Help prevent slips and falls with wet floor signs. Minimize incidents by cleaning up spills immediately and setting out barriers that tell students, staff and visitors a floor is wet. Keep a minimum of two wet floor signs on hand for every building entrance to ensure your school has enough signage to safeguard everyone who depends on your efforts.

Keep traffic flowing safely around your school with durable traffic cones. To ensure you have enough on hand, assess the amount of traffic cones you have already, order replacements for all damaged cones and expand your inventory as needed. Remember, some cones are better suited for vehicle traffic and others are best for indoor foot traffic.

Ensure your staff is ready to handle dangerous chemicals used in the classroom, including those used in science, chemistry and vocational classes. Proper gloves should always be on hand. Check your existing safety data sheets to make sure they are complete and readily available in SDS binders. Having these sheets helps ensure teachers and cleaning staff follow correct procedures for chemical spills. This includes having the recommended type of eye protection.

Examine eyewash stations annually to ensure they are in proper working order. These fixtures are an important element of any school chemistry lab and can mean the difference between a forgettable accident and a life-changing injury. Emergency eyewash stations may also be necessary in other science and vocational classrooms. Check with your state's codes and OSHA standards, 29 CFR 1910.151(c) to be sure your facilities are properly outfitted.

Make sure your school is ready to care for students, visitors and staff with appropriately stocked first aid kits. This includes kits in classrooms, on buses and in the infirmary. Minor cuts, bruises and scalds are common accidents among school children. As a result, kits often run out of items like bandages. Ask staff members, including teachers, to help you take inventory of regularly used first aid supplies so they can be replenished as needed.

In addition to your school fire safety protocol, check or recheck fire extinguishers. Make sure the correct class of extinguisher is available (typically class ABC). Each extinguisher should be fully charged and inside of their expiration date if they have one. Replace or refill fire extinguishers as necessary. Check your school's smoke alarms as well, if your building uses them, and replace alarms and alarm batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Test emergency lighting and signage to ensure your staff and students have a clear, illuminated path to safety during an emergency. This is the perfect time to run your annual 30-minute lighting test. To do so, locate the main circuit breaker or fuse for your school's emergency lights. Turn it off when ready for testing and observe each light. Schedule repairs and replacements as needed. Otherwise, use the small, “push to test” button to check lights and signs individually.

Schedule regular safety meetings with your staff. These meetings are great for reminding educators of important safety protocols like fire drills, handling chemicals and practicing traffic safety. They are also a perfect opportunity for enlisting your staff's help in keeping up with more tedious safety tasks like restocking first aid kits, maintaining safe playgrounds and preventing slips and falls. Encourage everyone to share safety information. Together, you can ensure your school exceeds safety standards year after year.