Students aren’t always the most careful building occupants. They run, horse around, don’t pay attention, and this can lead to the dreaded incident report where they get hurt. Slips, trips, and falls are the most common accidents that happen at schools. Students slip on wet floors, trip over backpacks, or fall on an uneven surface (did you know it only takes one quarter of an inch height difference between surfaces to cause a hazard?). Also high up on the list of how injuries occur on school grounds is playground accidents. According to the CDC, approximately 4 million students are injured at school per year.
It Takes a Team
It’s a team effort to ensure school safety. Anyone who spots a hazard should immediately work to see that it’s addressed. When the lunch monitor notices a slick floor, they should get signage out and alert janitorial staff. When an administrator sees icy spots on the sidewalk, they should follow up with facilities to get it handled. When a teacher notices a piece of playground equipment is unsafe, like a wobbly ladder, they need to take action right away. A collaborative attitude towards addressing issues goes a long way to minimizing risks and keeping students safe. It’s best to start the school year with this message, so staff knows to take it seriously and how to communicate the issues they spot. It’s a good idea to have safety posters and signs to keep it in the forefront of everyone’s mind and establish a culture of safety among staff and students.
Proactive Maintenance to the Rescue
Having a preventative maintenance plan is the most proactive way to approach maintaining safe facilities and equipment. Regularly checking and servicing assets and systems ensures you resolve potential problems before catastrophic failures and catch hazards early. It also has the benefit of prolonging asset life, reducing costs, and creating a more reliable, comfortable environment for occupants. Especially with playground equipment, there should be daily, weekly, and monthly checks and cleaning performed on structures. The more frequent your inspections and upkeep, the faster you’ll catch issues and keep a safe space for children, staff, parents, and visitors.
The facilities team is also more likely to recognize issues like new structural damage to walls or doors, or signs of leaks that suddenly appear, because they are so familiar with their surroundings. As they move around areas, they can document these problems and ensure things are addressed.
The saying goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that’s certainly true when it comes to keeping children safe at school. As districts around the country gear up for another school year, it’s important to consider the many ways safety can be woven into everyone’s daily routine.
Conclusion
For more detailed strategies and checklists to help you prepare your facilities for the upcoming school year, be sure to download our Back-to-School Facilities Management Guide. Together, we can make this school year the safest yet!
