Key activity 3: Practise and
communicate safety
Safer schools are an opportunity to both practise a culture
of safety and showcase hazard-resistant building practices
long after the school building is completed.
During construction, program managers should ensure
appropriate health and safety procedures are in place to
protect construction workers and the wider community.
Fencing or other methods of securing the site should
be used to protect community members, especially
curious children, from dangerous construction conditions.
Construction materials should be safely stored to protect
people but also to ensure materials do not deteriorate or
go missing. Community members can contribute to the
construction by acting as security guards.
A safe school building can communicate safety for years
to come if labels and signage draw attention to its safety
features. Ring beams and reinforcements around windows
can be brightly painted and labeled as earthquake safety
features. Braces used to connect roof trus ses to walls can
likewise be labeled as protective features against high winds.
Signs on raised foundations can show flood or storm surge
heights and how they keep schools above damaging waters.
SECTION III: CONSTRUCTION
Workers should also understand and practise construction
safety. Where needed, program managers should ensure
they have training on health and safety risks and that
construction managers, whether hired contractors or school
management committee members, talk with construction
workers each morning about safety. Because community
members serve as unskilled labour on many communitybased project sites, they may not fully understand the risks
associated with the day’s construction activities. Highlighting
the risks and protective actions emphasises the importance
of safety. The goal of a safer school is not relegated to the
school building only. It is part of a culture of safety that goes
beyond the safer school construction process.
The safe school construction site becomes a community-wide
learning opportunity when posters and signs highlight key hazardresistant construction techniques used.
82