As a result, they are exposed to a variety of hazards, such as slips and trips, falls from heights, exposure to chemicals, and food poisoning. 

To protect themselves and others from harm, school premises staff must receive adequate health and safety training. This training should cover a variety of topics, including: 

• General health and safety: This training should cover basic health and safety principles, such as risk assessment, hazard control, and emergency procedures. 
• Fire safety: This training should cover how to prevent fires, how to use fire extinguishers, and how to evacuate a building safely in the event of a fire. 

• First aid: This training should teach staff members how to provide basic first aid to injured or ill people. 
• Manual handling: This training should teach staff members how to lift and move heavy objects safely. 
• Food safety: This training should teach staff members how to safely prepare and serve food. 
• Electrical safety: This training should teach staff members how to safely use electrical equipment. 
• Chemical safety: This training should teach staff members how to safely use and store chemicals. 

In addition to these general topics, school premises staff may also need to receive training on specific hazards that are present in their workplace. For example, staff members who work in the school kitchen may need to receive training on how to safely use kitchen appliances and how to avoid food poisoning. Staff members who work in the school science lab may need to receive training on how to safely use chemicals and how to dispose of hazardous waste. 

Benefits of health and safety training for school premises staff 

• Reduced risk of accidents and injuries: Health and safety training can help to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries in the workplace. This is because trained staff members are more aware of the hazards that are present and know how to control them. 
• Improved compliance with health and safety regulations: Schools are required to comply with a variety of health and safety regulations. Health and safety training can help school premises staff to understand and comply with these regulations. 
• Reduced costs: Accidents and injuries can be costly for schools. Health and safety training can help to reduce these costs by reducing the risk of accidents and injuries. 

• Improved morale: Staff members who feel safe and well-protected are more likely to be happy and productive. Health and safety training can help to improve morale by creating a safer and healthier workplace. 

Methods of delivering health and safety training to school premises staff 

• In-house training: In-house training can be delivered by a qualified health and safety trainer or by a member of staff who has been trained to deliver the training. 
• External training: External training can be delivered by a training company or by a college or university. 
• Online training: Online training is a convenient and cost-effective way to deliver health and safety training to staff members. 

The best method for delivering health and safety training will depend on the specific needs of the school and its staff members. Schools should consider factors such as the size of the school, the budget, and the availability of staff when choosing a training method. 

Health and safety training is essential for school premises staff. By providing their staff with suitable and sufficient training, schools can help to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries, improve compliance with health and safety regulations, reduce costs, and improve morale. 

The iProtectU health and safety software provides: 

• An inspection and Audit App which allows for safety inspection of the school premises and associated report 
• eLearning on a wide range of EHS topics, suitable and relevant for premises staff 

• Scheduling functionality for managers to send eLearning, risk assessments and documents out to all staff via the software with tracks completion and compliance 
• Risk assessment templates covering premises staff training requirements 
• Management system to document control the policy on staff EHS training 
• Method Statement module for the creation of work activity working instructions 
• Legal register that provides legislation guidance on EHS training 

• Incident investigation module that tracks incidents involving school grounds or equipment both with an app and via desktop 
• Hazard observation app where premises staff can report and record any concerns regarding school grounds or equipment to the organisation 
• Asset management App ensuring assets are recorded in the software