Teachers 'not allowed' to chase four-year-old school runaway - because of health and safety risk

It's being called a 'safe handling policy,' but the extraordinary health and safety rule which has enabled an inquisitive four-year-old boy to repeatedly wander out the school playground is enough to give any parent nightmares.

On four occasions since the start of term, youngster River Baker has walked out of school grounds during break time to explore the outside world.

Each time he has apparently been spotted by the supervising member of staff.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1159744/Teachers-allowed-chase-year-old-school-runaway--health-safety-risk.html

health and saftey getting stupid - er, its more of a saftey risk to get the 4 year old back in to saftey

There are so many issues here it beggars belief.What we desperately need is a Minister for Common Sense but it would be very difficult to find one!
Most of our politicians are trained in the art of talking 'waffle','piffle' and 'gobbledy gook' on any subject for any length of time.(Don't interupt until I'm finished).Most of our politicians now know more and more about less and less and,in fact, know nothing about everything.
Until all personnel in positions of trust are allowed to think and act on their own initiative and receive support from their superiors then I fear nothing will change.
I would withdraw my children from this school and actively enchorage others to do the same until I was 100% sure that they were safe to attend.

id love to work for H&S for a week, id be able to close down everything i touched, because of risks, in hope they see that im taking it to extremes and stop me

but they wouldn't stop you.

nope thed probably join in and wed close the uk down! one day sanity will return

I hate to admit it but I've got the NEBOSH certificate in H & S.
Please don't ban me!
I had to tell you because the following link was used on the course as an example of where H & S could have been of help.The operation in the link is covered in the LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) and ,not withstanding the obvious,there is a lot of risk to the people that are watching the debaucle.Enjoy.



For some reason the link is not performing so go here :- http://www.epicycle.org.uk/weblog/2005/sep-2005.htm and scroll down to 19th September and click the link to MurphysLaw. You won't be sorry.

[fixed it, combom ]

That was funny and nearly fooled me..........

.......The first lorry went in, fair enough but the second is photoshopped. Look at the position of the people in picture 5 and the final one. Exactly the same place and no reaction either in the last one.

Theres even a chap decides to walk exactly in the spot where the crane has only just 'exited'

It's good though

AC

So obvious now your've mentioned it.Only had grainy photocopies, (no excuse,I know), before searching on the net. At the time it did liven up an otherwise dull lecture.( Photoshop wasn't mentioned.)
I've got a good picture of a fork lift truck with the forks at the maximum elevation holding ..........a smaller fork lift truck with its forks fully raised with a pallet and load.A man is stood on the pallet pushing the load onto a mezzanine deck! I'll try and get a copy so I can post it here.Quite ridiculous.

I think the point I want to make is that H & S does have a place at work and in the greater environment but stories like the one at the top of this topic do bring the whole thing into disrepute for one very good reason......

In July 1996 there was an attack on a Wolverhampton primary school by a man armed with a machete.3 children and four adults were seriously hurt with stab and slash wounds.(The kids were enjoying a teddy bears picnic.)
I understood that after this event that there was a review of security around primary schools and that gates were being locked and intercom systems installed at gates etc. to prevent a re-occurance.
Where are these systems at the school in question?
Something is seriously wrong when a child can wander off.
An urgent review is required and until this happens I,as I have already said,would remove my children from this school and urge all other parents to do the same.

Thanks anyway,coley1,for your comments.Much appreciated.

They have loads of gates to enter schools these days. At my son's nursery school there are 2 large green iron gates with slide bars on them (can't remember the names of these. lol.) and then a normal gate with a catch latch and a bolt on the rear.

Guess what. They are always open when I get there. Not even the slidy things pushed across.

Other parents open them and leave them open!!!

The other poor piece of planning (may be worth someone taking a look and dedicated 15million to the project) is these slidy push locks are at about a 3-4yr old child's full stretch. No problem there becuase it's easy to reach when you stand on the bottom cross bar of the gate

My 3 year old runs ahead and opens all three gates before I get there (if they are closed for once)

AC

my daughters has one gate, it is always padlocked, we have to wait outside it for them to unlock!

And thats how it should be ,combom.The Education Authority has an absolute duty of care to your children when on school premises.Allowing them to wander off or ,indeed, allow strangers to access the premises would not be permitted under current H & S legislation.

mind u this one is privately run!