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Posted By Barry Cooper
I have been asked to provide advice for an independent primary school. It appears they have no or very little in the way of safety documentation, procedures etc.
They have no safety policy manual, and doubt if they have any risk assessments.
Most of my experience is in manufacturing, but would like to accept this challenge. Is there any good reference materials available, and do any of my colleagues out there have some advice or tips, examples of documentation etc. to help me on my way
I assume (may be wrongly) that I can use the same approach to safety in schools as I do in manufacturing, and consider risks etc to all, including pupils
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Posted By Frank Hallett
Be prepaered for an extremely dispiriting experience! Try your local LEA and ask for the H&S advisor. When you track this individual down, you should be able to prise out of them a huge amount of guidance etc.
The rules are the same but the mentality often isn't. And before I get hung, drawn & quartered; I know that there a large number of people out there doing a good job - there are also people who cannot tell the difference between "reasonably practicable" and "if we don't fix it we'll be sued".
Frank Hallett
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Posted By Eric Burt
Barry
Franks advice is good. Have a chat with the LEA H&S Adviser because there is a lot of health and safety documentation produced specifically for schools from organisations such as BAALPE (British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in Physical Education|) and CLEAPSS (Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Services).
You really need to be up to speed with all the documentation and latest guidance. Most Education Authorities have a full time Health and Safety Adviser to keep schools up to date with health and safety developments - it is quite a tall order for you to try to offer the same level of service.
To be honest Barry, you may find it easier to advise the school to sign a service level agreement with the local LEA for this service (if they offer one).
Or, you could just look at specific general issues in the school - fire, asbestos, legionella, food safety, glazing etc
Keep one eye on DDA issues - you may find that the school has a number of disabled pupils - possibly manual handling issues.
Hygiene is always on the list of things to keep an eye on - school pets, toilets, drinking water, storage of food, water temperatures.
There's plenty of material around, much of it available on the internet, but as a start I would have a chat with the LEA H&S Adviser.
Some of them post on this forum so depending on where they are located you may be able to find one through this forum who can help.
I am based in Chester and would be happy to help.
Good luck!
Regards,
Eric
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Posted By Gareth Bryan
I'm in the next Authority and don't charge as much as Eric !!!
Joking aside Erics advice is spot on
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Posted By Calogero Gattuso
Hi Barry,
I work as an H & S consultant and also chair an Health & Safety commitee as a school governor in my spare time. I certainly will be able to help you on this. If you forward me your address. I will send you various information on CD Rom that I have used.
Regards,
Paul Gattuso
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Posted By Dave Joyce
Hi Barry
Make sure you consider the child Protection issues, even thought the staff will be checked it still needs to be addressed in respect of visitors, contractors etc
good luck
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Posted By Ken Taylor
Get them to subscribe to Croner's 'School Health and Safety Management' (which included a model H&S policy, risk assessments and standard forms) and to CLEAPSS at Brunel university (01895 251496). Then get all the H&S guidance publications for schools from the HSE, DfES and Education Services Advisory Committee.
A catalogue from the DfES School Buildings Design Unit will also show you some publications that can prove useful.
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Posted By Ron Impey
Hi Barry,
I have e-mailed my H&S self-audit forms, the workplace health, safety and welfare checklist, and the risk assesment checklist, as a taster.
I hope they are useful or of interest.
Please let me know if you need any other documentation.
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Posted By Stuart C
Just a plea to be wary of bogging a school down in too much paperwork for its own sake;
previous posters have given sound advice, I would only seek in reinforce one or two issues -
lesson plans should contain a very basic risk assessment for D&T (for utensils and materials used)
Don't forget finger traps in doors unfotunately one of the most common RIDDORs from schools is amputations from doors.
& dont forget the teachers & other staff - falls from low height are common when teachers stand on tables to put up displays & caretakers are pften neglected.
Glazing! very impotant to make sure they have got this right.
perhaps the most contentious is educational visits but these shouldnt pose too much problem at managed sites - be particularly thorough for the nature ramble type of activity
oh and make sure the kids get to play!
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Posted By Barry Cooper
I would like to give you some feedback now I have visited the school. It is actually a school for 11 - 16 years, and they have very basic H&S systems and procedures.
The policy document with arrangement is very basic.
I have always been of the opinion that the arrangements section of the policy manual should explain how H&S is managed, but the ones I regularly see are very basic policy statements, with no detail of how for example risk assessments are undertaken, the same goes for manual handling, accident reporting and investigation etc. OR am I out of touch?
By the way the information I have recieved from you all is excellent and much appreciated.
Barry
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Posted By Ken Taylor
The ESAC guidance expects: a general statement; the organisation for implementation, etc; and the arrangements including monitoring. The Croner's model policy also expects an appendix with work methods, routines, procedures and codes of practice - and gives a list of such. A further recommended appendix is for training records and risk assessments. Additionally the DfES have required various policies and procedures from time to time which might also be included here (such as bullying and child protection). I do think that the school should be in possession of these publications (and the other important literature) to which I referred earlier and following their guidance.
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