HSE: Common sense needed in schools

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has called for a common sense approach to be taken towards health and safety in schools.

The comments come after a survey by Teachers TV revealed that at one school, pupils had been asked to wear goggles before handling Blu Tack.

And while there have been bans on snowball fights, conkers and football in some educational establishments, some schools have also stopped using empty egg containers for crafts over concerns about salmonella poisoning.

Commenting on the findings, HSE chair Judith Hackitt said that many health and safety stories were myths.

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“Health and safety is blamed for a lot of things not going ahead, but they’re often about something else – high costs, an event that requires a lot of organising or fear of getting sued,” she stated.

Ms Hackitt advised teachers to stop worrying about the stories and instead help children learn how to handle risks.