By, Dr. Nishan Wijesinha (Specialist Consultant) M I S Services, 107, St. Anthony’s Road, Colombo 3

 Pulling a Chair out from underneath while one sits down is the most commonly seen act of injury by Preschoolers.

We all owe each other a duty of care to act reasonably; this is the law’s way of making sure that each member of our society is held responsible to act like another similar person would. Thus, a Preschool 4 year old child is expected to act like other 4 year old children; as an adult is expected to act like a reasonable adult, etc.

Reasonableness is obviously a cherished universal standard.

You owe a duty of care to someone not to put them at risk of injury by pulling a chair out from underneath them as they sit down. The child who falls back and hits his head on the ground could suffer serious head injuries which could result in death according to the impact of the fall.

A reasonable person understands that a serious personal injury could result from such an action.

Teachers on the other hand owe a duty of care to warn someone pulling a chair from another person out from underneath them.

A reasonable person cannot be expected to put another person at any risk of injury.

Therefore post warning of children who engage in acts of such harmful nature and even punishing them is a must by all teachers to avoid serious injuries to fellow students.