Latest 'Elf and Safety nonsense from sons school!

[Sara_H]

Allow me a little rantette!

Son (age 10) plays football for school and the have training on tuesday after school. Usually he takes tracksuit but today there was a match with aother local school, so he didn't take tracksuit as school strip is provided which is then brought home, washed and taken back a few days later. Pitch was water logged so match was cancelled.

Teacher rang me whilst I was at work to tell me this, and said she would run a training session but could I bring his tracksuit in? I said I couldn't bring his tracksuit in as I was working but it was fine by me for him to train in his uniform. She said he wasn't allowed to play in his uniform. I asked why, she says "its because of 'Elf and Safety reasons".

I was too annoyed to ask if his uniform would self combust if he played football in it, I'm sure it doesn't because son tells me they play football at lunchtime without getting changed and I've would've noticed if he came home in a smouldering uniform. Add to this, I've been a paediatric nurse since 1992 and I've never yet met a child who came to injury through playing football in their clothes.

What do you think of this nonsense CycleChatters?

 

[Sandra6]

I wish the school my sons went to had been this strict on health and safety laws, they regularly allowed them to play football - and rugby - in their uniforms resulting in a minor volcanic explosion in the kitchen when they came home!!

 

[Archie_tect]

Ah just let the teacher have the night off from training- must be pretty miserable having to do extra time on a Tuesday through the winter... He/ she couldn't think fast enough to give a better excuse that's all.

 

[Sara_H]

I wish the school my sons went to had been this strict on health and safety laws, they regularly allowed them to play football - and rugby - in their uniforms resulting in a minor volcanic explosion in the kitchen when they came home!!

Really? That does sound dangerous I must admit. Don't want any volcanic eruptions in the kitchen!

@Rockymountain - they just do training in a tracksuit that they bring in from home, it's after school, so it's not as if he'd be sitting in sweaty uniform afterwards. As I said, they allow them to play football in uniform at lunchtime, can't understand why uniform becomes so dangerous after the bell goes!

@Archie_tect I think you're right, though she didn't really need an excuse, usually when they cancel a match they come home from school at the usual time. I'm guessing she regretted saying it as soon as it slipped out as my response was "That's a really annoying thing for you to say"!

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Probably a teacher that knows not very much about the reasons why rules are in place and adopts a default "health and safety" excuse. Which is the reason most people get a bit annoyed with health and safety...

 

[ufkacbln]

The answer to any Health and Safety restriction

Simply write to the School and ask for a copy of the formal risk assessment

 

[Hover Fly]

We have a strict rule at work, if anything cannot or must be done for health or safety reasons, it must be explained why, simply saying "health and safety" and leaving it at that is not enough.

 

[RedRider]

If we turned up without kit in the '80s we had to play 'skins' ie topless in underpants. "Character building" apparently.

 

[postman]

Buttons are very dangerous things,tha knows.

 

[subaqua]

If we turned up without kit in the '80s we had to play 'skins' ie topless in underpants. "Character building" apparently.

PE in Vest n Pants . takes me back to primary school as the norm and if you forgot yr kit at secondary.

I was always one to push limits and when i forgot swimming kit and got told had to do it Naked i told the pE teacher it wouldn't bother me . I got to sit the lesson out

 

[cosmicbike]

The answer to any Health and Safety restriction

Simply write to the School and ask for a copy of the formal risk assessment

But don't be too surprised when they say that the teacher performed a 'dynamic' risk assessment and as such we don't have a paper copy..

 

[Slim]

I wish the school my sons went to had been this strict on health and safety laws, they regularly allowed them to play football - and rugby - in their uniforms resulting in a minor volcanic explosion in the kitchen when they came home!!

Please bear in mind the firemen are on strike.

 

[subaqua]

But don't be too surprised when they say that the teacher performed a 'dynamic' risk assessment and as such we don't have a paper copy..

ALL significant risks MUST be recorded and the control measures implemented to reduce those risks MUST also be recorded.

from http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/faq.htm#q5

What do I need to record?


You only need to record your risk assessment if you employee 5 or more people.

You need to record:
the significant findings - what the risks are, what you are already doing to control them and what further action is needed;
details of any particular groups of employees who you have identified as being especially at risk

 

[zimzum42]

 

[RedRider]

PE in Vest n Pants . takes me back to primary school as the norm and if you forgot yr kit at secondary.

I was always one to push limits and when i forgot swimming kit and got told had to do it Naked i told the pE teacher it wouldn't bother me . I got to sit the lesson out

Ha! good tactic. I also have vague memories of a spare pair of shorts that lingered in the changing rooms. They really were a health and safety hazard.