Australia's Science Forum

Afternoon everyone,

Coming from a private school we don't have updated access to CSIS manual anymore. We currently use RiskAssess and have done since it started, and love it.

However, when it comes to Science equipment we don't have any such guidelines when it comes to what age group or year level are allowed to use certain equipment, or even Teacher only. We have relied on previously written guidelines which are basically over 20 years old.

Is there anything out there, or do you do your own operating procedures, and evaluate each piece of equipment on it's use, near misses and accidents. Which is what we have been doing.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Teachers decide whether they will use certain equipment based on the Mentality of the students on the day . Age and year group seems to matter not . There appears to be more and more seniors that are less trustworthy than some of the juniors .

LOL....Some teachers shouldn't handle some equipment .

Agree Bigmack! We've had some strange batches of seniors recently that I wouldn't trust with much but unfortunately the curriculum dictates they have to use certain things. As for teachers...I got really angry because the long slinky spring was stretched out of shape. Teacher 'fessed up that it was him At least he admitted to it!

And Macca - teachers I think are best to continue doing what they're doing. Do the risk assessment for any activity that poses a risk - that is what the WHS legislation expects us to do. Some school systems do things differently but independent schools have to follow the guidelines from their own school and the legislation. It is okay to use things like CSIS as a guide but, as you point out, it is horribly out of date and I don't think we should rely on it.

aggree Bigmack & Merilyn no Riskassess no prac., it's when I'm away. This week Stroboscope used no risk assessment "but I asked if anyone was epileptic" then students broke. So teacher decided he would pull apart and try and fix. We have a policy that anything that is required to be tested and tagged is not to be repaired by us, is to go to the dealer for repair or an electrician for obvious reasons. Teachers are the biggest problem. Only found out by mistake.

It would be so much easier if RiskAssess had colour codes for equipment as well as Chemicals.

Just colour code the teachers - tattoo on their forehead perhaps? Then we name and shame poor behaviour

Merilyn1 wrote: ↑30 Mar 2022, 14:03 Just colour code the teachers - tattoo on their forehead perhaps? Then we name and shame poor behaviour

I like the way you think!

Too much time locked away in a room on my own!