Safe to Teach? Health and Safety at Work
Executive Summary
Health and safety is critical to the working lives of all teachers and a key factor in relation to teacher effectiveness and in delivering world-class educational provision for all children and young people. It is self-evident to most that pupils’/students’ development and achievement depends upon them having access to high-quality facilities and resources which enable them to learn safely and with confidence. Indeed, it follows that the needs of teachers must also be addressed and that where teachers are safe to teach, children and young people will be better able to learn.
In 2007, the NASUWT embarked upon an extensive study into the quality of health and safety management arrangements in schools and colleges. A series of interim papers was published during the life of the study. This is the final report.
The NASUWT study examined a number of dimensions and factors relating to health and safety issues in schools and colleges, from the perspective of nearly 6,000 teachers, school and college leaders and health and safety trade union representatives.
This report examines the perceptions and experiences of the workforce in relation to the overall management of workplace health and safety and with regard to a number of specific health and safety issues, including:
- site security;
- building maintenance;
- hygiene;
- heating, lighting and ventilation;
- dual usage of school premises;
- traffic on site;
- equipment maintenance;
- the management of asbestos; and
- the effect of privatisation within the education service on health and safety in schools.
The findings of the NASUWT study are highly disturbing, demonstrating that in too many schools and colleges, health and safety is simply not being taken seriously.
The NASUWT study confirms that in many schools and colleges, the failure to prioritise health and safety matters means that the workforce is being placed at high levels of risk, pupils’ welfare is being jeopardised, and the law is being flouted regularly and on a significant scale.
The findings reveal that many schools and colleges are failing to consult with workplace trade union health and safety representatives on health and safety matters which affect the workforce. They are also failing to take remedial action where risks have been identified and where incidents have occurred.
In many cases, school and college managers feel that they are given insufficient time and training to fulfil their statutory health and safety duties. The survey found that:
- two thirds of respondents had been subjected to some form of bullying or harassment whilst at school or college in the last two years;
- one in six teachers had been physically assaulted by a pupil in the last two years whilst on the school or college premises;
- prejudice-related bullying on grounds of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, body image and age are rife, accounting for over half of all reported incidents of workplace bullying;
- in around half of all cases where bullying incidents are reported to school/college management, no action was taken by the school/college;
- incidents of work-related stress affected over two thirds of all teachers who responded to the survey;
- the largest single causal factor of work-related stress amongst teachers is excessive working hours;
- half of all the teachers in the survey have been subjected to verbal abuse whilst at work in the last two years;
- two thirds of females in the survey have experienced work-related stress, with one in five needing to take time off work because of it;
- significant proportions of survey respondents are required to work in buildings which are unsatisfactory in terms of their repair, due to leaking roofs (48%), ill-fitting and broken windows (47%), damp (33%) and other problems;
- one in six teachers report that classrooms are in a poor standard of cleanliness;
- two in five teachers regularly work in classrooms that are extremely hot and one in five in conditions that are extremely cold;
- dual use of school/college sites is giving rise to new health and safety problems including site security, loss and damage to possessions and damage to property;
- fire safety is a major issue not being addressed in many schools and colleges. One in three teachers say they have not been provided with fire safety training and in one quarter of schools, regular fire drills are not conducted;
- asbestos is a significant risk present in many schools and colleges, but in a substantial number, asbestos is not properly contained or sealed off;
- many school/college leaders are not fully aware of their health and safety responsibilities and in 59% of cases, school and college leaders had not been provided with appropriate training to support them in the conduct their responsibilities;
- in three quarters of cases, school and college leaders felt they have insufficient time to deal with health and safety matters; and
- health and safety trade union representatives are consulted erratically and on an ad hoc basis on relevant health and safety matters.
The findings from the study confirm that:
- there is a need to improve the working environment of teachers in schools and colleges across the UK;
- in many schools and colleges, the health, safety and wellbeing of teachers is not being safeguarded to the extent that it should be and that they are entitled to expect;
- there is an urgent need for action to ensure that all school and college employers engage fully and proactively with trade union health and safety representatives as a basis for ensuring that they meet their statutory health and safety responsibilities
- the Government, the health and safety Executive/Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland, local authorities/Education and Library Boards and school and college governing bodies need to review, audit and inspect the extent of legal compliance with health and safety legislation and assure that there is sufficient capacity within the system to ensure that teachers are safe to teach.
A copy of each of the survey questionnaires can be obtained on request by phoning the NASUWT Headquarters on 0121 453 6150 or through the website www.teachersunion.org.uk.
