Ophea Safety Guidelines

The Ontario Physical Education Safety Guidelines, managed by Ophea, represent the minimum standards for risk management practice for school boards. They focus the attention of teachers, intramural supervisors and coaches on safe practices, in every activity, in order to minimize the element of risk.The Safety Guidelines are divided into Elementary and Secondary levels, each containing three separate modules. The Safety Guidelines apply to physical activities that occur on the school site or as part of a school sponsored trip (i.e., day trip, overnight, out of province, or out of country). They do not apply to free-play activities during recess and lunch.School boards may RAISE the standards if they wish, but they are strongly encouraged not to LOWER them. Check with your school board to ensure alignment with your school board policies.The Ontario Safety Guidelines were developed by Ophea in partnership with the Ontario School Board’s Insurance Exchange (OSBIE), the Canadian Intramural Recreation Association – Ontario (CIRA-ON), the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA), and the Ontario Association for the Support of Physical and Health Education (OASPHE). The Safety Guidelines are managed by Ophea and are funded by the Government of Ontario.The Safety Guidelines are updated on an annual basis.