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These are the most common injuries and hazards for people working in education, as shown by injury claims. The education sector includes government and non-government preschools, primary and secondary schools, special schools and higher education institutions.

Safety solutions

WorkSafe expects employers to have safety solutions in place to protect workers from the most common sources of injury.

Hazards and solutions

Hazard 1
Classroom and office ergonomics
Provide appropriate workstations (eg height-adjustable chairs, computers with height-adjustable monitors, adequate lighting, desk and foot space and mouse pad area, docking station for laptops). This includes home offices or off-site work areas.

5 per cent of the injuries were to a persons forearm / wrist.

11 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.
Hazard 2
Handling people
Room layout and design must support employee safety (eg mechanical lifting aids, location of desks, multiple exits), particularly in schools where staff may experience unpredictable and challenging behaviour.

Implement duress / assistance plans and ensure that staff know how to seek assistance.

Risk (re)assessment of students should occur at least annually and be linked to behaviour management plans.

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

11 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.
Hazard 3
Lifting and carrying
Provide appropriate aids and equipment (eg dollies, height-adjustable trolleys, wheeled equipment) and ensure they are used properly and maintained in accordance with manufacturer specifications.

Develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures and communicate them to all staff (eg teachers, middle managers). Actively implement ways to reduce the risk of industry.

Ensure employees receive a site induction and ongoing training (eg about how to use any risk controls).

Train employees in the selection and use of any aids and equipment and safe handling methods (eg repetitive stacking work should be carried out between shoulder and mid-thigh height, large or awkward objects such as timber should be transported on dollies).

Store frequently used heavy objects at waist level, and design and position shelves for easy access.

School camps and outdoor activities require OHS planning to minimise the risk of injury (eg provide appropriate protective equipment and ensure its correct use).

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

11 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.
Hazard 4
Slips trips and falls
Ensure flooring is level and in good condition.

Ensure spills are cleaned up immediately.

Regularly tidy and remove clutter so it does not accumulate.

Ensure all stairs and steps have handrails.

Provide adequate lighting for work areas and walkways.

5 per cent of the injuries were to a persons forearm / wrist.

11 per cent of the injuries were to a persons knee.

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons ankle.
Hazard 5
Work-related stress bullying and harassment
Develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures for workplace bullying and harassment.

Encourage a positive workplace culture, including reporting of bullying and harassment.

Hold regular team meetings and debriefing sessions for staff to raise OHS matters.

Ensure all employees (including emergency and student teachers, temporary staff) understand what bullying and harassment is, and the procedures for reporting incidents (eg policies and procedures should be promoted during employee induction and workplace bullying prevention or training).

Provide access and encourage employees to use employee counselling / support services, where possible.

Train employees on how to identify and defuse potentially volatile situations.

Encourage employees to report any workplace stress factors (eg work demand, low control, poor support, lack of role clarity, organisational culture) and control appropriately.

19 per cent of the injuries were to a persons psychological system.
Hazard 6
Working with machinery
Ensure all machinery complies with the Australian Standard for machine guarding.

Use lock-out / tag-out systems when cleaning or maintaining high risk equipment (eg bench saws and drills in technology rooms).

Ensure students are adequately supervised when working directly with or near machinery.

7 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand / fingers.

'If you are injured at work' poster

Employers must display an 'if you are injured at work' poster in every workplace. You can download and print a poster in English as well as Arabic, Chinese simplified, Chinese traditional, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese.

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Education

Safety solutions

Hazards and solutions

Classroom and office ergonomics

Handling people

Lifting and carrying

Slips trips and falls

Work-related stress bullying and harassment

Working with machinery

'If you are injured at work' poster

Gendered violence.

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