ABSTRACT
Health and safety is an integral aspect of management for legal, humanitarian and economic reasons. The Local Educational Authority (LEA), or governing body in foundation schools, has ultimate responsibility for safety. School governing bodies apply the LEA’s responsibility through committees and/or the head teachers who are responsible for everything over which they have control. Where head teachers do not have control, such as with capital expenditure to eliminate a hazard, they are expected to take all reasonable measures to minimise a problem. Subject leaders are responsible to the head teacher for health and safety issues within a curriculum area, as part of their management responsibility. Class teachers are responsible for the immediate areas of their work and are expected to take all reasonable steps to eliminate risks and to report any safety matters to senior management-for example, to report that a piece of equipment is broken or that a floor is wet and slippery. They must ensure that the pupils are not put at risk because of the hazard. These responsibilities cannot be delegated but the tasks necessary to discharge the responsibility may be delegated where appropriate. In summary, the governors and head teachers must ensure that health and safety policy, including risk management, is implemented; teaching staff usually carry out the task.
