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Violence in the workplace is an issue of grave concern for employees and employers alike. As in other workplaces, school employees are also the victims of violence in the workplace. During the course of their work, school staff may be at risk from violence in the form of verbal abuse, threats, assaults or other forms of intimidation. This behaviour may come from pupils, parents, guardians, other staff members or intruders.
The school is anxious that every effort would be made to create and maintain a culture where acts of violence are not tolerated and where incidents, when they do occur, are effectively and speedily dealt with.
The B.O.M.’s Duty to Provide a Safe System of WorkThe Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act became operative on 1 November 1989. It is an important piece of legislation for Boards of Management and for those who work in schools, as schools and colleges were brought under the scope of safety legislation for the first time.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989 requires employers to ensure the safety and health of their employees. It requires employers to draw up a Safety Statement:
In the Education Sector, violence should be considered as a potential hazard and assessed accordingly and where there is a risk to health and safety from violence, appropriate safeguards must be put in place. Account should be taken of the specific circumstances that pertain in each school.
There should be consultation with those at risk concerning the measures to be taken and monitoring their effectiveness. Information should be given to staff on protection and preventative measures which are essential.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Applications) Regulations 1993, provides that the Health and Safety Authority must be notified when an accident/incident occurs in the workplace which requires treatment from a registered medical practitioner or treatment in hospital. An accident or incident which results in an employee being absent from work for 3 days or more must also be reported to the Authority.
Preventative MeasuresThe measures which follow are intended to prevent or minimise the risk of assault to the employees of the Board. The effectiveness of agreed procedures will be reviewed where necessary.
1. External Liaison
Bearing in mind that communication between home and school should be frequent, open and positive, the Board in consultation with the Principal and staff of the school, will promote good practice for the conduct of communication between home and school.
Admitting parents/visitors to the school
Parents who wish to have a consultation with a class teacher should make a prior appointment with the relevant teacher. In urgent cases, where a pre-arranged appointment is not appropriate, parents should report in the first instance to the school secretary/Principal. Parents are not permitted to approach classrooms directly during teaching time. Specifically, where the circumstances of a meeting are likely to provoke a confrontation, access to teachers is on an "appointment only" basis.
Parent/teacher meetings
Parents will be given adequate notice regarding the timing of such meetings and encouraged to raise issues of concern. Where sensitive issues are the subject of discussion, arrangements will be made for conducting such interviews in privacy. Conducting interviews at the classroom door, while simultaneously supervising a class of children is not conducive to open communication. Particular care will be taken to ensure that parent/teacher consultations do not take place within the hearing of other pupils and/or parents.
2. Internal Liaison
The issues of internal school procedures will also be discussed from time to time at staff meetings. Staff will be familiar with all relevant procedures.
Specific examination is given to circumstances where staff are: