To reduce playground accidents, schools should (1) audit their playgrounds for compliance with current safety guidelines; (2) employ a risk manager; (3) develop a safety curriculum; and (4) put more emphasis on teaching basic movement competence to students. (MLF)

To reduce the chances of student injury and liability charges, principals should know their legal responsibilities, communicate district and school rules, provide adequate student supervision, avoid corporal punishment, advocate appropriate instructional assignments, institute staff reporting and student injury procedures, restrict private…

Research at the National Program for Playground Safety shows good playground policies can be summed up by the acronym SAFE: supervising the playground equipment; choosing age-appropriate playground equipment; cushioning falls; and maintaining equipment and surfaces. Sidebars include a playground safety quiz and information sources. (MLF)

Based primarily on the experience of three childhood injury prevention demonstration projects, this manual provides state Title V program directors with an action guide for developing targeted childhood injury prevention programs. The manual is divided into four sections: background; program planning; program design; and program implementation and…

Reviews recent court cases relating to student, school, and staff responsiblity regarding student activities. Includes discussions of regulations concerning student participation, limitations on participation based on conduct, charging fees, and liability in injury cases. (MD)

Outlines standards in seven areas--staff training, facilities, athletic equipment, emergency preparedness, a central training room, athletic health care and training, and recordkeeping--for assessing school athletic programs so that potential injuries and lawsuits can be avoided. (KS)

The extent to which college faculty may recover compensation for debilitating mental illness resulting from stressful work-related activities is discussed. General requirements for worker's compensation claims, compensability of stress-related mental and physical illnesses, applicability of these standards to college faculty, and the current state…

Explains how to prevent outdoor sports injuries; discusses related litigation and specific cases involving playing field turf, tennis, skiing, and pools; and sets out facility design and maintenance considerations and recommendations. A sidebar provides information about injury insurance available to NCAA schools. Part I of this article appeared…

This chapter reports 1982 cases involving tort claims within the school context. Torts are seen here as separate independent civil causes of action that define a particular level of conduct that the law recognizes individuals owe one another. This chapter discusses negligence, the most common tort, at greatest length, analyzing cases involving…

Organizational aspects of the Shock Trauma Institute at Loyola University Medical Center (Illinois) are described. The philosophies and conditions that helped determine the institute's organizational structure and success are analyzed, and the institute's role as a multidisciplinary research program is discussed. Structures of the clinical,…

A discussion of college liability for its students' injuries during participation in community service projects includes an overview of relevant law, concerns about waivers of liability, the role of insurance, and practical administrative tips for assessing and decreasing liability. (MSE)

A survey of 100 medical schools concerning training and preventive measures used to protect student health and safety found 60 percent felt students were adequately prepared to work safely; 11 percent did not. Over one-third planned to revise health and safety training. School adoption of policies, procedures, and uniform curriculum is…

Recent limitation of charitable and sovereign immunity of colleges and universities and the increased willingness of courts to entertain tort lawsuits by students against universities has resulted in increased institutional exposure to tort liability for injuries caused by dangerous buildings or grounds. Institutions can take some measures to…

Escalation of worker's compensation claims led Saint Cloud State University (Minnesota) to implement an injury prevention program including warm-up exercises, worksite inspection, examination of work practices, employee training in safe body mechanics, and flexibility tests. The program is found to be effective in reducing injury and improving…

A survey of 149 entering first-year medical residents concerning experiences with and knowledge of infection control investigated occurrence and patterns of accidental needle-sticking and reporting, student immunization for Hepatitis B, and instruction in universal precautions. It is concluded that students are at risk for needle-sticking, but…