It is the responsibility of users to make their own decisions about the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of the information at these external websites.

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CARA guidelines