Curriculum body proposes early teaching of health and safety in schools

SCHOOLS may begin teaching students about health and safety from their first days in class under proposals being examined by a Government advisory body.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), whose role is to advise Education Minister Mary Hanafin on curriculum policy, is undertaking the work for the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

The authority’s chief executive, Tom Beegan, said yesterday that it has asked the NCCA to identify opportunities for introducing risk education into mainstream curriculum areas from early learning through to second level.

He was speaking at a ceremony in Ennis at which certificates were presented to students who took part in a pilot schools safety programme by Labour Affairs Minister Tony Killeen, who backed the HSA’s efforts to make safety a mainstream element of the school curriculum.

“We need to bring the safety message into every level of education so that it’s the first thing we think of no matter what activity we’re about to undertake — whether it’s driving a car, serving food in a restaurant or operating a machine — the principles are the same,” the minister said.

“If we have the skills to identify hazards, assess risk and do something about it, then we’re significantly reducing our chances of having an accident, whether in or out of work. These are valuable life-skills and should be recognised as such,” he said.

Last year, 73 people were killed in work-related accidents and 13 lives have already been lost this year.

European statistics suggest that workers in the 18 to 24 age group are 50% more likely than older employees to suffer a workplace accident.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work suggests that this higher rate may be due to several factors, including lack of training, experience and awareness of occupational safety and health.

There are about 300,000 workers aged 15 to 24 in the Irish workforce, with one-in-five of these employed in the construction sector. Mr Killeen said this is a high-risk sector so the message needs to be put across early.

He paid tribute to the schools which took part in the pilot safety and health module, which involved about 350 students learning about key safety concepts, risk assessment, manual handling, ergonomics and understanding chemical safety.