Background of The Ellerslie School Health and Safety Committee

Mr. Ronald Leacock—Deputy Principal (Ag), Chairperson of Committee (2018-2019)—pointed out that the formation of the committee was proposed long before its realization, as the Principal, Lieutenant Colonel Errol Brathwaite, cognizant of the legal requirements for having such, namely: Safety and Health at Work Act, 2005 (SHaW Act) and Accidents and Occupational Diseases (Notification) Act, sought earnestly to have a fully functioning committee in place by no later than Term 2, 2018.

This came on the heels of the Principal selecting Messrs. O’Brian O. Worrell (Coordinator of Committee) and Mr. Peter Brown (Assistant Coordinator) for training at the Career Development Institute (CDI) in the Certificate & N/CVQ in Occupational Safety and Health Level 2 (2017-2018) programme.  Both Browne and Worrell, recipients of CDI Scholarships, are the first among staff to be selected for such training which afforded them the opportunity to be assessed by officials of the TVET Council of Barbados thereby leading to the aforementioned certification.

The Committee: A legal requirement

Mr. Leacock informed that the establishment of the school’s Health and Safety Committee was critical to the purpose, plan and practice of emergency drills within the school since it required the involvement and participation of various stakeholders for success to be realized.

The importance of having such a committee was further explicated by reference to the SHaW Act. Under Subsection (1) (a) and Subsection (2) (a) of Section 103 of the SHaW Act, the employer is mandated to engage in safety consultations with employees and establish a Health and Safety Committee where there are 25 or more persons employed in the workplace, respectively. This is all done in an effort to promote safety and health in the workplace. 

A wide cross-section of staff members—inclusive of administrative, teaching, ancillary and office staff and representatives of their respective trade unions or recognized staff associations—comprise the school’s Health and Safety Committee. This too is stipulated in the legislation—Subsection (5) (a) and (b) of Section 103.

The Ellerslie School Health and Safety Committee coordinates its functions in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training (METVT), Barbados Fire Service (BFS), Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), Department of Emergency Management (DEM), Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development (MOL), the school’s PTA and other relevant stakeholders.

APPENDIX

Basic Structure for Risk Management in a School (School Safety Committee)

• The coordinator is responsible for the performance of the Committee. He/she shall maintain effective communication with local education and emergency authorities.  His/her immediate assistants are the team coordinators, who form the Committee.

• At the same time, each team coordinator is in permanent communication and coordination with the School Safety Committee Coordinator and other team coordinators. 

• This communication and coordination is necessary to ensure an appropriate development of the School Safety Plan in general and, in an adverse event, good emergency response operations. 

• Emphasis should be placed on the concept of UNITY in the components of the organization, despite the various hierarchical levels and different functions.

Basic Organizational Structure for Schools