Maintenance and Safety Inspection of Sports Equipment and Facilities in Schools

Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) what are the current measures in place to ensure safe usage of sports equipment and facilities in schools; and (b) what is the maintenance regime for their safe use.

All schools have safety procedures in place to ensure the safety of students in using sports facilities and equipment and during the conduct of physical activities.

Schools conduct risk assessments and inspections for school activities, including Physical Education (PE) programmes, co-curricular activities (CCAs) and outdoor adventure learning programmes to ensure that risks are identified and adequately mitigated. The risk assessment examines areas, such as facilities and equipment used, timing of activities, competence of personnel, participant readiness and the environment.

Schools are also required to ensure that all sports facilities and equipment are properly maintained. This will be carried out based on either the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule taking into account the corresponding level of usage, or, where no recommendations are provided, the regular inspections carried out by the schools.

Students are also taught to exercise personal responsibility and care for the safety of themselves and for people around them through the PE curriculum, such as the proper and safe handling of sports equipment, playing safely according to game rules, and looking out for the safety of others around them. In particular, students are briefed on the safety precautions before the commencement of physical activities, such as PE lessons and CCAs.