Teachers are responsible for encouraging and motivating students to take responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others. Students are more likely to develop the knowledge and skills related to safety and confidence to communicate unsafe situations when the teacher identifies potential hazards and risks, demonstrates safety practices, and maintains open dialogue that encourages students to communicate any safety concerns.
To assist teachers in meeting their responsibilities OPASSE provides safety standards specific to:
- Equipment: where students are encouraged to report problems related to equipment to the teacher (e.g., equipment is cracked or in need of repair).
- Facilities: where students are encouraged to report problems related to the facilities to the teacher (e.g., unused equipment is being stored around the playing area).
- Environmental Conditions: where students are made aware of the strategies they can use to protect themselves from environmental hazards (e.g., frost bite and wind burn).
- Special Rules and Instructions: where students must be aware of emergency procedures in case of an accident and follow the rules and expectations pertaining to the setting for the activity (e.g., skiing only in areas identified as appropriate by a qualified instructor, knowing the boundaries for activities when going Camping).