Rank: Forum user 
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Staff members of intense special education classrooms tend to have high injury rates w/ high severity. Anyone out there had experience in implementing a safety management system for a private special ed school and reducing injury, main concern is student on staff related injury? (I am USA based so please use small words...)
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Rank: Super forum user
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By 'special education' do you mean trying to teach children who are renegades etc and are usually of an average or high intelligence sent there because of being thrown out of other schools or where the children have real mental problems etc from birth
If its the first area above then the physical & mental violence etc against staff makes construction and similar look like very safe industries indeed. If its the latter then the mental violence is probably not there but none deliberate violent etc actions are there
In either case please advise further so your question can be answered more easily
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Rank: Forum user
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Thank your for your assistance; the special education school in question is for children considered to be low functioning (mental retardation), and mostly on the autism spectrum. Staff injuries happen when the children react to situations- and hit, pull hair, bite, push, throw items. I hesitate to call it violence, the children (some are teen age and getting big) are wonderful and do not realize the damage the do, it appears to be escape motivated, and usually around demands. Most injuries are to neck and shoulder areas. Many educational behavioral consultants have been hired in response to serious situations and plans have been implemented for each child, but the plans are long term and main goal is to reshape child's behavior, most appropiate and successful in the long run.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Gray, your concern has made me wonder what training does the teachers have to manage this situation. It is often not effective enough to train the students as some may have some memory problems and is only effective as long as the student is a pupil. Better to train staff to manage these incidents more effectively. You say the behaviour tends to be escape motivated, is it possible that the internal regime may be part of the problem?
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Rank: Forum user
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The teaching staff is highly trained, and the training is specific for each child (additionally there is a 2:1 student to staff ratio). I believe the staff is appropriately trained. At issue, and the reason I think they need a safety management program is because we have now way of knowing if there is an acceptable level of staff injury, no way of know if the plans are working as designed. Once we can understand the data, I would like to introduce more interventions, such as technology/sensor based which can alert staff that something bad is about to happen so they can head off a dangerous behavior rather than react to their injury
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Rank: Forum user
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PS I have reviewed the HSE's EDIS 3 and 4 guidance, if anyone is aware of similar in other countries, please let me know
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Rank: Super forum user
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One area to consider is personal dignity as the children must also be treated with respect etc so *electrical sensors etc if attached to the body may counter dignity areas so its a big issue to deal with and there is probably no written down acceptable level of staff injury but it is probably an area we have to live with
You also must have access to all persdonal data aboutv the children and staff that you need --- this is also a very big isue as 'case workers' do not like giving out such information or even refuse to give out the information even though you cannot achive a suitable & sufficient without it
[*If you invent a system by which human reaction can be predicted U will be a very rich man!]
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Rank: Forum user
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I am currently dealing with a situation where autistic provision is being placed into a main stream secondary school and within the ASD students are two who are high level and can become violent.
I suggest that a 2:1 student:teacher ratio for high level potentially emotionally difficult students is not sufficient and a 1:1 or even 1:2 ratio is more appropriate until the behavioural changes can be seen to be taking place.
I assume that the environmental situation is suitable with no intruding noise, no unauthorised personnel wandering around, control of lighting and atmosphere etc all in place?
Any "management system" would be based on risk assessment for the environment and individuals students as seems already to be in place but very swift support and seclusion and calming rooms are a must, are those in place.
If the staff are well trained they should be able to see the issues coming the bulk of the time as they will know the students and know the trigger points certainly ours do and whilst there are still incidents there are no injuries arising from them.
I hope this helps and doesn't simply tell you what you already know.
Andy Bain
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Rank: Super forum user 
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My son works with autistic teenagers and frequently comes home bruised.
He is well trained in restraint techniques and takes the injuries as being part of the job.
Currently they have one lad who often beats him up (my words ;-)) and the authorities want to remove him to a high control area. Its my son who is opposing this all the way.
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