Safety (Accident Avoidance) & General Security

The Work Health and Safety Act and the Department of Education principles of student safety and welfare mandate the avoidance of accidents through careful design of facilities.
This section lists some, but not all, of the design considerations that must be encompassed to avoid accidents in the built environment.
Two specific strategies that are appropriate to school design are:

Safety by Design
Under the new Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, there are a range of new legislative and regulatory requirements, supported by a suite of codes of practice clarifying how these obligations can be met. In particular, there are specific requirements and expectations of entities and persons defined as a “designer”.
The definition of “designer” in the WHS legislation not only affects the actual designer, but also places duties on all those who are connected with the design, including during construction, end use, maintenance and demolition or de-commission. The designer must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the plant, substance or structure is designed to minimise risks to the health and safety of all parties who will work on a site connected with its design as well as the end users of the facility.
An important part of the Safety by Design principle is recording the risk assessments that are conducted during the design and providing to the client, owners, any users/occupiers of the facilities and those who will be building or  maintaining the facilities, details of:

• The hazards identified during the design process and the action taken by the designer to alleviate the risk.
• Any identified risks associated with the construction or maintenance of the buildings and facilities, and
• Any management procedures that are required to control the risks associated with construction, maintenance or operations of the design.    

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)
is a strategy that focuses on the planning, design and structure of cities and neighbourhoods so as to reduce crime. It reduces opportunities for crime by using design and place management principles that reduce the likelihood of essential crime ingredients (law, offender, victim or target, opportunity) from intersecting in time and space.

Predatory offenders often make cost-benefit assessment of potential victims and locations before committing crime. CPTED aims to create the reality (or perception) that the costs of committing crime are greater than the likely benefits. This is achieved by creating environmental and social conditions that are not conducive to crime activities including:

• Increasing the likelihood of detection, challenge and apprehension
• Increasing the time, energy and resources required to commit crime
• Minimise the actual and perceived benefits of crime
• Removing conditions that encourage/facilitate rationalisation of inappropriate behaviour

CPTED utilises the following four key strategies:

• Territorial re-enforcement
• Surveillance
• Access control
• Space /activity management

All CPTED strategies aim to create the perception or reality of capable guardianship.

All materials must comply with appropriate safety standards and Australian Standards particularly standable or walkable surfaces including the roof, skylight strips, skylight domes, turbo vents, fans, etc.

Sunshade frames where within reach 3m vertically or 2m horizontally from any standable surface should be designed to prevent climbing by removing handholds, or by infilling the frame with expanded mesh or the like.

Refer to relevant AS and the advisory documents prepared by relevant Authorities (such as WorkCover)

Possible requirements to be confirmed by consultant:

• Provide anchorage points for static lines (cable) and /or for inertia reels
• Anchorage points need to withstand an imposed load of not less than that nominated in the applicable AS, or in accordance with an engineer’s specification
• The span is to be supported as per the WorkCover Code of Practice or in accordance with an engineer’s specification
• Safety mesh shall be installed under roofs in compliance with applicable AS   

It is important to ensure that machinery and work areas are laid out in a safe and useable manner. 
Large-scale special area drawings are required which show:

• The machines themselves
• The space needed for pupil operators
• Circulation of other pupils and instructing teachers
• Space for occasional machine adjustment and maintenance
• Space for occasional large jobs associated with some machines

Note the following:

• Operator Positions are assumed occupied.  Considered as integral part of machines and should be shown to scale on layouts.  600mm mandatory minimum safe space for operating zone
• Operator Zones, minimum clearance to another operator zone or traffic way, ie. no overlapping (assumed to be occupied - ie., comparable with yellow floor lines)
• Traffic Way Positions, frequently used.  Traffic ways are required for safe access between and to all operators (eg: by teacher).  600mm mandatory min. safe space for traffic ways
• Machine Zones, minimum clearance to wall or screen (without traffic way); or another machine (non-operating side); or fixture at work-plane level.  Screen or wall preferred to avoid potential hazards
• Minor Adjustment Positions:- Indicates machine parts requiring space during adjustment or maintenance (infrequently used)

If machines are located back to back they should be:

• Separated by safety screening 0.9 to 1.5m above floor
• Screens should be transparent for supervision and impact-resistant
• Screens could be fitted to machines without interfering with job clearances, thus improving both flexibility and safety
• Most machines (lathes, drills, grinders) should where possible be located near walls to reduce:
  • Hazards of traffic passing behind
  • Hindrance to spatial flexibility.
  • Need for special safety screening
  • Floor conduit placement problems

Any Trade names and diagrams used in the EFSG only indicate the typical machine measured, but actual specifications for machines for particular projects should be checked with the recommended equipment list current at that time.

Power Outlets are shown in the approximate preferred locations near the machine inlets.

It is important to ensure that all serviceable plant and equipment is provided with means of safe access.  Requirements to be considered include:

• A minimum clearance of 600mm is to be provided around all maintainable plant and equipment
• Maintenance access should be via a platform or low pitched roof surface.  Performing maintenance from a ladder is NOT acceptable.  Guardrails should be provided at platform edges in accordance with AS and Authority regulations
• All equipment is to be appropriately identified and tagged

In the planning process it is important to consider and balance many differing, often opposing or conflicting issues in order to develop a safe environment. The following are safety issues that should be considered:

14.11.01 Site Location 

School entries are generally to be located away from shopping centres, licensed premises, bottle shops and other locations identified as having an increased security risk

14.11.02 Controlled Public Access 

The possibility that school grounds will be used as a thoroughfare must also be considered.  The use of school grounds as a short cut should be discouraged by either site selection or  appropriate perimeter protection.  Responsible use of the school increases security, however the reverse is true of unsupervised or unorganised activities, which should be discouraged.

• Entrances to the site should be clearly defined.
• Entrances that are to be used after dark should be well lit.
• Where after-hours use of school facilities is permitted it should be possible to separate those facilities from the remainder of the school.
• Access to concealed areas such as courtyards, should be controlled by security fences or walls.
• Minimise the use of recessed doorways as this limits natural surveillance.
• Avoid landscaping and site elements which would obstruct natural surveillance.
• Blind corners should be eliminated from pathways.
• Ensure that lighting does not produce glare or dark shadows. 
• The effect of level changes and embankments on visibility should be considered. 
• A clear zone should surround the buildings, especially where the site adjoins reserves with natural vegetation.

14.11.03 Accessibility For Security/ Fire Service

Buildings should be as compact as possible for easy access by security personnel.  Site planning should not preclude the possibility of fire and security vehicles gaining access to all the buildings.  Appropriate vehicular gates must be included in at least two locations in the security fence and appropriate paved areas must be included to facilitate prompt access, to all school buildings under all weather conditions, for security, fire and other emergency service vehicles.

14.11.04 Adequate Storage

Ensure that there is adequate and secure storage for materials and tools as materials and tools not secured may be used to force entry and/or assist in arson.           

Refer to Educational Facilities Standards and Guidelines (individual) Rooms & Spaces for technical data for required storage.

14.13.01 Windows

Generally it is recommended that there should be no external glazing below 900mm in schools, as glazing is susceptible to damage. 

Refer DG WINDOWS / GLAZING

Secluded or vulnerable windows should have high and steep sills and/or be protected by security grilles, etc. 

14.13.02 Doors, Roller Shutters & Grilles

Doors or roller shutters are to be selected to suite the individual security application.

Roller shutters/grilles should be of security design, and should fit the threshold closely as for doors. Canteen servery shutters should be designed to prevent their being sprung out of guides and flammables being pushed under, eg by counter step up behind, or other solid shutter used.