Undertake a health and safety risk assessment in own work setting or service illustrating how its implementation will reducerisk.Risk assessments vary in complexity, and usually how detailed they are is related to

the expertise of the person who is expected to complete them.

It is not necessary for a risk assessment to be complicated in order for it to fulfil its

intent. In fact, it is more important that the person who uses it understands it, than it

is for it to be highly detailed and complex.

When you undertake a risk assessment, you should use a standardised form that

is made available through the health and safety officer.

Risk assessments will normally be checked by someone other than the person who

completed them. This might be the health and safety officer, or simply the teacher in

charge. The most important aspects of completing a risk assessment are:

1. That it is completed in plenty of time before the proposed activity is to take place sothat any mitigation of hazards can be implemented in time;

2. That it is completed correctly so that no important information is missed;

3. That it is checked, agreed by at least one other appropriate member of staff and thehead teacher, and filed somewhere so that it can be retrieved if needed.

1

How to complete a risk assessment.

How to undertake a risk assessment:

1. Look around for the hazards

2. Think about who might be harmed, and how that might happen

3. Assess the risks and decide if there are adequate existing precautions or if you needto take further measures.

4. Record the things you have found.

5. Review your assessment prior to the event, and amend it if there is changedinformation or if you have left something out.

Undertaking a risk assessment

Using the example of a class trip to see a stage performance at a local theatre, think

about the things that might constitute potential hazards, who might be harmed, and

how those risks can be mitigated.

2

For example, there may be use of a contract coach to take the children and collect

them after the performance, there will be time spent in a public building, surrounded

by members of the public, and children will be excited, distracted, and may not listen

to all the instructions that are given to them about the trip.

The areas of hazard that might be particularly thought about would be the trip there,

the time spent in the building, and the trip home.

This way of thinking splits up the event into sections, and means that you can think

about each scenario separately, rather than trying to get everything into one thought.

Rather than detailing every likely part of a risk assessment to you here, we will just

concentrate on a few examples for the visit in the theatre itself.

Visiting a theatre - potential hazards

The hazards identified may be as follows:

1. Child protection; the children may be harmed.

2. Trip hazards (steps, bags on the floor); children or members of the public may beharmed.

3. Moving equipment hazards (automatic doors, stage equipment, turnstiles), childrenor members of the public may be harmed.

4. Medical emergencies and allergies (particularly for anyone who may suffer from anaphylactic shock from the consumption of specific foods); children may be harmed.

5. Loss of pupils during the excursion; children may be harmed.

There may be far more than these things to worry about, depending on the type of

trip, but these are just an example.

The ways in which these hazards would be mitigated are known as control

measures, and these constitute actions that the school takes in order to reduce the

risk.

3

Visiting a theatre - mitigating the risks

Using the examples above:

1. Child protection can be ensured by: ensuring that no adult is left alone with the children unless they are a member of school staff; that young pupils should be supervised in public toilets, preferably in groups, and again, no adult who is not a member of staff (for example, a parent who is helping with the trip) should takea child to the toilet alone, other than their own.

Children should also not be allowed to roam the public building either alone or in

groups, and they should make sure that school staff are aware of where they are at

all times.

They should also be careful not to spoil the enjoyment of other members of the

public, as this can lead to altercations and arguments.

2. Children should be encouraged to ensure that they do not allow their own bags and coats to present as trip hazards. They should also be made aware of the layout of the building, where the toilets are, where steps and staircases are, and their safe andcontained movement around the building should be enforced by school staff. So, for example, they should not be running around the building as they are more likely to fall down unexpected steps this way.

3. Moving equipment can sometimes trap hands or whole bodies inside them, and this includes consideration of automatic doors and the way that turnstiles move sometimes. Children should be asked not to lark around while they are out, but to file in and out of doors and similar in an orderly fashion.

4. Any child who suffers from extreme allergic reactions, or who has a medical conditionthat may require emergency treatment when out, should already be known to school staff as such. Precautions should be taken on the trip to deal with emergencies such as anaphylaxis (e.g. an epipen) and staff should be aware of standard procedures fordoing so.

5. To avoid unexpectedly losing a pupil on a trip, regular head counts should be taken, particularly after the group has been dispersed for a while and has then returned. Particularly important times for conducting head counts include when they are gettingon or off the vehicle; however, it is a good idea to do more than just these, since the sooner staff are aware someone is missing, the better.

You should also ensure that pupils know what to do in an emergency, and that they

are aware of how they are expected to behave during the trip. The best time to do

this is while they are still on the bus on the way to the event.

4