Posted By Andrew Böber I am working on a project to produce a guide which primary school teachers can use providing them with H&S guidance for creating a project for an application for a grant from my client’s charitable scheme. This is because my client is receiving less applications for their funds are teachers fear the H&S implications of creatively working with metals in a primary school environment. Obviously the empathise is on producing a the form of a basic risk assessment which will give the teachers direction – much of this I have covered (Metal Working, Manual Handling, PPE etc.) – but I would just like to open this up as an area in which anyone can feel free to put in whatever insight they feel, especially those of us who work in the metal industry and educational areas. Many thanks, Andrew J. Böber, Esq. Cert. OSH TechSP

Posted By Ken Taylor Presumably you are consulting the Association for Science Education with regard to their guidance in 'Be Safe!: Health and Safety in Primary School Science and Technology' (new 3rd edition) and CLEAPSS at Brunel University. Primary education covers a considerable range of age and ability and the duty of care implications here are quite daunting. Only fairly simple and low risk activity seems to be recommended in technology education at these levels and many practices and tools normally associated with metal-working have been advised against. The concept of earlier preparation for metal-working seems attractive and probably in keeping with DfES thinking and, to some extent, could be considered to be taking place at a very rudimentary level. I would, of course, remain somewhat apprehensive of primary teachers and pupils engaging in many of the metal-working activities that we see in our secondary schools.