Is the continuous wearing of face coverings by children in the classroom "safe" i.e. "the amount of exposure that will cause no harm or damage after exposure"-Black's Online Law Dictionary.
It is the Principal/Head Teacher who is required to undertake a risk assessment for a school. The Principal has common law, statutory law & duty of care obligations.
Principals / Employers “have to provide a work environment that is, as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health; non-employees [inc children] are not to be exposed to risks to their health and safety.”
This is achieved by creating a risk assessment and asking for example 1. "Does a medical risk assessment on the mandated wearing of face coverings for children and young people (13 years old - 18 years old) in classrooms - exist? Please answer YES or NO only. If YES please supply the full document. 2. Does a Risk- Benefit Analysis for children wearing face coverings within classrooms and the school - exist? Please answer YES or NO only. If YES please supply the full document.
Principals are required to give copies of their risk assessments. This can be achieved through Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) requests and a FOI request can be made by any member of the public. “Risk assessments are also required in order to protect women of child-bearing age, new and expectant mothers, or the developing baby, from processes, working conditions, physical, chemical or biological agents.”
The Education Authority has produced a Manual on Risk Assessment for Principals & Governor’s. Just scroll down to 'Risk Assessment' & download https://www.eani.org.uk/school....-management/health-s
Also, Principals/Head Teachers - "They have a moral and ethical duty not to cause, or fail to prevent, physical or psychological injury...Head Teachers/Principals also have a common law duty of care ‘in loco parentis’ for their pupils (Latin for ‘in the place of a parent’). This duty of care requires a Head Teacher to do all that is reasonably possible to protect the health, safety and welfare of the pupils within their school."
The Health & Safety Legislation is outlined in the link below and focuses mainly on The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
The risks to children's health (aged 4 - 18) the harms, potential harms of wearing face coverings/masks including, but not limited to, hypoxia (decrease in oxygen) and increases CO2 leading to hypercapnia & respiratory acidosis and these conditions from wearing masks/face coverings are well documented in medical & scientific literature for adults.
The government has confirmed via Health & Safety Executive (HSENI), Public Health Agency (PHA), etc that the evidence for effectiveness of mask are "weak" from preventing influenza like infections including COVID-19, so why haven't Principals, Sara Long as CEO Chief of the Education Authority; Peter Weir acting as the Minister of Education; the Children's Commissioner & all those who work for her undertaken a Medical Risk Assessment and then a Risk- Benefit Analysis for children wearing face coverings within classrooms and the school?
https://cdn.website-editor.net..../2479f24c54de4c7598d
