More risk

I mentioned the current fad for risk at reference 1 - and it came up again this morning in connection with Weil's disease, properly Leptospirosis, a potentially fatal disease that can be caught from contaminated water or contact with contaminated animals, commonly rodents and in particular rats. A quick look at references 2 and 3 suggests that the risk in this country is relatively low; much more of a problem in hot, wet countries with bare feet, poor housing and poor hygiene generally. 

This all arose from BH telling me of someone writing a letter to our free newspaper (the Comet) about how awful it was that someone had let a party of school children go pond dipping at Stamford Green Pond. Didn't they know about the risk of catching Weil's disease? Seemingly, the head teacher involved put one of the school governors up to sending in a reply about risk assessments and proper precautions.

With any risk being balanced against the considerable educational value of such activities. Particularly if there is a microscope available with which to peer at all the more or less microscopic creepy crawlies to be found in the average puddle or pond.

My present point is that while the head teacher is captain of the ship and personally responsible for the safety of his or her charges, it is not reasonable for her to assess risks of this sort unaided. Nor, indeed, would it be a good use of her time. It is all far too complicated, to the point of requiring specialised, professional input. She should be able to draw on some authoritative guidance from the centre, perhaps in the first instance from her local education authority, probably ultimately from the Department of Education. Such guidance might be fairly permissive, allowing for a bit of local variation and discretion. Or, if the risk was deemed to be large, it might be very directive. You will do this, you will not do that.

All of which only works if there are central functions both competent and resourced to produce such guidance. More or less abolishing local education authorities perhaps not the answer here.

PS: I might add that I was once warned about this disease in TB, with a chap telling me not to fish around in sumps while cleaning them out - like the one which takes the rainwater on our patio - without wearing rubber gloves up to the elbows. I think he had actually known someone to catch the disease from such an activity.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/05/risk.html.

Reference 2: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/leptospirosis/.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptospirosis.