Building Safe Schools: Defining Environmental Hazards
Gracie Barra Schools must be welcoming environments where all of our students, staff, and visitors feel safe and able to concentrate on Jiu-Jitsu training. As we strive to build safe schools it is imperative that we understand the role of environmental hazards, for only when we fully understand the risks will we be able to take proactive steps to reduce those potential threats.
Factors for Safety
When you consider your GB School, there are four basic factors which impact safety. When we examine these factors we do so from the perspective of asking ourselves: How can I minimize risks and maximize safety? From this perspective we have our four factors which include:
- GB Injury Prevention Guidelines
- GB Harassment & Abuse Prevention Guidelines
- GB School Disease Prevention Guidelines
- GB Tips for a Clean and Safe School
It is this last factor, GB Tips for a Clean and Safe School, which we address in this discussion, and which pertain to environmental factors.
Defining Your Environment
In order to carefully consider how your school must be a “clean and safe school” we have to look at how we define the school environment. It is not just about the training room and the mats. It encompasses a broad spectrum, and will be unique to your particular building and surroundings. Your school environment includes, but is not limited to, all of the physical structures, the equipment (including office and general business equipment), and how people in your school interact with these things. In order to best assess your particular environment, consider the following issues related to your school environment.