Safe gymnastics lessons
Every year, around 50,000 pupils are injured at school. The bfu - Swiss Council for Accident Prevention is committed to making schools safer. The aim is not to prevent activities at schools, but to make them possible (again).
Teachers are challenged in many ways. In addition to knowledge, they are expected to impart a wide range of skills to pupils. This also harbors a certain potential for accidents, as figures from the bfu - Swiss Council for Accident Prevention show. Every year, around 50,000 children and young people up to the age of 15 are injured during school activities. Around two thirds (64 %) of these injuries occur during school sports, mainly in PE lessons during athletics. Half of the remaining accidents are falls - whether while walking, on the stairs or from a height (e.g. from a railing).
Fortunately, the majority of accidents in everyday school life are minor. There is less than one fatality per year - 11 to be precise in the last 16 years, with ten of these fatalities caused by drowning. "These fatal accidents are rare exceptions, but they show that swimming lessons and the associated water safety check are very important," says Barbara Schürch, Head of Education at bfu. Even with the best preparation, not all accidents can be avoided: "However, schools should definitely take all the necessary preventative measures to avoid accidents," adds Barbara Schürch.
New web platform for schools
In order to reduce injuries, the bfu recommends systematically and consciously integrating accident prevention in schools. The new bfu web platform www.sichere-schule.bfu.ch offers schools practical support. It contains a wide range of information, checklists, teaching materials, etc. on both infrastructure and school activities. From technical design and various sports such as gymnastics, athletics and football to chemistry rooms and playgrounds - the new web platform covers over 50 topics in total. School management, teachers, janitors and members of the authorities will find the knowledge they need to make schools safe all round.
Teachers can be sure that by consistently following the recommendations of www.sichere-schule.bfu.ch better protected from legal consequences should an accident occur despite all precautionary measures. In this way, the bfu wants to make a contribution to ensuring that a wide range of activities continue to be possible in schools. It also assumes that safety education will have a positive influence on pupils so that they become prudent and responsible adults.
Source: bfu
