Curriculum Activity Risk Assessment (CARA)

Safety is achieved through effective risk management

Curriculum Activity Risk Assessment (CARA)

• The safety of school students, staff and visitors is paramount.• Under workplace health and safety legislation, principals and

teachers are responsible for the safety and well-being of all persons under their direction.

• DET provides a range of procedures and guidelines to assist state schools to meet their health and safety obligations.

• Assessing and managing curriculum activity risks should be an integral part of school planning and classroom practice.

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• Risk management is a systematic process that involves 4 steps:o identifying hazardso assessing overall risk of activityo identifying and implementing controls to reduce riskso monitoring and reviewing these controls.

• The degree of risk management required for an activity depends on the hazards and overall level of risk.

• The higher the risk, the more that needs to be done to manage that risk.

Risk Management

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• CARA activity guidelines assist staff to assess and minimise the risks associated with individual curriculum activities so activities are as safe as possible.

• Every situation is unique with different hazards and risks. The guidelines cannot identify all potential hazards for every situation. They help staff think about the possible hazards and controls for their particular activity.

• There are currently a range of guidelines covering activities ranging from rugby to food handling to welding.

CARA Activity Guidelines

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• Adhere to activity guideline if one exists for the chosen activity.• Use the activity guideline and Curriculum Activity Risk Planner to identify

hazards and assess overall risk level.

• Low risk : Manage risk through regular planning processes. • Medium risk : Document risks and controls, and manage risk through

regular planning processes.• High risk: An approved CARA required. Approval must be from principal

or principal delegate. Parent consent is recommended. Record in the School Curriculum Activity Register or in OneSchool.

• Extreme risk: An approved CARA required. Approval must be from the principal. Parent consent required. Record in the School Curriculum Activity Register or in OneSchool.

Minimum requirements

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CARA process• The CARA generic template, supporting documents and

activity guidelines are available at: http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/carmg/

• State schools are encouraged to record CARAs (for high and extreme risk activities) on OneSchool.

• Schools may choose to adopt a more rigorous approach than using the CARA generic template.

• All requirements are provided in the procedure – Managing Risks in School Curriculum Activities http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/management/Pages/Managing -Risks-in-School-Curriculum-Activities.aspx

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• Teachers, industry groups and professional associations advise on new and changing hazards, risks and control measures, and CARA activity guidelines are updated regularly.

• If you have any suggestions, feedback or questions, please speak to your supervisor or email CARA@dete.qld.gov.au

Updates

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