St. Nathy's School Policies - Effective: September 2010

SCHOOL TRIPS & TOURS

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

1. Teachers in charge of students during a school trip have a duty of care to ensure that the students are safe and healthy. They also have a duty to act as a reasonably prudent parent would.

2. Emergency procedures are an essential part of planning a school trip.

3. If an accident/incident happens, the priorities are to:

3.1 Assess the situation.
3.2 Safeguard the uninjured members of the group.
3.3 Attend to the casualty.
3.4 Inform the emergency services and everyone who needs to know about the incident.

4. The group leader should take charge in an emergency and ensure that back up cover is arranged. All those involved in the school trip should be informed of the proposed arrangements in advance.

5. There should be a named school contact with all the necessary information about the trip. This person is the school’s link with the group and their parents.

6. If an emergency occurs on a school trip, the main factors to consider include:

6.1 Establish the nature and extent of the emergency as quickly as possible.
6.2 Ensure that the group is safe and looked after.
6.3 Establish the identity of any casualties and get immediate medical attention for them.
6.4 Ensure that parents are informed and in cases of minor injury adequate arrangements should be made to get the student home, to liaise with the parents and to ensure that the injury in monitored.
6.5 Ensure that all members who need to know are aware of the incident, and that all group members are following the emergency procedures.
6.6 Ensure that a teacher/s accompanies/accompany casualties to hospital and that the rest of the group is adequately supervised at all times and kept together.
6.7 Notify the police if necessary.
6.8 Notify the Irish Embassy/Consulate, if abroad.
6.9 Inform the school contact
6.10 The following details should be passed on to the school via the school contact:

6.10.1 Nature of incident
6.10.2 Date and time of the incident
6.10.3 Location of the incident
6.10.4 Names of casualties and nature of injuries
6.10.5 Names of others involved
6.10.6 Names of witnesses
6.10.7 Action taken so far
6.10.8 Action yet to be taken and by whom

6.11 Notify insurers, especially if medical attention is required. This may be done by the school contact.
6.12 Notify the Travel Agent or transport operator. This may be done by the school contact
6.13 Ascertain telephone numbers for future calls. Landlines should be used, where practicable, to ensure quality of communication.
6.14 Write down accurately and as soon as possible all relevant facts and witness details, and preserve vital evidence.
6.15 Keep a written account of all events, times and contacts after the incident
6.16 Complete the Committee’s accident report form as soon as possible. Copies should be brought on residential and foreign nips.
6.17 No one in the group should speak to the media. Names of those involved in the incident should not be given to the media as this could cause distress to families. Media enquiries should be referred to a designated media contact in the home area.
6.18 No one in the group should discuss legal liability with other parties.
6.19 In the event of an emergency parents should contact the group leader/school contact, who will then liaise with the student
6.20 In the event of an emergency on the trip, students should not contact home directly, before the group leader/school contact has done so or as directed by the group leader.

7. It is not always possible to assess whether group members not injured or directly involved in the incident have been traumatised or whether other students or staff in the school has been affected. In some cases reactions do not surface immediately. It is advisable for schools to contact local community support services and to seek professional advice on how to help individuals and the school as a whole to cope with the effects of a particular incident.

Acknowledgement

Most of the material contained in these guidelines is based on “Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits“ published by the Department for Education and Employment (UK) 1998.

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