Australia's Science Forum

Does everyone have a phone in their preproom(s) ?
We have a new phone system and " there is no room on the new board " for my phone to be connected.
I am pushing for it as it is an OH&S issue. I have 3 labs and often teachers often have to ring Science Co-ordinator or Yr Co-ordinators to speak to classes. Not to mention if there happened to be an incident or accident with the students. I'm not always in my preproom cos sometimes I am in the other block of labs - where the phone is connected !
Is the Business Manger going to cop the kick up the bum when something happens ?
Ggggrrrrrrr...very frustrating

Hi
We have a phone in the upstairs staffroom. Can't always hear it ring when in the prep rooms. When I do hear it and start up the stairs... it stops!

Rita

OH&S does state I believe you must have a phone in the prep room. In case of an accident, a person should "Not work a lone".

We have a phone in the prep room which is a portable. Our desk phone defaults to this if we are not at our desk.
Works well.....
~Robyn

Yes,I have a portable phone in 2 of my prep rooms.

I have two prep rooms, each shared between two labs, and two labs with their own prep rooms - a total of four prep rooms. There is no phone in any of the prep rooms or labs or any other classroom in the school. We have a phone in the staffroom, but if you're not in there you don't hear it. And with one line servicing the whole school (except the front office and senior executive staff) you'd have to be very lucky to be able to phone out in a hurry. But I always have my mobile on me.

Carol

I agree Carol, I always have my mobile on me too. But OH&S do state they should give you a phone, in the MAIN prep room. So you can work alone in that prep room.

I don't have a MAIN prep room. They're all the same and I work in which ever one is necessary.

I had a phone in my prep room until the refurb and since the start of the year I have been fighting to get it back. Before the refurb they told us to take everything out that we wanted to keep so I took the phone and then they said after the refurb that there was no phone in here! Talk about frustrating.

I have a phone in my preproom and one in the science Staff room and will have one in the prep room once the update of the new lab happens. I dont think the teachers could work without the phone to the prep room as we have labs on a different level. Sometimes I do wish there was no phone in the prep room though.

Kimmy

Hi
I have a phone in my prep room with my own number
Noona

I have a phone in my main Prep room - but it is on the wrong side of the room....
and sometimes I just want it to stop RINGING!!!!


ALL classrooms here have phones.

Really Mushroom, All class rooms have phones. How do you stop the students from using them???

I too have a phone however as my office is private pretty much anyone who wants to make a private call comes in to use it. It is also handy if ET ever comes to my prep. room and wants to phone home

Yes I have a phone in my preproom straight opposite the staffroom, it is handy but one in the staffroom would be good. When you get busy mixing chemicals and so on the phone always rings!!
Maureen

I've got a cordless phone in my prep room and I love it It's handy to be able to 'walk and talk'!

I also have a phone in the prep room, which has come in handy as I have been accidently locked in the lab (walk through the lab to get to the prep room) twice now and have had to ring for assisstance.

Sharlene

I don't have a phone in the prep room or the science labs. I have brought this up a few times with teachers saying surely the science lab should have a phone in case of emergency, but no, a student has to run to the front office to notify them if something happens. Thankfully, so far, this hasn't had to happen. I do think life would be easier/safer with a phone though, especially when I am waiting for a call back from a supplier. I often don't get the message that someone has rung until hours later when I check my pigeon hole in the admin block. We have a phone in the science staff room but it isn't next door to the labs so can't be heard.

I think that the phones should be a necessity, not an optional extra for the prep room. Our set up is six labs, one central prep room, and there is a phone in the prep room. Phone has STD access - at one stage not all phones in the school had access, but the registrar thought that I needed it (Needless to say, I kept pretty quiet about that!) Also have the phone set up for "push one button" calls to several areas in the school - very handy when you want someone in a big hurry!

Try putting it to your OH&S meeting. It is a fine line between must have and would like. But as most of us do work ALONE in the prep rooms at some stage. It was passed in 2006 that people working alone should have a phone in their room. So put it to your OH&S Meeting.