“Reasonably Practicable”
Last updated: June 6th 2023.
It is the duty of every employer to ensure, in so far is as reasonably practical, the safety, health and welfare at work of all employees. The same requirement may be assumed to apply equally to the Board’s obligations in relation to pupils and visitors to the school.
The term "reasonably practicable" may be seen to imply a degree of flexibility in the obligations of the Board to deal with health and safety issues.
In practical terms a Board of Management should ensure:
That health and safety procedures and regulations are consistent with the educational and disciplinary requirements of the school
That direct expenditure by the school arising from health and safety considerations is within the limits of authorised school expenditure
If the Board considers that health and safety issues require expenditure which cannot be met directly by the school budget it must ensure that appropriate representations are made to the Department of Education and Skills for the necessary funding