Up to 100 Kilkenny children attended the first Health and Safety Authority ‘Keep Safe’ event of 2013 in the Watershed last week.
Four local primary schools took part, namely St Patrick’s De la Salle Boys’ National School, St Canices’s National School, Scoil Mhuire Presentation Primary School and Kilkenny School Project National School.
‘Keep Safe’ events involve a number of state agencies and regional organisations coming together to deliver an interactive safety programme directed at fifth and sixth class pupils. It aims to promote safety and community awareness through involving the children in a series of interactive scenarios with a strong safety theme.
The aims of the one-day ‘Keep Safe’ event were to help children to become aware of personal and home safety, learn how to react to dangerous situations, foster good citizenship, to learn how to recognise hazards and manage risks, and to learn how to stay safe within the context of, for example, road safety, water safety, fire safety and building site safety.
“I believe that ‘Keep Safe’ is an important programme,” said Mark Cullen, senior inspector with the Health and Safety Authority.
“It raises awareness and teaches children how to deal with hazards in a whole range of situations from safety around water, farm safety, electricity and more.”
The agencies and organisations that were represented on the day included the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), Bus Eireann, CIF (Construction Industry Federation), Civil Defence, ESB Networks, An Garda Siochana, Irish Water Safety, Kilkenny Fire and Rescue Services, South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association and Teagasc.
This story appeared in the Kilkenny People newspaper on Sunday February 10th 2013
http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/students-take-part-in-keep-safe-event-1-4759526