Health and Safety Risk Assessments in Schools

Health and Safety Risk Assessments in Schools

A Health and Safety Risk assessment simply involves the employer (school) identifying hazards to health and safety, evaluating the harm that may result from those hazards, and then taking appropriate action to protect employees and learners.

The legal responsibility for risk assessment lies with the employer (school) and the head teacher (or governing body).  As discussed in one of our earlier articles on roles and responsibilities, all employees are responsible for risk assessment on some level.

Anyone who carries out a risk assessment needs to be legally competent to do so.  In other words, they need to be trained, experienced and knowledgeable in that area.

Standard risk assessments will include the following steps:

1. Look for hazards (anything that can cause harm).  This can include substances, processes, structures, machines, and so on.
2. Decide who might be harmed and how.
3. Evaluate the risks and decide whether existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be taken.
4. Record the findings.
5. Review the assessment from time to time.

There are generic risk assessment forms available to simplify the process and can be adapted to your school’s unique requirements.  All risk assessments should be reviewed on a regular basis by a competent consultant to ensure that they are performed adequately.  Copies of all assessments must also be given to the school’s health and safety representative.  

Unfortunately, hazards cannot always be avoided, and it is imperative that employees know what to do in an emergency.