Health and safety

Health and safety are major considerations for teachers preparing to visit farms or kitchen gardens.

School visits may take place on a wide variety of National Trust tenanted farms and properties. Some of these will be operating as visitor centres, geared for visits from schools and / or the general public throughout the year. Others may open only occasionally perhaps as a requirement of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme or even in direct response to a request from a local teacher. In all cases, the visit provider and the visitor need to pay close attention to health and safety issues as part of the planning of an enjoyable and educational visit.

While the hazards from infection resulting from a farm visit are real, the risks are readily controlled by everyday measures. The following sensible steps will help make your visit even more safe, healthy and enjoyable.

Before your visit

Discuss visit arrangements with the farmer.
Read and understand the advice given in the health and safety executive sheet AIS23 (www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais23.PDF).
Decide what ratio of adults to pupils. As a general rule 1:4 for 3 to 5 year olds, and 1:8 for 5 to 8 year olds.
Ensure supervisors understand the need to follow the rules suggested below.
Discuss the rules for the visit with your pupils.
Make sure that pupils wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and that cuts and grazes are covered with a waterproof dressing.

RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) has prepared a photocopiable form that can be used by teaching staff, pupils, and staff at farms to assess the risks involved at open farms. As a safety education tool it can be used to ensure awareness of the hazards and discuss any safety measures that are in place, whether these are considered adequate and what possible improvements could be made. Go to www.face-online.org.uk/ to download the information. FACE have an excellent section on health and safety and farm visits.

Children can produce their own posters or guidelines as a pre-visit activity.

During and after the visit

Ensure the children:

Do not kiss the animals, suck fingers or put pencils in mouths.
Wash hands thoroughly before and after eating, after any contact with animals and again before leaving the farm.
Never eat food which has fallen on the ground, or taste animal foods.
Stay in their allocated groups.
Do not use or pick up tools, climb on walls or animal pens.
Listen carefully and follow the instructions and information given by the farm staff.
Approach and handle animals quietly and gently.

What else can be done?

Procedures must be followed according to any visit outside school.

Teachers can refer to their LEA's guidelines.
Teachers and other accompanying adults need information on:
Pupils' medical conditions, allergies and other relevant health-related issues especially related to mobility, hearing or visual impairment.
Potential behavioural problems which may affect the safety of individuals or of the group.
Arrangements for contacting school or parents in an emergency.
The above matters must be treated in confidence but general issues can be discussed with the visit provider before the visit takes place.
There should be at least one adult member of the group with first aid training.
The farmer / grower might be asked where first aid equipment is located or the school can carry a first aid kit and can inform teachers of potential hazards and safety procedures.

Remember

The children are your responsibility and should be supervised during the visit, especially during hand washing. If a member of your group shows signs of illness after a visit, advise their parent or guardian to take them to their doctor and explain that they have had recent contact with animals.

DfES recommendations

DfES recommends the following basic safety rules:

Never let pupils:

Place their faces against the animals or put their hands in their own mouths after feeding the animals
Eat until they have washed their hands
Sample any animal foodstuffs
Drink from farm taps (other than in designated public facilities)
Ride on tractors or other machines
Play in the farm area

DfES updated their advice in 2002 and issued three supplements covering 'Standards for LEAs in Overseeing Educational Visits', 'Standards for Adventure' (aimed at the teacher or youth worker who leads young people on adventure activities) and 'A Handbook for Group Leaders' (aimed at anyone who leads groups of young people on any kind of educational visit. It sets out good practice in supervision, ongoing risk assessment and emergency procedures).

Complete information may be found at www.teachernet.gov.uk/Management/guidance/visits

Health and Safety Executive advice for teachers

The HSE publication 'Avoiding ill health at open farms - Advice to teachers' should be compulsory reading.

To ensure that you have up-to-date advice please visit the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/agindex.htm.

Further reading

'Health & Safety of Pupils On Educational Visits': DfES HSPV2Quality, Safety and Sustainability NAFSO ISBN: 1 901642 01 1

The National Trust

Health and safety