Staying Safe @ Work

Target Group:

Year 10 EAL/D Students in NSW (7 students)
Duration: 55 Minutes
Subject: Social Sciences (Work Education)
Curriculum Reference: NSW Work Education Syllabus Years 7–10
Topic Focus: Workplace Safety
Classroom Context: Small group of 7 EAL/D students – lesson designed to be highly interactive, language-aware with scaffolding, visual props and collaborative strategies.

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Learning Objectives (aligned with NSW Curriculum)

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify common workplace hazards and appropriate safety gear.
2. Understand emergency procedures in various work environments.
3. Describe the role of safety representatives and SafeWork NSW.
4. Apply knowledge of safety to real workplace scenarios.
5. Use vocabulary related to workplace safety in written and oral formats.

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Resources Required

• Hard hat, earmuffs, high visibility vest, inhaling protection mask, harness, safety gloves, safety goggles
• Work Safety Symbol Flashcards (teacher-prepared)
• Role cards for safety scenarios
• Whiteboard and markers
• Laptops/tablets (optional)
• Printed copies of recent news articles featuring Australian workplace safety incidents (construction, hospitality, aged care, etc.)
• Student safety observation worksheet
• Large poster paper and markers for group work

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Lesson Sequence

Starter (0–10 Minutes) — “What's My Job?” Safety Gear Activity

🧤 Props Showcase & Guessing Game

• As students walk into the room, hand them each one piece of the safety gear.
• Teacher wears a high-vis vest and introduces the topic with enthusiasm and mystery: “Today, we’re starting a journey into the world of WORKPLACE SAFETY!”
• Students guess the purpose of their item: “Why do we need this in a workplace?”
• Brief class discussion on each item’s purpose and industry relevance.
  • Example: Harness — used in construction and roofing jobs to prevent falls.

Language Support Strategy: Use labelled visuals and sentence starters:
”I think this item is used to…” or “In construction, workers use…”

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Activity 1 (10–20 Minutes) — Hazard Hunt Gallery Walk

🔍 Visual Exploration & Matching

• Around the room, place “Workplace Hazard” posters (with visuals): slippery floor, broken ladder, poor lighting, blocked exit, exposed wire, etc.
• Students walk in pairs and use a checklist worksheet to:
  • Identify the hazard
  • Match it with the correct safety gear
  • Suggest a way to prevent the hazard

Scaffolding Tip: Use a word bank of key terms (e.g. hazard, prevent, injury, PPE, report)

Debrief: Quick share-out from each pair. “Which hazard surprised you the most?”
Teacher connects hazards to real-life jobs in Australia (e.g. incident at WestConnex site with falling scaffolding).

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Activity 2 (20–35 Minutes) — Safety in Action Roleplay

🎭 Respond to This! Group Roleplay

• Divide students into two small groups.
• Each group draws a scenario card, e.g.:
  • “A co-worker has been burnt by hot oil in a kitchen.”
  • “A workmate feels dizzy while painting in an enclosed room.”
  • “A worker falls from a ladder on a construction site.”
• Students prepare a short 2–3 minute skit showing:
  • What went wrong
  • Immediate response (emergency procedure)
  • Who they inform (safety rep, manager)
  • Role of SafeWork NSW

Language Focus: Provide sentence structures, e.g.
“First, we…” | “Next, someone should…” | “SafeWork NSW helps by…”

Performance: Groups perform for each other. Applause and positive feedback rounds!

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Activity 3 (35–45 Minutes) — Who Keeps Us Safe?

👷 Mini Panel Discussion on Safety Roles

• On the board write: Safety Rep | Employer | Worker | SafeWork NSW

• Teacher briefly explains each role:

  • Safety Rep: Speaks up for staff
  • Employer: Must provide a safe space
  • Worker: Must follow rules, report hazards
  • SafeWork NSW: Independent body that investigates and informs

• Students are assigned one of the roles and answer:

  • “What is my job in keeping the workplace safe?”
  • “What happens if I don’t do it?”

Discussion Prompt Example:
“Imagine you are a worker in a supermarket and you see cleaning chemicals left out. What would you do?”

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Final Activity (45–52 Minutes) — Real World, Real Risks

📄 Analysis of a Real Incident

• In pairs, students read short simplified news blurbs about real 2022–2024 incidents from Australian workplaces (adapted for EAL learners):
  • Sydney warehouse forklift injury
  • Aged care nurse slips on wet floor
  • Construction site electrocution

Each pair identifies:

• What went wrong
• What safety rule was broken
• How it could have been prevented
• Role of SafeWork NSW in responding

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Wrap-up & Reflection (52–55 Minutes)

📝 Exit Ticket

Each student completes a quick reflection card:

• One new safety word I learned today is…
• One way I can stay safe at work…
• The role of SafeWork NSW is…

Collect and read aloud a few (with permission). Celebrate participation and “Safety Champions of the Day”.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation of participation in roleplay and discussions
• Hazard identification worksheet
• Incident analysis report
• Exit ticket responses

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Extension / Differentiation Strategies

• Use bilingual dictionaries or translated resources for complex terms.
• Visuals and body language during roleplays to support understanding.
• Advanced students can research a new workplace safety rule or design a poster.
• Support students needing help with simplified scripts or peer modelling.

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Teacher Notes

• Keep directions concise and clear.
• Use gestures and visuals at all times.
• Reinforce new vocabulary with repetition and visual cues.
• Celebrate small wins! Safety is serious, but learning can (and should) be fun.

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Potential Future Connection

• Invite a local safety officer for a workplace safety Q&A.
• Visit a real or virtual workplace with a safety briefing.
• Create a student-designed safety manual using collected knowledge.

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Let them leave the classroom not just knowing what safety means—but feeling like they have a role in creating a safer Australia. 🇦🇺🦺