Investigating the health and safety condition of the care environment of primary schools based on crisis prevention approach.

BACKGROUND: Safety and health issues need to be prioritized by schools. A safe environment in schools is one of the primary goals of the education system. Evaluation of educational environments with an approach to crisis prevention and coping is of particular importance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the state of the care environment of government primary schools with a health and safety approach in Zabol, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was descriptive cross-sectional. This study was conducted in government primary schools in Zabol, Iran (2023). The sampling method was available and there were a total of 35 schools that were selected. The tool used to be the school-age care environment rating scale (SACERS) checklist. These checklists were completed by the researchers after observing the current situation in the schools. The SPSS v25 software was used for data statistical analysis (Kolmogorov-Smirnov and t-tests). RESULTS: The highest score relates to health policies, and the safety measures obtained the lowest score. Health measures, safety measures, attendance, departure, and meals studied are far from the required standards. There was a significant difference between the average safety and health of schools and the required standards (t = -8.19, P < 0.001). Therefore, the safety and health of schools did not meet the necessary standards. CONCLUSION: The evaluation of schools in eight components of safety and health shows that schools need more attention to be ready to deal with emergencies and crises. The lack of comprehensive, valid tools and inadequate monitoring can be effective factors in the nonstandard condition of schools. Schools need intervention to improve and eliminate deficiencies in terms of safety and health.