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#1 Posted : 19 January 2007 09:39:00(UTC)
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Posted By Alan Hoskins
Eating an apple outside a designated eating area is not allowed in this school and it's all because of elf-n-safety...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6275905.stm

Alan
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#2 Posted : 19 January 2007 09:41:00(UTC)
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Posted By steven123442
Thanks Alan, just posted something similar on the 'who's a grass' thread and was just looking for a link.
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#3 Posted : 19 January 2007 11:05:00(UTC)
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Posted By Dean Stevens
Hi Alan,

I think there are several underlying factors here that need to be looked at before we can say it's health and safety gone "conkers" again.

1st question is why is there a procedure in place for designated eating areas? it mentions that the apple was being eaten on a tennis court perhaps there had been a past incident/accident where a student was injured whilst playing tennis due to food debris on the court?

Perhaps there was even a fire hazard due to discarded litter build up on school premises, problems with pests / scavengers and spreading of diseases etc etc.

There simply is not enough info contained to make a logical decision on this one. Yes it does look like yet another "health and safety gone mad" article but i think that this is just the way the press portrays these stories. I'm sure that the head has his reasons for implementing this procedure.

As long as the procedure had been clearly communicated to all pupils then i can see nothing wrong here, the problem i have found of late is that it is easy enough to communicate procedures to people but getting them to follow them is another thing, i think that if a breifing is also given on the reasons of the procedure (Past accident on tennis court, near misses etc) then there is a much higher chance of the procedure being followed.

It says that the pupil recieved a half hour lunchtime detention according to the schools policy, now if this policy and the schools procedures had been clearly communicated then i seriously think that the parents of this pupil should get him to change school, they were aware of this yet still they cannot accept the punishment.

Anyway thats my tuppence worth on the subject.................
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#4 Posted : 19 January 2007 11:36:00(UTC)
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Posted By Alan Hoskins
I agree with most of what you say Dean, but I think that saying the rule is for health and safety reasons is a cop out.

It's just one of many school rules that have to be complied with - some will genuinly be for health and safety reasons, others not.

Presumably there are waste bins around the school premises, so unless the waste was deposited on the ground I don't see any health and safety issue.

We don't however know the whole story, as you point out and are relying on accurate and unbiased reporting of the issue.

Alan
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#5 Posted : 19 January 2007 11:41:00(UTC)
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Posted By Anne Smart
Dear all,

See Lisa Fowlie's response to this in the news centre - Quick, hide behind health and safety!

http://www.iosh.co.uk/in...m?go=news.release&id=354

Anne Smart, IOSH media and marketing assistant
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#6 Posted : 19 January 2007 14:13:00(UTC)
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Posted By JEB
Fine statement by Lisa Fowlie but before IOSH gets into a slanging match has Lisa actually spoken to the Head Master as the story may have been enhanced by the media.
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#7 Posted : 19 January 2007 16:27:00(UTC)
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Posted By Mike Draper
A mate of mine is a teacher and he loves being able to use the line "... because of health and safety" as a quick form of response when he can't be bothered to justify what he's just said (like telling a parent/child that they can't/must do something).

I told him I could defeat that with five words.

"Show me your risk assessment."
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#8 Posted : 19 January 2007 23:58:00(UTC)
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Posted By Dan dan
good response
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