Health and Safety Statement
Health and safety are the responsibility of the Governing Board, the Director-General, principals and directors, and of all employees of the International School of Geneva. At campus level overall responsibility rests with the campus principals and with the members of staff (campus services, nurses, etc) directly responsible to them. Some general guidelines exist, and these are summarised below. It is campus principals’ responsibility to develop detailed procedures in accordance with these guidelines.
The Board Health and Safety Committee
The Board Health and Safety Committee meets annually and receives detailed reports from each campus on activities relating to health and safety that have taken place during the previous year. The committee may also discuss any particular Foundation-wide issues that it feels require closer scrutiny. The committee is composed of Board members, the Director-General, campus principals and teacher and parent representatives from each campus.
Campus health and safety committees
Each campus has a health and safety committee with membership which includes principals, teachers, nurses, administrative staff and members of campus services. There should be a mandate and statement of membership of these committees and minutes of meetings should be taken. The annual report to the Board Health and Safety Committee should contain a summary of the issues discussed and actions proposed by each of these campus committees.
Foundation policies
A detailed crisis management policy exists. The campus crisis management groups envisaged by this policy should meet annually to familiarise themselves with this policy and to keep under review the actions that would be needed in the event of the different types of crisis that might occur.
There is also a Foundation allergy policy, a summary of which is made available to parents. As with all Foundation policies, both these policies are subject to a three-yearly review.
The Foundation’s Strategic Plan
The Foundation’s Strategic Plan includes the following recurring objectives:
- To keep all aspects of safety and security under regular internal and external review
- To ensure that all staff involved in educational programmes have appropriate first aid training
- To keep the provision of nursing services across the Foundation under review.
It is the responsibility of campus principals to pursue these objectives.
Membership of Réseau suisse d’écoles en santé (RADIX)
Each of the school’s three campuses is a member of the Réseau suisse d’écoles en santé (RADIX). To be a member of this network each campus has had to develop plans for improving the health of the school community and to put in place a range of measures to ensure that these plans are taken forward.
Further information about RADIX can be found at www.ecoles-en-sante.ch.
Health and Safety Standards of the Council of International Schools (CIS)
The school is accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Middle States Association (MSA). To secure accreditation the school evaluates itself periodically and is evaluated externally by a visiting team in order to ensure compliance with the detailed Health and Safety Standards laid down by CIS.
Institut de Securité
The school has an ongoing arrangement with the Institut de Securité at Neuchâtel for a biennial inspection of each of its campuses to ensure compliance with all security requirements. Reports are issued following these visits and action plans developed to resolve any safety issues that have been identified.
Links with public health authorities
The school has direct and close links with the relevant public health authorities in both the cantons of Geneva and Vaud and regularly consults them on procedures to adopt on all health-related issues. The school is not obliged to follow the regulations laid down for state schools, but follows all guidelines, and meets all requirements, that the state from time to time may lay down as far as private educational establishments are concerned.
All new students entering the school are required to provide a medical certificate before entry. Where required by the public health authorities there must also be evidence that student arriving from certain countries have taken the Mantoux test for TB.
Médecin répondant
Each campus also has a formal link with an experienced local medical practitioner – its médecin répondant – whose advice is also sought on occasion, where appropriate.