School Garden: health & safety quagmire

[zazen999]

thats why the school has liability insurance, if little johnny doesn't listen and eats the belladonna

We had belladonna last year at 2 schools and at Ryton - and I'd use it as an example of why you shouldn't eat all the berries that you see....this went for adults as well as children and was probably the best learning tool of the year.

[di]

Who's asked you to do this? Has it come from a teacher at your school being over cautious, or actually a new government necessity? ( I sooo hope the former).

If it's not compulsory, could you not point out what a vast task it would be and instead get the kiddies involved in discussing how important it is to ask an adult before picking/eating...as you have been doing, then maybe finding pictures with them of a tomato and potato fruit (or seed or whatever it is), an edible and deadly poisonous mushroom, a rhubarb leaf and spinach leaf...could get the point across that although things may look safe, they still need to know what they're eating. Just an idea that might work and save you time.

Bloomin' stupid Health and Safety!

[di]

...otherwise, like you said, how far do you take it? Potato leaves are poisonous, spinach is poisonous to my niece. Peas and sweetcorn are poisonous to someone that has severe allergy to tem. Sorry, feeling cross on your behalf now

[Alison]

Just how long does it take these days, to wrap them all up in their bubblewrap?

But remember, don't use sellatape, the little love might have an allergy to the adhesive............

[marchogaeth]

thats why the school has liability insurance, if little johnny doesn't listen and eats the belladonna

Really? If so great but our authority it underwrites itself and will do anything to avoid paying out which may or may not involve supporting staff.

[binley100]

Tomatoes are poisonous ? .........

Surely the best thing is to teach them not to eat anything unless they ask permission first and to wash their hands after working in the garden .......

[Potstubsdustbins]

I don't like todays Health & Safety mania. But I have to say the original idea of Health & Safety in the work place was much needed when it first started. The next person I see killed on a building site will be the third. The second was many years ago and I thank Health & Safety legislation for that.

The problem these days seems to be not the rules but the application of them by the over zealous. Who it would seem want to protect us from everthing and anything including that which is not there.

Colin

[Alison]

Very true Colin, in my time on sites they have become much safer, often by simple things like segregating people and traffic, that makes sense but there are times when things go way over because people are scared to take responsibility, just in case something does go wrong.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I forgot to say good luck as you tiptoe through the minefield 2Sheds remember in this situation always protect your arris, because no one else will.

Colin

[salome2001]

just my 2p worth, but I think the idea of using someone else's list (Rospa/ rhs etc) is a neat way of passing the buck to someone else's "arris"....

[Potstubsdustbins]

Alison the biggest problem in my early days was not traffic about the only thing on site was a small dumper everything else was handball. If I remember correctly the JCB had not long been around. But scaffolding with no handrails no kick boards and so on posed most of the problems. Plus stupidity like placing a plaster board over a lift shaft opening in a concrete floor the man and his wheel barrow went down four floors.

Colin

[Two_Sheds]

obvious plants to avoid including foxgloves.

Hence my dilemma. Potatoes were on the list, foxgloves were not. The list is on the school computers ~ I don't have access. I've been trying to obtain a printed list since last year.

We had belladonna last year at 2 schools

We have foxgloves, ivy, comfrey etc. All poisonous. I teach the children "don't touch, don't eat, don't put your fingers in your mouth, wear gloves, wash your hands afterwards".

always protect your arris, because no one else will

Ain't that the truth. Allies tend to disappear when the manure hits the fan too

using someone else's list (Rospa/ rhs etc) is a neat way of passing the buck

That's why I need this poster I asked for in my OP. However, I don't want to use any list that has "daffodils" on it, because I planted 700 just a year ago

[zazen999]

Have you contacted RoSPA? or the RHS?

[Two_Sheds]

Tomatoes are poisonous ?

The leaves and stems are.

We have a horse chestnut already in the grounds, all parts of which are poisonous. Daffodils: toxic and could be mistaken for onion. Tulips, lupins, toxic.

We all know foxgloves are toxic, but they aren't on the banned list, which is why I've ignored it.

Comfrey causes a rash in some people, ditto strawberries.
I feel like quitting

[Two_Sheds]

Have you contacted RoSPA? or the RHS?

I have printed the RHS guidance for health & safety in schools. Imo, it's way over the top. Don't let children handle compost near their faces, have a safety talk every lesson, have 1:4 supervision, or 1:1 if using tools with smallies, that kind of thing. I can't remember half the things on the (13 page) list, so how can the little ones be expected to?