Key elements Development of safety management tool – On the basis of data about accidents that happen and their scenarios, a safety management tool was developed consisting of six modules. In the tool, the safety of the physical environment is combined with the behaviour of children in the school environment. By using the practical instruments of the tool, schools can prioritise and monitor the safety of their pupils. The six modules are: - organising safety management (appointing a safety officer or coordinator) - registering (near) accidents - performing an inventory of (potential) risky situations - teaching safe behaviour - producing an evacuation plan and fire drill - writing a safety report. Implementing the safety management tool – With the support of the Netherlands Ministry of Education, a four-year campaign (2001–2004) was initiated to implement the safety management tool. Activities included a regional training programme to support the safety coordinators. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education allocated a budget for schools enabling them to improve their physical environment. Activities after campaign – After 2004 the Consumer Safety Institute continued to support schools by keeping the knowledge about school safety up to date. In 2010 the safety management tool was updated, linked to the ‘child care safety management tool’ of the CSI and put online with support of the Ministry of Health. The tool can be found on www.risico-monitor.nl. Results 83% of primary schools (about 8,000 schools) ordered the safety management tool during the campaign period. Over 42% of schools use more than two modules. In 2000, before the campaign was initiated, 19,000 children had to go to the emergency department of a hospital as a result of an accident at school. In 2005, this was reduced to 17,000 children. Furthermore, over the period 1999–2003 a trend was noticed corresponding to a 25% reduction of the number of accidents.
Level of Education: Preschool, School
Lead Organisation: Consumer Safety Institute (CSI)
