Wrestling

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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 (DOCX, 600KB) 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 (DOCX, 488KB).

Activity scope

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

Note: This activity does not include grappling.

Depending on the scope of this activity, other risk assessments may be required when planning. Curriculum activities encompassing more than 1 CARA guideline must comply with the requirements of all CARA guidelines appropriate to the activity.

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.

Risk level

High risk
Wrestling activities involving specialised movement skills including throws, takedowns and holds

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.

All risk levels

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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
assess weather conditions prior to undertaking the activity, inspecting the intended location in order to identify variable risks, hazards and potential dangers.

During the activity, all adult supervisors must:

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

Supervisor qualifications

Principals make final decisions in determining supervisor capability (competence, relevance and currency) and 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.

At least 1 adult supervisor is required to be:

a registered teacher with qualifications in HPE (or equivalent demonstrated capability) and with competence (knowledge and skills) in teaching wrestling; or
an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with current accreditation as level 1 coach from Wrestling Australia.

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. headgear, kneepads).

Each student must provide their own towel.

Additionally for Olympic-style wrestling activities:

A level activity area with sufficient space to avoid unintentional contact (recommended 10 metres x 10 metres) and including a minimum 3-metre clearance on all sides.
Sufficient high-density foam rubber mats secured together without overlap to cover the activity area. The qualified adult supervisor must consider the nature of the activity to determine the appropriate mat depth (e.g. takedowns with lift must use 50mm mats).
Equipment hygiene must be maintained (e.g. using paper towels and antiseptic spray or antiseptic wipes).

Additionally for beach wrestling activities:

minimum sand depth of 30cm
activity circle (6-metre diameter) marked by a ribbon with no sharp parts.

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 if participating outside. 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 3-metre safety zone around the playing area. If this cannot be achieved, consider ways of reducing risks (e.g. reducing the field size, removing spectators/obstacles, stationing supervisors near any obstacle or padding the obstacles).
Faulty or dangerous equipment	Check equipment for damage before and during the activity. Clean and store all equipment safely and securely when not in use.
Playing surface	Clear the playing surface from loose items or debris. Do not participate on a slippery surface. Cover/fill playing surface hazards (e.g. gym post holes) to be level with the surrounds.
Student considerations	Control measures
Clothing	Wear tight-fitting shirts and shorts. Check shoes for loose stones.
Manual handling	Use correct manual handling processes when lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying.
Physical contact Breaks/sprains, cuts/abrasions/grazes, concussion, accidental collision	Enforce rules to prevent rough play. Consult Play by the Rules (conduct and behaviour resources). Provide graduated exercises that emphasise strength and flexibility, particularly in the neck and back. Break regularly to allow participants to refocus.
Physical exertion	Conduct warm-up/cool-down activities. Continually monitor participants for signs of fatigue and exhaustion.
Student issues	Provide individualised written programs specific to each participant, considering individual strength, skills and capacity. Participants to execute moves at their skill level, or other moves with prior permission from the qualified adult supervisor. Pair students by size, age, maturity and skill level. Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating. Ensure fingernails and hair and clothing (e.g. pockets) do not interfere with the activity.

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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