RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
October 2, 2003
CHILDREN TO LEARN HOW TO COPE WITH CHEMICAL DANGERS
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is targeting schools in an effort to reduce around 45,000 accidents each year involving poisons and chemicals around the home.
The aim is also to give children the knowledge to keep them safe when they start work, where millions of people are exposed to risk from dangerous substances.
Suspected poisonings and misuse of chemicals lead to 37,500 children attending hospital each year, and more than 33,000 of these will be under five.
RoSPA has produced a series of lesson ideas for four to 16-year-olds that can be used in schools in readiness for European Week for Safety and Health at Work, beginning on October 13.
Juliet Brown, RoSPA Head of Education, said: “The week’s theme is hazardous substances and if we can teach children about the risks these pose, we can reduce accidents both now and in the future.
“The sessions point out that chemicals are not just used by scientists in laboratories. They explain how they are widely used in the home and at work and why special care needs to be taken with some of them. They detail the importance of understanding what warning labels mean and the different ways which chemicals can cause harm.”
The plans have been designed to link in with the Personal, Social and Health Education and citizenship areas of the curriculum. The lessons are part of RoSPA’s campaign to teach children to manage risks and to transfer those skills to all areas of their lives.
They provide opportunities for individual study, group work, discussions and also to involve school support staff, such as cleaners and caretakers.
Roger Bibbings, RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser, said: “Children need to understand how to manage risks at an early age. This can help to keep them safe not just at home and at school, but when they are out enjoying themselves and when they begin work.”
The lesson plan can be downloaded for photocopying and more information about European Week for Safety and Health at Work can be found at http://osha.eu.int/ew2003/index_en.htm
