Managing RiskAssessment inScienceL196August 2005

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSOur thanks are expressed to schools who provided us with materials for the first and later editions of this guide andto all those science advisers/inspectors and health & safety advisers who commented on drafts of the second andthird editions.

We are particularly grateful to the then Education National Interest Group of the Health & Safety Executive forsuggesting the original schools in which satisfactory examples of risk assessments could be found and for thehelpful comments from the HSE on drafts of subsequent editions (see page 1).

Crown-copyright material (page 6) is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s StationeryOffice.

This guide replaces the 1997 and earlier editions of

L196 Managing Risk Assessment in Science.

Strictly Confidential.

Circulate to Members and Associate Members only.

As with all CLEAPSS materials, members are free to copy all or part of this guide for use within their ownestablishments.

© CLEAPSS® 2005 CLEAPSSBrunel University

Uxbridge UB8 3PHTel: 01895 251496

Fax: 01895 814372E-mail: science@cleapss.org.uk

Web site: www.cleapss.org.uk

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L196 Managing Risk Assessment in Science

CONTENTS

Part A Introduction 11. About this guide and how to use it 1

2. Why risk assessments are needed 2

3. A simple approach to risk assessment for science 2

4. Definitions 3

5. Risk assessments and responsibilities 45.1 The responsibility of the employer 45.2 The responsibility of the employee 4

6. Official guidance 5

Part B Risk assessment for science lessons 77. Summary 7

8. Setting up a procedure for assessing risks 88.1 The employer's requirements 88.2 The science department's health & safety policy 88.3 Which health & safety texts are needed? 98.4 Health & safety information in textbooks 98.5 Which activities need risk assessments? 98.6 Adaptation 108.7 Review of risk assessments 108.8 Training for staff 118.9 Personal protective equipment 11

9. Using model risk assessments 119.1 Is there a hazard in this activity? 119.2 Is the activity worth doing? 129.3 Is it advisable to perform the activity at the level / age of a particular class? 129.4 Can a substitution or other change be made to make this activity safer? 129.5 What safety equipment should be used? 129.6 Is control of a hazard covered by good laboratory practice? 129.7 How detailed should the risk assessment be? 13

10. How to adapt model risk assessments and keep records 1310.1 Introduction 1310.2 What factors need to be considered? 1310.3 Class size and laboratory size 1410.4 Students with behavioural problems 1410.5 Students with special educational needs 1510.6 What to do if a model risk assessment cannot be found 1510.7 The need for records 1510.8 When and what to record 15

Continued overleaf

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11. The individual teacher in her/his classroom 1511.1 Lesson preparation 1511.2 Spoken and written warnings 1611.3 Good practice 1611.4 Education about health & safety 1611.5 The precautions which should be pointed out to the students 1611.6 Reducing risks by careful distribution and collection of resources 1711.7 Avoiding leaving hazards for a technician clearing up 1711.8 Emergency procedures if there is an accident 17

12. Departures from the department's risk assessments 1812.1 Novel activities or activities conducted in a different way 1812.2 Projects and open-ended investigations 18

13. The monitoring role of the head of department 18

14. Risk assessment checklist 18

Part C Examples of risk assessments on texts in daily use 21Example 1 Incorporation into department's own scheme of work 21

Examples 2a, b Teachers' lesson plan and student worksheet 21

Examples 3a, b, c Modifying a published scheme 23

Example 4 Modification of a student practical text 24

Example 5 Annotated text book 24

Example 6 Annotating a simple text to help teachers and technicians who lackexperience 25

Example 7 Apparatus sheet prepared by a school 26

Example 8 Detailed instructions not needing adaptation 27

Example 9 Limitations of a detailed risk assessment 28

Examples 10 a, b Using a risk assessment form 28

Example 11 Labelling apparatus or bottles 30

Part D Risks in and around the prep room and to other staff 3115. Technicians 31

15.1 General 3115.2 Specific areas 31

16. Others at risk 3416.1 Cleaners 3416.2 Teaching assistants 3416.3 Non-science teaching staff 3416.4 Caretakers and office staff 3416.5 Visitors 34

APPENDICES 36I Where to find model risk assessments in published texts 36

II Booklist 39

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TABLES

Table 1 Activities needing risk assessments 10

Table 2 Training for emergencies 11

Table 3 Extract from the National Curriculum for Science for England 16

Table 4 Questions for departments to consider when adding comments to texts in daily use 19

Table 5 Questions for class teachers to think about when planning a lesson 19

Table 6 Technician activities likely to require risk assessment 32

Table 7 Risk assessments needed for lifting and carrying 33

Table 8 Where to find model assessments in published texts 36

Table 9 Publications for model risk assessments in science 39

Table 10 Publications for health & safety management and laboratory design 41

Table 11 Publications for model risk assessments in other subjects 42

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L196 Managing Risk Assessment in Science

Part A IntroductionThe level of detail in a risk assessment should be proportionate to the risk. … insignificant risks canusually be ignored as can risks arising from routine activities associated with life in general … .1

Trivial risks can be ignored altogether.2

1. About this guide and how to use itThis guide was first issued in 1992 and revised in 1997 to reflect new legislation requiring risk assessments andwhat had been learnt about using them in school science. In 1992, CLEAPSS asked the then Education NationalInterest Group of the HSE for guidance on a practicable approach to risk assessments in school science. In response,the names of a few schools were suggested with whose approaches the HSE was generally satisfied. The 1992edition attempted to publicise these approaches, as recommended in Part B. The 1997 edition updated the referencesto further legislation, added guidance on risk assessment for technician activities and included further examples. Adraft was sent to the HSE for its comment.

This new, 2005, edition does not present major changes. Mostly, it updates and reinterprets legislation and addsfurther examples. Some sections have been rewritten or reorganised to clarify the intended meaning in the light ofcalls to the CLEAPSS Helpline and/or discussion on CLEAPSS courses. The guidance also takes account ofrecent court cases. We received the following comment from the HSE on this new edition.

It contains a wealth of practical and common-sense advice coupled to examples of good and bad practice. It alsoprovides comprehensive reference to other authoritative guidance, codes of practice, standards and the underpinninglegislation. In both these areas it is fully in tune with HSE’s current emphasis ...:

i) [on] sensible risk assessment, sensibly applied, ie, that where the benefits of an activity are clear, the associatedrisks should be properly recognised and managed for the realisation of those benefits. Risk assessment /management is definitely not about creating a ‘risk-free’ learning environment even supposing that attaining sucha situation was possible;

ii) that effective and targeted use of existing good practice (‘generic risk assessments’) can be relied upon in mostcircumstances to provide adequate standards for satisfactory risk control and protection. But .... this goodpractice needs to be adopted and adapted in full knowledge of the local situation and context.

DK (HSE Public Services Programme)

Part A of this guide is intended to give an overview of risk assessment. It outlines what the law requires and definesthe terms used. It present a simple approach based on the use of Model (General, Generic) Risk Assessments. Itdiscusses the relative roles of employers and employees and quotes from official guidance.

Part B gives a step-by-step approach to setting up a system of risk assessment for science lessons. It discusses inturn each of the factors to take into account, including the nature of the activity and the nature of the class. Itdiscusses the role of the individual teacher in relation to whole department policies.

Part C discusses a range of examples, good and bad, of risk assessments from schools and colleges.

Part D raises the issue of risk assessments for activities of technicians in and around the prep room and for otherswho may be affected.

The Appendices give guidance on where to find detailed help for specific activities in CLEAPSS and other public-ations and also an extensive Bibliography.

1 Management of Health and Safety at Work Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, 2000, (HSC, HSE Books), p6 para

13 (a); for details, see Table 10.2 Managing Health and Safety in Schools, 1995, (ESAC, HSE Books); for details, see Table 10.

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2. Why risk assessments are neededA risk assessment3 is:

• an analysis of a practical activity made in order to identify hazards3 and to take steps to minimise the risk ofharm occurring; and

• the conclusions (usually written down) of such an analysis.

School science teachers, the technicians who assist them and the authors of practical science texts have alwaysassessed risks. The evidence for this is the very low percentage of serious accidents occurring over the years inschool science4.

However, since 1989, risk assessment has been required by law, initially by the Control of Substances Hazardous toHealth (COSHH) Regulations but now by several sets of legislation, including the Management of Health andSafety at Work Regulations, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR), the Ionis-ing Radiations Regulations, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations and the Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) Regulations. All of these come under the umbrella of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act. However, from apractical point of view, it matters little under which regulations a risk assessment is to be carried out, so that therequirement can be summed up as follows.

A risk assessment is needed for any activity in which there is a significant hazard, whethercarried out by pupils, teachers or technicians.

3. A simple approach to risk assessment for scienceA risk assessment is nothing more than a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm topeople. … Don’t be over-complicated.5

Based on HSE advice, we recommend that employers adopt the following strategy. If employers fail to giveadequate guidance, we suggest that schools should still follow this advice as far as possible. You will be doing whatmost schools do, what most employers encourage and what the HSE has suggested.

Adopt various standard publications to provide Model Risk Assessments3. Eg, CLEAPSSHazcards, Recipe Cards, the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook and the DfEE's Safety in ScienceEducation6.

For a curriculum activity, instruct local managers (heads of science) to review the Model RiskAssessments in these publications and to consider if adaptation is necessary for local conditions.They should normally give references to the Model Risk Assessment, and to any adaptation, and berecorded on texts in daily use3, with appropriate warnings.

Instruct local managers that, if a Model Risk Assessment for an activity cannot be found in a standardpublication, then a Special Risk Assessment must be obtained, following the procedures in section12.1.

For non-curriculum activities (eg, technician work), instruct local managers to adopt proceduresbased on advice in Part D. The general approach should be recorded in departmental health & safetypolicies and details for specific activities may need to be recorded on texts in daily use3, withappropriate warnings.

Provide training for local managers to support these instructions. Employers and their managers should check periodically that instructions are being followed (ie,

monitor implementation).

3 See section 4, Definitions.4 For example, HSE yearly statistics for school pupils show that a little over 2% of accidents reported under the Reporting of

Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 occur in laboratories; over 60% occur during games andPE. However, even this figure overestimates the accident rate in science because, as a result of a quirk of the reportingsystem, over half of these result in no significant injury.

5 Five Steps to Risk Assessment, 1998, (HSE, HSE Books); for details, see Table 10.6 See Tables 9, 10, 11 for details of these and other publications.

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4. DefinitionsHazard and risk The HSE has defined:

• a hazard as something with the potential to cause harm, including ill health and injury, to persons or tocause damage to property, equipment etc;

• a risk as the likelihood of a hazard causing harm in practice.

Risk, according to the Management Regulations ACOP7, depends on:• the likelihood of something going wrong;

• the severity of any injury; and

• the number of people involved.

The use of these terms can be clarified by examples.

Test tubes, tripods, etc are often heated in school science. These hot objects present a hazard in that they have thepotential to cause burns. As the burns are small and heal quickly, the severity of injury is minor, but they affect anumber of pupils and so there is a small but significant risk. Electric shock from faulty equipment powered bymains electricity is a hazard as it could result in death. However, with properly-designed and maintained equip-ment, even though the severity of harm would be high, the risk is insignificant and so electrical equipment isused but inspected regularly to ensure that it is safe.

To take another example, concentrated sulfuric acid is classified as CORROSIVE: because it can cause burns, itpresents a hazard. If a 500 cm3 bottle is locked in a chemical store, the risk is slight, even though the severity ofinjury would be considerable. Left out in a room used by students, the risk becomes significant, the leveldepending on the experience and responsibility of the students and on the degree of supervision.

Risk AssessmentThe term ‘risk assessment’ has a range of related meanings, both in official texts and elsewhere, reflecting thegeneral usage of the word ‘assessment’. Usually it is clear from the context which meaning is implied but some ofits meanings are described below.

• A process A risk assessment is an analysis of a practical activity made in order to identify hazards and totake steps to minimise the risk of harm occurring. While the main analysis must be carried out before theactivity is undertaken, thinking should continue; a teacher or technician should closely observe anyhazardous activity and modify it if the risk is becoming unacceptable.

• A conclusion The process of assessing risks leads to a conclusion, eg, that a particular activity can safely beundertaken by a class in a particular way with certain precautions etc. The phrase ‘risk assessment’ is oftenapplied to this conclusion, eg, when it is said that ‘Risk assessments need to be reviewed regularly’.

In school science, the term ‘risk assessment’ can be used for any one of a series of conclusions:

- a Model Risk Assessment printed in a safety text;

- a Special Risk Assessment made by an outside body, eg, CLEAPSS, at the request of the schoolto cover an unusual activity;

- an adaptation of these made by a science department to fit local conditions;

- a modification of this departmental adaptation made by a particular teacher for his or her class ona particular day in a particular room.

• A statement in writing ‘Risk Assessment’ is the term applied to the model risk assessments in health &safety texts and to the restrictions, warnings and references in texts in daily use etc.

Sometimes people talk about ‘COSHH Assessments’. Presumably this is meant to imply a risk assessment made tocomply with the COSHH Regulations. However, most situations which arise in school science will also require riskassessments under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and DSEAR; hence the wider term‘Risk Assessment’ is much more useful.

7 Management of Health and Safety at Work Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, 2000, (HSC, HSE Books), p6 para

11 (a); for details, see Table 10.

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Model Risk AssessmentAlso called a ‘general’ or ‘generic’ assessment, the term ‘model (risk) assessment’ refers to an assessment made fora number of workplaces where similar activities are undertaken. Thus published school health & safety texts, eg,CLEAPSS Hazcards are model risk assessments.

Texts in daily use (point-of-use texts)Most schools have documents used day to day in a department to guide the teachers and technicians on what istaught and the equipment to be used. They are the documents that would be given to a new teacher (including asupply teacher) who said: “I am teaching in your school tomorrow. How do I find out what to teach and with whatresources?”.

Examples are: schemes of work, lesson plans, student worksheets, teachers’ guides, technicians’ notes, etc. In thisguide, these are referred to as ‘texts in daily use’ although, in the previous edition, we called them ‘point-of-usetexts’.

5. Risk assessments and responsibilities

5.1 The responsibility of the employerThe law makes it clear that employers must undertake risk assessment as part of their general duty to ensure, sofar as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees and others in the workplace. ‘Theemployer’ is the body with whom employees have contracts of employment, that is an education authority for mostschools (ie, community and voluntary-controlled schools) and the governors for foundation and voluntary-aidedschools, incorporated colleges and academies. For independent schools, it may be the governors, the proprietor or atrust.

Almost all education authorities have adopted the recommendations in Part B of this guide. In independentestablishments (independent, foundation and voluntary-aided schools, academies and incorporated colleges), theemployer usually gives much less guidance. The employer relies on the head of the science department to establishand maintain a safe system of working, including a procedure for risk assessments. In such circumstances, manyheads of science follow the policy in Part B. However, outside consultants employed by some of these establish-ments may recommend the use of forms; the relative merits of the two methods of recording are discussed in theextract from the DfEE's Safety in Science Education on p. 6. See also Example 10 in Part C.

While employers can delegate to employees the function of setting up a system of assessing risks based on modelrisk assessments, they have a duty to check that the function is carried out. Legislation also requires the provision ofinstruction and training in health & safety matters, including in the setting up and use of risk assessments. Theextent of this training has varied greatly and it is apparent that the best-established use of risk assessments is in theschools of those authorities in which heads of science meet regularly and in which there has been training backed upby regular reminders. (CLEAPSS can provide such training for its members.)

A few years ago there was a prosecution of a school (which at the time was grant-maintained), after a chemicaldemonstration on an open evening led to an explosion. The HSE referred to the failure of management to train staffin how to conduct risk assessments and to the lack of systems for monitoring or checking that health & safety issueshad been addressed.

5.2 The responsibility of the employeeEmployees are required by law to look after their own health & safety and that of others and to cooperate with theiremployer on such matters. They should carry out their activities in accordance with the training and instructionprovided by their employer, including the procedures for risk assessments. The importance of this was highlightedby another prosecution, this time of a teacher for failing to follow what were, in effect, the recommendations of PartB, as instructed by his employer. His employer had provided Hazcards and other guidance - he had failed to followthat guidance.

Experience shows that many science departments have responded positively to the procedures advocated in Part B,regarding them as a need to formalise what they were doing already and as an encouragement to continue to keephealth & safety well ‘up front’. The form-filling exercises proposed by some safety specialists have not been fav-ourably received in some schools.

Equally, however, schools that think that by having a set of Hazcards on the shelf, or perhaps that by making a notein the scheme of work “See Hazcard 98” they are doing all that is necessary, are deluding themselves.

If schools base their teaching on a scheme produced by a commercial publisher they may be tempted to assume thatan assessment of risks has been done. This is not a safe assumption. Whilst the more-responsible publishers mayhave a safety check carried out on a scheme prior to publication, schools cannot rely on this having been done at all,or having been done competently, and in any case the employer may have quite specific requirements.

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Employees must inform their employer of what they consider, in the light of the training and instruction they havereceived, to be serious failures in health & safety arrangements and to be serious risks, eg, the failure of a fumecupboard.

Whatever is written in this guide, teachers and technicians must cooperate with their employer's arrange-ments for risk assessment (though these can be challenged if thought to be unreasonable).

6. Official guidanceThis guide closely follows DfEE guidance given in Safety in Science Education. (It should be noted that the Health& Safety Executive (HSE) was represented on the steering committee of this publication.) Some consultants andlocal authority officers advocate the recording of risk assessments on special forms. This appears to work in somecolleges and, perhaps, in some subject departments where there are relatively few hazards but most school sciencedepartments have found it impracticable. Support is given to the ‘safety information on texts in daily use approach’by the DfEE's Safety in Science Education; see the box on the next page.

The Health & Safety Commission gives useful recommendations, notably in the Management of Health and Safetyat Work Approved Code of Practice and Guidance8.

The Health & Safety Commission states that:There are no fixed rules about how a risk assessment should be carried out ....9

Also, the HSC refers to the use of ‘model’ risk assessments:Employers who control a number of similar workplaces containing similar activities may produce a ‘model’risk assessment reflecting the core hazards and risks associated with these activities. ‘Model’ assessmentsmay also be developed by trade associations, employers' bodies or other organisations concerned with aparticular activity.10

In this context, CLEAPSS would be considered as an employers’ body and the ASE and the DfES (and itspredecessors) as ‘other organisations concerned with a particular activity’.

The Approved Code of Practice goes on to state that:… employers or managers at each workplace [need to] satisfy themselves that the model assessment isappropriate to their type of work; and

adapt the model to the detail of their own actual work situations, including any extension necessary to coverhazards not referred to in the model.

The HSC also requires11 thatemployers … must record the significant findings of risk assessment.

What is appropriate to record will be covered in detail later but employers need to be able to demonstrate to aninspector or health & safety representative that:

a suitable and sufficient risk assessment [has been] made12,

and also that they:review the risk assessment if developments suggest that it may no longer be valid or can be improved13.

From time to time, CLEAPSS publishes accounts of accidents and near-misses in its termly Bulletin. These couldact as a trigger for departmental discussion leading to the possible revision of risk assessments.

The HSE also operates a web site COSHH Essentials14 which is intended to help ‘small employers’ carry out therisk-assessment process. Whilst this may well be useful for the small number of chemicals used in well-definedprocesses elsewhere in the school (eg, by cleaners or caretakers), CLEAPSS feels it would be unwieldy in thescience education context where many hundreds of different chemicals are used in many different ways and wherethe quantities are normally very tiny. In any case, the web site would only address COSHH-related issues, therebyignoring many of the chemicals which actually cause problems in school science, not to mention all the potentialnon-chemical problems.

8 Management of Health and Safety at Work Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, 2000, (HSC, HSE Books); for details,

see Table 10.9 The same publication, p8 para 15.10 The same publication, p8 para 17.11 The same publication, p10 para 23.12 The same publication, p6 para 13.13 The same publication, p11 para 26.14 www.coshh-essentials.org.uk/

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Recording Risk Assessments(Reprinted with permission from the DfEE's Safety in Science Education15, pages 15-16)

It is a legal requirement to record the significant findings of risk assessments. HSE Inspectorsmay ask for evidence of how a particular science department has responded to generalassessments printed in published texts.

While some employers require the completion of a printed form, this approach may havedisadvantages - see below. However, most employers ask school staff to incorporate riskassessments into the materials normally used in teaching, such as schemes of work, lessonplans or worksheets.

Risk assessment formsCompleting assessment forms which have been well designed to fit school science activitiesfulfils legal requirements; they demonstrate that general assessments have been consultedand that thought has been given in the department about risk reduction.

However, it is difficult to justify the time taken, because these forms may do little once comp-leted to remind staff of hazards and how risks can be reduced. Their completion may involveonly a few staff and, because they are separate from the main texts used daily in scienceteaching, there is a risk that they will remain in a filing cabinet and not be consulted regularly.In addition, they are likely not to be modified when an activity is changed.

Risk assessments on texts used every dayOne approach for recording Risk Assessments is to annotate documents which are used dailyin the science department. The information will be derived from the general assessments stip-ulated by the employer but will need adaptation for the circumstances of a particulardepartment and/or class; it will include appropriate hazard warnings, substitutions, restrictionsand precautions.

Texts which can be annotated include schemes of work, lesson plans, worksheets and textbooks. Annotation of these documents has advantages:

• because these risk assessments are on documents used daily to guide activities, thereis a better chance that they will be read and followed;

• the assessments are more likely to be modified when the activities have to be modified;• because this way of presenting risk assessments uses existing structures, they will fit

more easily into science department thinking, be less demanding to accomplish and somore likely to be carried out; and

• it will be easier for employers or HSE inspectors to relate risk assessments in this formto actual practice because they will be part of the texts used for guidance and out on thebench with the equipment.

This approach is equally suitable for non-chemical hazards. It encourages the view that safetydepends on the design of an activity, on the equipment, quantities, timing and so on, and isnot something to be considered later. It refers staff back to general assessments which havebeen made by specialists who understand the significance of exposure limits, voltage limitsand risks associated with micro-organisms.

15 Safety in Science Education is on the ASE web site, www.ase.org.uk. The original document is on the public part of the site

but some updated sections are on the members-only part. The extract printed here had not been updated at the time ofwriting.

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Part B Risk assessment for science lessons

7. SummaryThe main advice in this guide is that warnings from model risk assessments should be adapted to suit an establish-ment and then written into texts in daily use such as schemes of work, lesson plans, instructions for teachers andtechnicians, pupil worksheets etc. This advice is summarised below.

HOW TO WRITE WARNINGS FROM MODEL RISK ASSESSMENTS INTO TEXTS IN DAILY USE

Identify hazards - from your own experience or guidance in Tables 1, 6, 7 and 8, health & safety texts etc.

Understand the hazards - consult model risk assessments in published health & safety texts.

Ask yourself the following questions (some of these will have been answered for you by those compiling the modelrisk assessments).

• Is the activity really worth doing? Should it be carried out by pupils of a particular age? Would a teacher or technician needspecific training? Consult CLEAPSS Hazcards, Laboratory Handbook or DfEE Safety in Science Education.

• Should substitutes be found or changes made? Eg, for a hazardous chemical, is there a less-hazardous alternative? Canit be used in smaller quantities or at greater dilution? Can thinner wires be used so that lighter masses can be used tostretch them? Is a lower voltage possible? Can the bacterial culture be incubated at a lower temperature or a saferspecies used? Consult model risk assessments.

• What safety equipment should be used? Eye protection (what sort?), fume cupboard, gloves (what type?), safety screensetc.

• What are the emergency procedures if there is an accident? Should any reminders be written on schemes of work orlesson plans? Should any equipment be to hand, eg, a fire blanket? Are there any rooms in which this activity would beinappropriate or unsafe?

• Is the room so overcrowded that this practical work could be unsafe? Do behavioural problems with this class make theactivity inappropriate? Has the teacher the necessary experience and / or training?

• Can risks be minimised by the way practical resources are distributed? Are the instructions to technicians clear on quant-ities, concentrations etc? (Do NOT rely on authors / publishers giving useful or correct information.) Can health & safetybe increased by measuring out hazardous chemicals in advance, pre-setting voltages etc?

• Are there any risks for technicians preparing the lesson, clearing it up or disposing of wastes? What instructions should begiven to teachers to minimise these? What warnings to technicians?

Write your decisions in the most relevant place, where people will read it.

What to write in the science depart-ment health and safety policy

The texts to be consulted for model risk assessments should be listed with the proced-ures adopted on adaptation, on marking texts in daily use, the need for staff to followrisk assessments, what to do if a model risk assessment cannot be found etc. Staff withthe functions of adapting risk assessments, marking texts etc should be named.

What to write in schemes of work,lesson plans, instructions to tech-nicians etc

Warnings could include the need to look up references (unless the relevant informationis reproduced), consult other staff about hazards and to try out particular activities inadvance. Also, hazard classifications, concentrations, quantities, precautions. Warningsto pass on to students, either routine reminders or something very specific to the lesson.Any restrictions on class, room or teacher use. Instructions for technicians shouldinclude warnings about preparation and clearing up after practical work.

What to write on pupil worksheetsand/or text books

Hazard classifications, concentrations, quantities, precautions. (For younger students,obviously these will need to be expressed very differently from the model risk assess-ments.)

For the reasoning behind this advice see Part A, sections 1 - 6 (pages 1 - 6)For details of how to apply it see Parts B, C, D, sections 7 - 16 (pages 7 - 35)For where to find detailed advice see Appendices I and II (pages 36 - 42)

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8. Setting up a procedure for assessing risksThere are no fixed rules about how a Risk Assessment should be carried out ....16.

This section suggests the process a head of science might follow in setting up a procedure for risk assessments17 inhis/her department. The steps are summarised in the box below.

• The employer adopts various national publications as Model Risk Assessments (see section 8.3).

• The science department reviews its courses against the Model Risk Assessments, adding to these or adapting asnecessary to local circumstances. Health & safety warnings are incorporated into texts in daily use (see sections 9 - 10).

• Individual teachers review the health & safety warnings in the texts in daily use, again adding or adapting as necessaryin relation to the special circumstances of their classes or rooms. Note any significant changes in lessons plans, dailyplanners or equivalent (see section 11).

• Don’t forget risks to technicians and others (see part D, sections 15 and 16).

8.1 The employer's requirementsEmployees are obliged to cooperate with their employer on health & safety matters. Most LEA employers giveinstructions on risk assessments: usually that they should be based on the model risk assessments in specified health& safety texts and adapted by each school for its own conditions. Most employers of incorporated colleges,foundation and voluntary-aided schools, academies and independent schools give heads of science morefreedom but CLEAPSS advises them to adopt a similar policy (see Part A). Often, foundation and voluntary-aidedschools buy into LEA health & safety services anyway. However, it is not the intention of the HSE that schoolpractical work should be unduly inhibited by health & safety legislation and so employers should make itpossible for staff to show initiative, perhaps in consultation with CLEAPSS.

8.2 The science department's health & safety policyThe science department’s health & safety policy should make clear:

• that the department recognises that risk assessments are a legal requirement;• that evidence is required of the existence of a system of risk assessment in the department;• what the procedures for risk assessments in the department are;• how risk assessments are recorded;• which staff members will make warnings and references on texts in daily use, with any adaptations that local

conditions require;• that all staff must follow these procedures;• that implementation of risk assessment and other health & safety procedures will be monitored18.

Careful reading of this guide by two or three experienced teachers, followed by discussion, should enable them toprepare a draft departmental procedure with examples of warnings on schemes of work, worksheets etc, whichwould reflect adaptations for local conditions. Nevertheless a short course outside the school, where differentapproaches can be discussed and compared, is very useful and can provide reassurance; the CLEAPSS Managementof Safety courses19 cover this.

All science staff, including technicians, should be involved in discussion of this draft procedure as they are mostlikely to respect a policy if they have taken part in its formulation and do not feel it has been imposed. However, itis important that brief instruction be given to any staff not involved in the formulation of policy. This includes thoseteaching science part time, including ‘guests’ from other departments, newcomers (teachers and technicians), supplyteachers, teaching assistants, trainees and anyone employed as a ‘cover supervisor’ in the department.

Adoption of a procedure for risk assessment is a continuing process. Heads of science are advised to issue periodicreminders and need to monitor how the system is working.

A regular item on the agendas of departmental meetings provides an opportunity to raise briefly the issue of riskassessments, mainly to find out if any require amendment but also to remind staff of the need to observe them. The

16 Management of Health and Safety at Work Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, 2000, (HSC, HSE Books), p8 para

15; for details, see Table 10.17 See section 4, Definitions.18 Refer to PS30, Monitoring the Implementation of Science Safety Policies (on the CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-

ROM); for details see Table 10.19 See CLEAPSS website, www.cleapss.org.uk for a list of forthcoming courses, their dates and locations and the content of

the courses.

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health & safety policy should make it clear that although departures from the department's scheme of workmay be encouraged in the interests of developing stimulating and educationally-worthwhile activities, suchdepartures can only take place if an agreed risk-assessment procedure is followed; see section 12.1. Most ofthe (few) serious accidents in recent years have resulted from one-off activities, not part of the standard scheme ofwork and usually contrary to advice on CLEAPSS Hazcards or other model risk assessments. Often, the occasionhas been an open evening or after-school club. The health & safety policy must make it clear that risk assessmentprocedures apply equally in such situations and, indeed, there may well be additional risk factors.

8.3 Which health & safety texts are needed?Several health & safety texts providing model risk assessments are needed. These should be stipulated by theemployer but, if choice is left to the science department, the employer should formally approve it. Those mostcommonly used are listed below (for details see Table 9, Appendix II).

• CLEAPSS Hazcards®,• CLEAPSS Recipe Cards,• CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook,• ASE Topics in Safety,• DfEE Safety in Science Education,• SSERC Hazardous Chemicals CD2 and• ASE Safeguards in the School Laboratory.

All the above CLEAPSS publications and many others are on the CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM whichis updated annually. In principle, therefore, any CLEAPSS publication could be updated annually. The CD providesa simple facility to check for and print off any such updates. Experience will decide which health & safety public-ations are most useful for different groups of activities.

8.4 Health & safety information in textbooksA head of science will want to know if the health & safety warnings in textbooks or other published course mater-ials can be regarded as model risk assessments. Legally, the employer must decide but often the decision isdelegated to heads of science. Some textbooks give health & safety information which can be regarded as satisfact-ory; however, some are not reliable and it may be a problem to distinguish between the two categories. CLEAPSSand the ASE take great care to ensure that they give similar health & safety advice in their publications; thesebodies provided the authors for the early drafts of Safety in Science Education and so, again, the advice given in thispublication conforms to the general consensus. To be satisfactory as model risk assessments, the advice in publishedcourse materials must also conform.

CLEAPSS, ASE and SSERC (in Scotland) have jointly produced guidance for authors and publishers20. Many pub-lishers, especially the main curriculum-development projects, take it seriously but not all publishers can be reliedupon. Unfortunately, some very questionable advice has appeared even in recent publications.

An indication of the value of the health & safety advice in a textbook is its precision. If concentrations and quant-ities of chemicals and maximum voltages and pressures etc are advised, with precise health & safety warnings, thenthe advice is likely to be reliable. If these are omitted and the warnings are general and all-embracing, advice isunlikely to be adequate. At the beginning of the book, there should be a statement of its health & safety policy andwhat has been done to make the warnings conform to the consensus established by CLEAPSS and the ASE. A notethat a representative of either body has looked at the texts and checked for conformity makes it likely that thewarnings are acceptable. However, experience shows that the recommendations of these advisers are not alwaysfully incorporated into the published text. Therefore we advise that a school should always check that what is sugg-ested does indeed conform to the model risk assessments acceptable to the employer. In any case, a school stillneeds to consider what adaptation is necessary for its own particular situation.

8.5 Which activities need risk assessments?Staff setting up risk-assessment procedures will need to search through their department's scheme of work foractivities needing risk assessments. Suggested activities are outlined below, with a more-detailed list in Table 8(Appendix I). See also CLEAPSS guides L234, Induction and Training of Science Technicians and L238, Healthand Safety Induction and Training of Science Teachers, which both include detailed checklists of likely activities.

Each of these activities needs a model risk assessment. If one cannot be found, see section 12. A high proportion oflaboratory accidents are caused by slipping, tripping, dropping etc but it would be counter-productive to becontinually drawing attention to these with written warnings. Most of these sorts of issue can be summarised as aset of rules for pupils but merely posting these on the laboratory wall does little to encourage implementation.

20 Available for download on the public part of the CLEAPSS web site, www.cleapss.org.uk, as Health and Safety Checks on

Science Texts.

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Teachers need to be constantly alert, encouraging pupils verbally to keep bags and stools out of the way, floors dry,breakages reported, etc. Reminders are particularly appropriate at the start of the year; for example, students forgetthat tripods remain hot after use but remember also that many pupils join a class part way through the year. What isappropriate in a risk assessment depends on the age, experience and behaviour of the students.

Table 1 Activities needing risk assessments (for details see Tables 6, 7 and 8)

General Activities involving: centrifuges, flames, hot liquids, hot objects (eg, tripods), sharp instruments, voltages above 25 Vac / 40 V dc. Lifting and carrying heavy objects. Using tools.

Biology Activities involving: chemicals (see below); living or once-living materials, including animals (particularly insects, birdsand mammals), plants that could be poisonous or produce sensitisation, microorganisms and material from butchersor abattoirs; field work and other out-of-school activities; cheek-cell sampling; human body fluids including saliva,urine, blood; taste testing; electrophoresis involving voltages over 25 V ac / 40 V dc; hazardous equipment includingautoclaves, sphygmomanometers and spirometers.

Chemistry Activities involving chemicals which are classified as (VERY) TOXIC, HARMFUL, CORROSIVE, IRRITANT, (HIGHLY / EXTREMELY)FLAMMABLE, EXPLOSIVE or OXIDISING or have a Workplace Exposure Limit. Also electrophoresis involving voltages over25 V ac / 40 V dc, exothermic reactions, generation of gases in closed vessels, processes in which material may beejected, activities where glassware may be broken, etc.

Physics Activities involving chemicals (see just above), air guns, electron and gas-discharge tubes [eg, some Teltron tubesbecause of the use of HT (high-tension) units], ionising radiations, large masses, lasers, lifting beams and hoists,model power lines, pressures (high, vacuum), steam engines, stroboscopes, the Sun (care in viewing), wires andplastic monofilaments under tension etc.

Studentinvestigations

Although risk assessments should be part of student planning (as they are required by the Programme of Study ofthe1999 National Curriculum for England and its equivalent in Wales and Northern Ireland), staff control is essential.

Personal protectiveequipment

Risk assessments are needed to decide when PPE should be used and the type that is appropriate. However, modelrisk assessments will advise.

Prep room Preparing solutions, disposal of chemicals or sharps, storage, using ladders, moving equipment or chemicals up anddown stairs or along crowded corridors, moving heavy or hazardous items, soldering, working alone, handling living oronce-living organisms, especially microorganisms.

8.6 AdaptationOfficial guidance requires that, before model risk assessments are adopted for use in a particular workplace, they areadapted to suit the local conditions: size of rooms and their ventilation, class size and behaviour, the apparatusavailable etc. In other words, risk assessments need to be ‘customised’. The points to be considered in makingadaptations are discussed in section 10; here we discuss who should do the adaptation.

Risk assessments are for activities: that is, not directly for chemicals, microorganisms or high-voltage supplies etcbut for practical activities using these (including storage, dispensing or carrying). Therefore, the person adapting amodel risk assessment for local circumstances should be a member of staff who is familiar with the activity. Forclassroom activities, this will almost certainly be a teacher, preferably an experienced one. While a technician mightbe asked to find an appropriate model risk assessment and to give advice, for curriculum activities the head ofscience is advised to choose experienced teachers to adapt model risk assessments for local use, perhaps dividingthe work according to subject specialism. On the other hand, for activities in and around the prep room, a technic-ian, preferably an experienced one, is likely to be the best person.

8.7 Review of risk assessmentsA risk assessment should not be regarded as permanent. It needs to be reviewed whenever:

• experience, eg, an accident or near-accident, suggests that it is inadequate;• an instruction is received from the employer (most likely in LEA schools) or a warning is published by

CLEAPSS or the ASE;• conditions change - different apparatus, larger or more unruly classes, pupils with special educational needs

or for whom English is not the first language, less-experienced teachers, a new technician, etc;• the course as a whole is being reviewed.

It is sensible if the opportunity for discussion of risk assessments is a regular item on the agenda of science depart-ment meetings. Problems can then be reported and risk assessments amended if necessary. Technicians and part-time staff should be present at least for this item. However, other items on the agenda may also have health & safetyimplications.

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8.8 Training for staffThe need for all science staff to be instructed in the risk-assessment procedures of the department has beenmentioned.

It may be useful to have guidance on good practice for teachers, for example the following.

Teachers should:• carry out demonstrations with pupils at a safe distance (2 - 3 m);• insist that pupils are standing up when they carry out practical work involving heating or hazardous chem-

icals;• set a good example by wearing eye protection themselves whenever the risk assessment requires it;• be vigilant in enforcing any necessary health & safety precautions - they cannot rely on simply having told

pupils at the start of the lesson;• explain (or demonstrate) to pupils why various health & safety precautions are needed.

Staff also need instruction in emergency procedures; these are outlined in Table 221. Brief in-house training canbe devised but periodic reminders are also important. Technicians and part-time staff must be included.

Table 2 Training for emergencies

Emergency CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook

Handling spills, including those which emit noxious vapours. Section 7.7

Dealing with fires, including small bench fires or people on fire. Section 4.1

Evacuation procedures. Whole-school

Switching off gas and electricity in all science rooms. Section 2.2.3

Immediate remedial measures, the simple but vital measures to be taken after an injury but beforean appointed first-alder arrives.

Section 5.2

For inexperienced staff, a risk assessment may indicate the need for teachers to be familiar with special hazards. Insuch cases, an experienced teacher (or technician) may need to give brief instructions or hands-on training: eg, to ateacher about to use a 350 V, 150 mA supply (ie, not an EHT supply, the current of which is limited to 5 mA). Thiswill be especially necessary for those with unusual qualifications. See the CLEAPSS guide L238 Health and SafetyInduction and Training of Science Teachers. External courses can be useful for major topics such as microbiologyand for chemistry for non-specialists but much can be achieved in-house.

The texts in daily use may well include comments such as “Only to be carried out by those who have had hands-ontraining” or “To be issued only to teachers on the approved list”.

8.9 Personal protective equipmentThe use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the last line of defence in risk assessment. The use of more-dilute solutions, fume cupboards, safety screens, etc is always the preferred option, although older pupils on more-advanced courses will clearly need a range of experiences. The type of PPE to be used needs to be considered aspart of the risk assessment. When chemicals classed as CORROSIVE or TOXIC are used, goggles giving chemicalsplash protection will usually be necessary. For other work with chemicals, safety spectacles are usually adequate.See also the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook section 3.2.

9. Using model risk assessmentsThose adapting risk assessments to suit a department’s conditions, and those using them, need to be aware of aseries of questions that those compiling model risk assessments are likely to have asked themselves.

9.1 Is there a hazard in this activity?Risk assessments are explicitly required by the COSHH Regulations for activities using: substances classified asVERY TOXIC, TOXIC, CORROSIVE, HARMFUL or IRRITANT or having a Workplace Exposure Limit (see CLEAPSSLaboratory Handbook, section 7); pathogenic microorganisms or cultures of safer microorganisms which may havebecome contaminated and dusts in substantial concentrations. For the purpose of the Management Regulations,compilers of model risk assessments will consider other activities (eg, involving HIGHLY FLAMMABLES, high volt-ages, etc) as hazardous, from experience, both personal and based on reports from educational establishments overmany years. 21 Health and safety training materials can be found in Safe and Exciting Science. An INSET Pack (ASE, 1999). For details see

Table 10.

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It is worth emphasising that where quantities are given on model risk assessments, especially Hazcards, these areNOT arbitrary amounts. For example, they take into account the amount of toxic gas which could be safely releasedinto a laboratory, knowing the Workplace Exposure Limit and making various assumptions about the size of thelaboratory, ventilation and the number of pupils, and hence whether a fume cupboard is necessary.

9.2 Is the activity worth doing?Does it make an educational point (including, of course, ‘awe and wonder’) effectively? If the answer is “Yes”, thenfind a safe way of doing it. It would also be a sad day for science education if a school justified not doing an activity“Because it’s not in the National Curriculum”.

9.3 Is it advisable to perform the activity at the level / age of a particular class?Suggested levels for different activities carried out by pupils are given in Part B of Safety in Science Education oron the backs of Hazcards. The compiler has to make assumptions concerning the likely experience and behaviour ofstudents in each year of the National Curriculum. In practice, these will vary from school to school and so the levelat which an activity is undertaken is likely to be subject to local adaptation. (Note that in most model risk assess-ments, the year notation used in England and Wales is given. Schools in Northern Ireland need to add one to obtaintheir equivalent year group. Thus Y8 becomes Northern Ireland Y9, sometimes abbreviated to N9.)

A surprising number of serious accidents happen during open evenings. Conditions are very different to ordinarylessons. Model risk assessments will require major adaptation, if indeed an activity is considered possible at all.Substantial modification will also be needed if primary-school pupils visit the secondary school for taster lessons, orif secondary teachers take practical activities into local primary schools. See the CLEAPSS leaflet PS58, Openevenings and primary school liaison (on the CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM).

9.4 Can a substitution or other change be made to make this activity safer?If the substances to be used or produced are TOXIC or CORROSIVE, can substitutes be found or changes made? Forexample, in the preparation of nylon, cyclohexane should be used in place of trichloroethane. (Chemical substitut-ions are suggested on Hazcards, the CLEAPSS guide L195, Safer Chemicals, Safer Reactions and other health &safety texts.) If a microorganism is to be examined under the microscope, a pure culture of a non-pathogen shouldbe used rather than a culture from soil or pond water. If cotton buds are used for sampling cheek cells rather thanwooden tongue depressors, the risk of drawing blood is minimal.

However, it is not always necessary to replace to make activities safer. One method of making the power-linesdemonstration safer is to use lower voltages. Less-concentrated reagents should be used where possible. Benchreagents at a concentration of 2 mol dm-3 are a relic of qualitative analysis and could be more dilute, saving moneyand making them safer as well; sodium hydroxide solution at 0.4 mol dm-3 is much less likely to cause severedamage to the eyes. A list of suitable concentrations for most reagents used in school science will be found insection 2 of the CLEAPSS guide L195, Safer Chemicals, Safer Reactions.

9.5 What safety equipment should be used?Fume cupboards should be used whenever there is a serious risk from fumes; Safety in Science Education,Hazcards, the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook and Recipe Cards all indicate such operations. Safety screens arerequired for operations where there might be an explosion or implosion, eg, certain demonstrations in chemistry andvacuum work in physics. If such protection is necessary, then both pupils and teachers need protection, ie, at leasttwo screens are needed (preferably three).

Sometimes the means to increase safety can be very simple; eg, a carton containing packing material placed on thefloor beneath hanging masses will keep feet away and protect the floor.

Eye protection should be required whenever eyes are at risk and certainly whenever any chemical classified ashazardous is used. The type of protection should be subject to risk assessment. Generally, CLEAPSS considers thatTOXIC and CORROSIVE chemicals require goggles (or even face shields if large quantities are handled) while, forthose classed as HARMFUL or IRRITANT, suitable safety spectacles are adequate. Similarly, heating activities giverise to greater risks than the use of cold solutions of the same substances. Again model risk assessments give guid-ance. Pupils who are visually impaired (and thus may work closer to the equipment), or who have motor difficulties,may need the protection of face shields for all work with hazardous chemicals.

9.6 Is control of a hazard covered by good laboratory practice?Learning good laboratory practice is essential for safety (see CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook, section 13.1). Forexample, students should learn to stand when manipulating hazardous liquids, so that they can move quickly out ofthe way in case of a spill. The question arises: should this be part of a model risk assessment? In many cases, suchbasic precautions will be listed as laboratory rules, ie, the outcome of a risk assessment for general laboratoryactivities. A sensible policy with less-experienced pupils is to consider such precautions as part of the risk assess-ment for a particular lesson. As pupils gain experience, the precautions would be considered to be part of goodpractice, of course still needing to be reinforced with spoken warnings, but indicated on the worksheet or practical

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text only when there was a significant hazard, eg, because a liquid being heated was CORROSIVE. The way in whichgood practice takes care of minor hazards is compatible with HSE advice that risk assessments should not beobscured by excessive information.

9.7 How detailed should the risk assessment be?The compiler needs to give enough detail to ensure health & safety, while recognising the scope of good laboratorypractice and respecting the professional judgement of science staff. At one extreme, the risk assessment for pre-paring a microbiological culture is a consideration of all the good practice needed to obtain reliable results safelyand so is long and detailed. At the other, it can be only a short warning (or warning label); eg, when using ultra-violet radiation to demonstrate the photo-electric effect, screen the lamp so that radiation does not reach the eyes.

10. How to adapt model risk assessments and keep records

10.1 IntroductionThe regulations requiring risk assessments and official guidance accompanying them make it clear that employersare expected to adapt model risk assessments to meet the conditions of each workplace. Of course, in many cases,no adaptation will be required but the necessity for adaptation must be considered. The task of adaptation is bestdelegated to the science departments in individual schools but training on risk assessment provided by the employershould give guidance on this. Heads of science should not hesitate to ask for advice from their employer or theCLEAPSS Helpline. As well as considering the points raised in this section, those making adaptations are advisedto be familiar with section 7 of this guide. Part C of this guide gives examples of schools’ risk assessments.

There is scope for debating how detailed a school’s records of the significant findings of risk assessment need to be.Sometimes, highlighting the precautions identified in the model risk assessment is all that is necessary. Sometimes,the best strategy may be to pick out key phrases from the model risk assessment and perhaps to present these as aset of bullet points. Although it will vary from school to school, many establishments in recent years have encount-ered staffing difficulties and sometimes employ people with less than ideal qualifications or experience. If in doubtwhen recording risk assessments, it is probably helpful to imagine that you are writing guidance for such inexper-ienced staff.

10.2 What factors need to be considered?In addition to comments about the hazard(s) and main control measures found on Hazcards or other model riskassessments, the following give examples of possible adaptations which might be needed for the department as awhole, or just for a particular class.

• Requiring that teachers previously have hands-on training in the more hazardous activities, provided bymore-experienced staff.

• Asking technicians to warn the head of department when less-experienced staff request particular activities.• Not using a particular laboratory with a low ceiling and poor ventilation for a class activity in which fumes

are emitted.• Restricting the activities which can take place with large classes in small laboratories.• Using an alternative containment procedure and/or very small scale of working if a fume cupboard is not

available.• Reducing quantities of chemicals, concentration of solutions, voltages, etc.• If a Hazcard specifies a ‘rice grain’ size, deciding if pupils can be relied on not to exceed this and, if not,

having it preweighed.• Changing the design of apparatus, perhaps because the specified equipment is not available. (TAKE CARE!

Recently an apparatus was devised to produce bubbles of hydrogen which were to be ignited. Fortunately,before it was assembled, a technician spotted that there might be a flash back to the hydrogen in the appar-atus, causing it to explode. CLEAPSS can advise on apparatus changes.)

• Making an activity a teacher demonstration, perhaps with student assistance, rather than a class activity(although several of the more-serious reported accidents in recent years have involved demonstrations).

• Carrying out an activity with a younger age group than that suggested in the model risk assessment (eg, inPart B of Safety in Science Education or on Hazcards).

• Allowing only the more responsible classes to carry out certain activities.• Allowing certain activities with some classes only if there is a teaching assistant or technician present to

provide support.• Using a computer simulation or a video instead of a practical activity.• Abandoning an activity altogether.

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Major factors affecting adaptations are student behaviour and teacher control; the rest of this section will discussinfluences on these.

10.3 Class size and laboratory sizeThere is no easy answer to teacher concerns that the recent tendency to increase class size is reducing safety. Moredetail on official guidance is given in the CLEAPSS leaflet PS9, Science Class Sizes, Laboratory Sizes and PossibleEffects on Safety. Briefly, there are no official limits to class size in England and Wales but some in NorthernIreland. The DfES does give guidance on laboratory size for new buildings but there are no legal standards.

Two ways in which large classes affect risk assessments need to be considered.

Overcrowding The proximity of many students working close to each other may in itself introduce a hazard. Thiswill depend on the number of students, the size of the room, the amount of bench space and the nature of theactivity.

Pupils need to move around the room during practical work. In a crowded room, this in itself may be hazardouswith a risk of tripping over stools, bags, etc.

There needs to be enough space so that, if something does go wrong, pupils are far enough apart to reduce thechance of injury. The nature of the activity is crucial: 50 listening to a chalk-and-talk lecture are not at much risk; acrowded A-level class may be able to titrate safely but not prepare organic compounds, unless students are usingmicroscale techniques. Young pupils are told not to point test tubes at each other but it is difficult to avoid this in apacked laboratory so that other precautions may need to be taken.

Changes of procedure can often improve health & safety: for example, using an electrically-heated water bath or hotwater from a kettle as the heat source instead of Bunsen burners when extracting chlorophyll from leaves. Pupilmovement can be reduced by the careful planning of equipment collection and return; for example, dynamics trolleyrunways could be distributed around the room by a few students while the remainder wait in the corridor. Providingpre-weighed quantities of solids may reduce movement. Activities which can be conducted safely only in largerrooms could be noted on schemes of work to alert teachers to the necessity of arranging a room swap.

Supervision With many students in a class, a teacher may find it difficult to supervise adequately what each is doingand to move quickly to prevent an accident. The risk here will depend upon the age, ability and, above all, thebehaviour of the students, as well as the nature of the activity. The presence of students with special needs or in theearly stages of learning English may add to the difficulties.

Much depends on the skill and experience of the teacher. For example, poor sight lines in a laboratory can makesupervision more difficult but an experienced teacher knows where to place those students requiring closestsupervision.

Some laboratories are badly designed (even modern ones). The layout of benches may make it difficult to reach thesite of a (potential) accident quickly.

It is important to remember that, although many of the (very few) serious accidents in school science occur duringteacher demonstrations, pupil misbehaviour is sometimes a cause and so supervision should not be relaxed.

If, because of either overcrowding or difficulty of supervision, the risks become unacceptably high and cannot bereduced by modifying the activity, then:

• a particular practical activity might have to be abandoned;• only part of a class might be able to carry out the activity at one time;• an activity might be carried out as a student-assisted teacher demonstration.

It is important that the problem is considered by the department as a whole and all members accept the same policy.It may be necessary to inform the head teacher that the delivery of the National Curriculum is having to be restrictedand that the school is failing to meet statutory requirements. On the other hand, there are much more severe penalt-ies for failing to implement health & safety legislation.

A similar policy may need to be adopted if there is a lack of eye protection, adequate ventilation, fume cupboards,etc.

10.4 Students with behavioural problemsAgain it is important that a science department has an agreed policy for preventing a few students with behaviouralproblems from making normal practical class activities unsafe or making it necessary to restrict them. Staff willneed to support each other in implementing it. An important factor is the number of such students: with a substantialnumber in one class, the risk assessment may require the postponement or abandonment of certain activities. Onestrategy may be to have a teaching assistant working with the most difficult pupils. A technician might superviseand help with the use of a balance. Another possibility is to exclude one or two students from particular activities,perhaps transferring them to the back of another class to do different work. The prep room should not become a ‘sinbin’ as the risk of theft or damage would be unacceptable. The head teacher should be informed; if s/he refuses to

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allow such exclusions, some activities may need to be abandoned altogether and the head informed of the cons-equent failure to deliver the National Curriculum.

At pupil referral units, at schools for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and at home and hospitalteaching units, the situation is very different. Hazcards and other standard health & safety texts can still provide abasic model risk assessment but much more adaptation will be needed. Policy decisions might be made, and record-ed, for example:

• not to allow students to handle anything classed as CORROSIVE or TOXIC;• not to use teat pipettes, droppers, etc;• to take only small bottles of reagents into teaching rooms;• to carry out heating operations only when teaching assistants are present;• to insist that all staff present wear eye protection as well as the teacher and students.

10.5 Students with special educational needsThe presence, in a class, of students with special educational needs can introduce particular hazards which need tobe considered when model risk assessments are adapted. There is a wide range of special needs, from emotionalproblems to motor disabilities, and the special support provided varies considerably from school to school andaccording to the types of need. Departmental policy will have to take account of each case individually. It may benecessary to treat emotionally-disturbed students as in section 10.4. Students with impaired vision or hearing orwith motor difficulties can often be supported by other members of their practical group, or by teaching assistants,but teachers then need to ensure that the pupil’s role does not become totally passive. Teaching assistants will needguidance on risk assessment. Adaptations of practice can sometimes be made: for example, pupils in wheel chairsmay need extra protection such as aprons when heating liquids; they and visually-impaired students may need towear face shields instead of safety spectacles if they work with their faces close to equipment. The CLEAPSS GuideL77, Science for secondary-aged pupils with special educational needs, makes other suggestions for students withsuch needs.

10.6 What to do if a model risk assessment cannot be foundIf a model risk assessment cannot be found in the standard health & safety texts, a risk assessment can often beadapted by comparison with similar model assessments. For example, a risk assessment for the small-scale electro-lysis of a solution of potassium bromide could be based on the Hazcard on Sodium salts, on which the electrolysisof sodium chloride solution is considered, and on the Hazcard for Bromine. If there is doubt, the CLEAPSSHelpline should be consulted to see if a special risk assessment is needed. Be warned, however, that special riskassessments often take many hours to research in the library, in the laboratory and on the internet. They need to bechecked by other colleagues. Hence a special risk assessment usually takes some days to prepare.

10.7 The need for recordsThere must be some evidence of risk assessments having been consulted; the law is quite clear. However, contraryto what some consultants seem to think, no particular method of providing this evidence is prescribed by law, andthere is little point in merely copying down that which already appears as a model assessment. In this section, theemphasis will be on giving warnings on texts in daily use (‘point-of-use texts’). By this is meant the documentsused day-to-day in a department to guide teachers and technicians on what is taught and the equipment to be used.

However, there should be other references to risk assessments in, for example:• the science department health & safety policy, see section 8.2;• notes or minutes of departmental meetings, which show the development of risk assessments and their

review and modification in the light of experience.

What is recorded on texts in daily use will depend on those a science department uses. Choosing the precisewarnings and deciding on where to record them is part of the adaptation expected by the HSE; it is best left to eachschool.

10.8 When and what to recordTables 6, 7 and 8 will indicate when there is a model risk assessment to be consulted and the findings of this to berecorded, possibly after adaptation. The examples in Part C suggest what is and is not appropriate to record.

11. The individual teacher in her/his classroom

11.1 Lesson preparationIn preparing for a lesson, teachers need to consider the safety warnings on texts in daily use (point-of-use texts),following up the references to model risk assessments and consulting more-experienced staff if this is required. The

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procedure for ordering the equipment from technicians also may draw attention to the appropriate risk assessments.In some schools, technicians are instructed not to issue equipment unless there is evidence that a risk assessment hasbeen consulted and considered.

11.2 Spoken and written warningsStaff sometimes ask if spoken warnings to pupils can be considered as a substitute for written warnings on work-sheets. There is no doubt that they are needed but it is better to consider them as an addition rather than a substitute.

Students need to learn to read worksheets and textbooks carefully and encouraging them to do this includes drawingattention to safety warnings. Further, such warnings can be considered part of the recording of the significant find-ings of risk assessment required by law and provide evidence that thinking about health & safety has taken place.The extent that spoken warnings are needed as well as written ones varies with the age of students. Younger pupilswill need continual reminders, for example, to wear eye protection, supported by sanctions. A-level students shouldneed only occasional warnings. Teachers and technicians must always set a good example.

11.3 Good practiceA teacher will need to consider what aspects of good practice need to be taught or reinforced during a lesson. Anaccount of good general laboratory practice is given in Safety in Science Education section 14 and, for the safehandling of chemicals, in the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook section 13.1.

11.4 Education about health & safetySchools often teach about health & safety. In a recent court case, the defence produced evidence that a week or twobefore an accident the class had carried out a ‘Spot-the-hazard’ activity, the injured pupil had been present andindeed had done a homework based on it. This was seen as part of the evidence that a risk assessment had takenplace and the judge directed the jury to find the school not guilty.

The National Curricula for Science in any case require that the risk assessments for activities undertaken by studentsshould be explained to them, as these extracts from the National Curriculum for England22 show. (Similar, but lessdetailed, statements appear in the National Curricula for Wales and Northern Ireland.)

Table 3 Extract from the National Curriculum for Science for EnglandKey Stage Programme of Study

3 Scientificenquiry

Pupils should be taught to:use a range of equipment and materials appropriately and take action to control risks to themselves andothers.

4 Scientificenquiry

Pupils should be taught to:use a wide range of equipment and materials appropriately and manage their working environment to ensurethe safety of themselves and others.

3 and 4 Breadth ofstudy

During the key stage, pupils should be taught to:recognise that there are hazards in living things, materials and physical processes, and assess risks and takeaction to reduce risks to themselves and others.

3 and 4 Over-archingrequirements

When working with tools, equipment and materials, in practical activities and in different environments, includ-ing those that are unfamiliar, pupils should be taught:(a) about hazard, risk and risk control;(b) to recognise hazards, assess consequent risks and take steps to control the risks to themselves and

others;(c) to use information to assess the immediate and cumulative risks;(d) to manage their environment to ensure the health & safety of themselves and others;(e) to explain the steps they take to control risks.

In order to teach these curricular requirements, students should be asked to suggest the hazards they expect to findin an activity and how risks can be reduced. Applied Science courses often have specific requirements about stud-ents drawing up risk assessments. Because most information sources are too complicated for students, CLEAPSShas produced Student Safety Sheets23 which can be used in various ways to teach health & safety.

11.5 The precautions which should be pointed out to the studentsOften students have to be told the precautions necessary, on their worksheets and orally several times. However,sometimes an activity is so designed that risks are minimised: for example, in some apparatus to demonstrate trans-mission lines, the 230 V wires are insulated. Why insulation is important for voltages above about 25 V ac should

22 The National Curriculum for England, DfEE / QCA, 1999. Available at www.nc.uk.net23 Student Safety Sheets, CLEAPSS, 1997 with additions in 2000, 2003, 2005; included on the CLEAPSS Science Public-

ations CD-ROM.

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be pointed out to the students. Bottles should be accurately labelled with the hazards of their contents. It would beironic if, with laboratory reagents made safer by being more dilute, students were not made aware of how corrosivesubstances can be, including some found in the home such as oven cleaner, quite a concentrated alkali. Discussingsafety precautions with students is part of meeting National Curriculum requirements in Key Stages 3 and 4; seesection 11.4. Learning how to handle safely hazardous chemicals which may be met at home is an important reasonfor all pupils to study science.

11.6 Reducing risks by careful distribution and collection of resourcesInstructions and apparatus lists for technicians must be clear and precise (see Part D). Although there are manyhighly-qualified technicians working in schools, there are some who start with little knowledge or experience.Teachers may not always be aware of their limitations. Hazards arise if voltages or concentrations are vague orincorrect or if the wrong resource (or wrong-sized resource) is supplied. Frequently-used instructions should havehazard warnings on them and one-off requests should be accompanied by warnings of any hazard which will not beobvious to a particular technician; discussion may be necessary to check this. Also, if instructions are clear, withhazards highlighted, an experienced technician can point out anything overlooked and suggest precautions.

Risks to students can be reduced by the way resources are prepared and set out. For example, the maximum voltageobtainable from low-voltage supplies can be preset, perhaps to prevent risk of overheating a resistor. If students areto use a corrosive alkaline solution, risks are reduced if each group is allowed only a small amount, measured out bya technician beforehand. A fire was started by a student putting a hot deflagrating spoon into a jar of magnesiumpowder; the usual practice in that school was for each group to be given a small amount of powder on a watch glassbut, on this occasion, the technician had insufficient time to prepare these. Instructions to set out resources in a part-icular way need to be considered in the risk assessment for the activity and discussed with the technician.

Risks are reduced if thought is given to the distribution and collection of resources. Students fiddle with equipmentdistributed too soon; unless controlled, they can rush to obtain it, perhaps jostling each other if several items are leftin one small tray. If a hazard can arise because two items are confused, it is preferable to clear one away before theother is made available. Activities must be limited to fit the time available so that teachers and students are notencouraged to rush to finish in time for the bell. This is part of good class management in that it is automatic for acompetent teacher but, where there are particular hazards, they need to be considered as part of the risk assessment,with reminders written on the lesson notes or scheme of work.

Pupils can be asked to weigh out, say, between 1.7 and 2.3 g of a reagent. This will be quicker than asking for 2 g.Pupils will waste time weighing precisely 2.00 g, to the frustration of those waiting in the queue for the balance andthe consequential deterioration in behaviour.

11.7 Avoiding leaving hazards for a technician clearing upPupils and teachers should, as a matter of good practice, rinse used glassware before stacking it but it would beunwise for technicians to rely on this. After being used for chemicals which are hazardous when concentrated, testtubes etc could be left in water, eg, in a water-filled plastic bowl. Glassware contaminated with saliva from tests onits amylase content should be deposited in a vessel containing a disinfectant24. Teachers should be careful to informthe technician of unexpected hazards: for example, a beaker left after a demonstration containing small fragments ofpotassium. Labels or notes may be appropriate if there may be no personal contact. Warnings should be given ifthere are hazards in disposing of used materials. The need for thought about apparatus and other resources left outafter a practical class is greater if another class, cleaners etc are expected to enter the laboratory before a technicianis able to clear it away.

11.8 Emergency procedures if there is an accidentAll science staff should be familiar with the few routine immediate remedial measures for washing eyes, putting outclothing on fire etc25,26 and also how to turn off the gas and electricity in all rooms in which science is taught. Briefreminders can be posted on the laboratory walls. A teacher about to conduct a class activity with chemicals shouldcheck the eye-washing facilities in the room to be used. If Bunsen burners are to be used, check on the fire-fightingequipment available. A very few activities require that a particular safety measure be at hand: for example, sand ifwhite phosphorus is to be burned. (Antidotes, such as solutions to be swallowed or vapours to be inhaled, shouldnot be used in school science as they usually cause more harm than good.)

24 See the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook, section 15.12.3.25 See the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook, section 5.2.1.26 There is a range of training activities in Safe and Exciting Science INSET Pack. ASE. 1999; see Table 9 for details.

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12. Departures from the department's risk assessments

12.1 Novel activities or activities conducted in a different waySometimes a staff member will want to try out a ‘new experiment’ or a new way of doing an old one and scienceeducation would be the poorer if this is not encouraged. However, departures from normal risk assessments requirecareful thought and consultation with colleagues with more knowledge and experience, including technicians; abrief note of the main points of the new risk assessment should be made on the lesson plan or some other convenientplace. If there is still doubt that a proposed activity is safe, the CLEAPSS Helpline should be consulted for aspecial risk assessment. Teachers should also carry out a careful risk assessment if they plan changes to the designof apparatus; see section 10.2.

In response to student questions or suggestions, teachers may want to devise or adapt experiments during a lesson.However, model risk assessments should be consulted and careful thought given. Some years ago an explosionoccurred when, to show that bromine water was acidic, water was added to a gas jar containing bromine; the teacherhad forgotten that previously sodium had been burned in that jar and was likely to have left fragments.

12.2 Projects and open-ended investigationsStudents should be asked to assess risks in their planning of any project or open-ended investigation, possibly withthe help of the CLEAPSS Student Safety Sheets, and to discuss health & safety among other aspects with theirteacher before starting work. Many departments will have a planning sheet for students to complete and there mustbe entries for health & safety issues. (The number of stages involved in choosing and planning before the investiga-tion starts and the number of times a student submits proposals for teacher comment will depend on the complexityof the project and the ability of the student.) Teachers should check these risk assessments carefully and alter theactivities until they are acceptable in comparison with model assessments. Technicians, who notice possible hazardsin the lists of equipment they are asked to provide, should be encouraged to report their doubts to the teachersconcerned; however, the responsibility for the health & safety of students must remain with the teachers supervisingthem. If doubts remain, staff should telephone the CLEAPSS Helpline, or, in some education authorities, scienceor health & safety advisory staff.

Students should not telephone CLEAPSS themselves. They lack the experience to present a succinct, accurate andcomprehensive account of their intentions and CLEAPSS cannot be familiar with local conditions. Only if the tech-nician or the teacher supervising the student telephones could any liability for a subsequent accident be attributed toCLEAPSS. In any case, we would be unsure whether our staff were doing students’ assignments for them and couldnot cope with the potential numbers involved.

13. The monitoring role of the head of departmentThere is no point in having risk-assessment procedures in place if these are largely ignored. One serious scienceaccident resulted in the prosecution of the school. The HSE inspector argued that, although the school had clearhealth & safety policies and clear procedures for risk assessment, nobody was implementing these and nobody waschecking whether anybody was implementing them. Heads of department, as middle managers, need to monitorwhat is going on and to take action accordingly.

A range of strategies can be used to monitor what is happening. These may include:• formal and informal lesson observation;• talking to teachers, technicians and pupils;• looking at paper or electronic documentation (lesson plans, requisition sheets, pupils’ books, etc).

These and other strategies are discussed more fully in the CLEAPSS leaflet PS30, Monitoring the Implementation ofScience Safety Policies. A record should be kept of any monitoring that does take place.

In some LEAs, the health & safety section may be willing to carry out an audit of the department (or school).Schools often buy into such services but then don’t use them.

Of course, monitoring may identify problems. Ignoring problems is tantamount to condoning bad practice. Encour-aging good practice through departmental meetings is a start. Informal discussions with individual staff may help. Inthe end, however, it may be necessary to give formal oral or written warnings. If so, senior management should beinvolved and careful records kept.

14. Risk assessment checklistNote: the checklist on the following pages is slightly adapted from section 2 of the CLEAPSS guide L238, Healthand Safety Induction and Training of Science Teachers.

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Table 4 Questions for departments to consider when adding comments to texts in daily use

Type of activity: Examples of questions to think about

What chemicalsare you using ormaking?

What are the hazards of each chemical you are using or making?

Have you checked the guidance on CLEAPSS Hazcards?

Could there be a violent / unexpected reaction?

Would you know what to do if something went wrong?

What is the concentration (and hence the hazard) of any solutions to be used?

Might naked flames be used near highly-flammable liquids?

Would pupils need to be warned about particular chemicals?

Do you need hands-on training?

What biologicalmaterials areyou using?

What are the hazards of each material?

Have you checked sections 14 and 15 of the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook and otherinformation on the CLEAPSS CD-ROM?

If microbiology is involved, have you been trained in the relevant techniques?

What hazardousequipment areyou using?

Has any mains-powered equipment been checked for electrical safety?

Have you considered that even simple equipment may be hazardous, eg, scalpels, crackedglassware?

Have you checked whether there are any hazards associated with the equipment, eg, in theCLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook?

Do you need hands-on training for using this equipment?

What hazardousprocesses willtake place?

Could any of the processes be hazardous, eg, heating activities?

Have you checked whether there are any hazards associated with the processes, eg, in theCLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook?

Do you need hands-on training?

What is thelikelihood of theftor misuse?

Are there any chemicals or equipment in use which pupils may be tempted to misuse, eg, teatpipettes?

Are there any chemicals (eg, magnesium ribbon), equipment (eg, scalpels, balances, agarplates) or components (eg, the vents from safety goggles) that pupils may be tempted toremove or steal?

How could these risks be minimised?

Table 5 Questions for class teachers to think about when planning the lesson

Type of activity: Examples of questions to think about

What does thescience depart-ment scheme ofwork actuallysay about theactivities?

Are there any warnings given in the scheme of work?

Does the scheme of work suggest that an activity should only be carried out by those withsuitable training or with the approval of the head of department? Have you received relevanttraining?

Does the scheme of work identify safety equipment needed, eg, safety spectacles or goggles,safety screens, fume cupboard etc? Are these available?

Does the scheme of work identify the particular hazards of the chemicals, biological materials,equipment and procedures being used by the pupils or the teacher? Are control measures(safety precautions) suggested for each of the hazardous activities?

Does the scheme of work refer to CLEAPSS Hazcards, the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook orother publications? Have you cross-checked what these references actually say?

Does the scheme of work suggest that an activity may not be suitable for some classes, ormight be better done as a teacher demonstration rather than a pupil activity?

Does the scheme of work indicate that an activity should not be carried out in a particularlaboratory, eg, because it is too small or has poor ventilation?

If the activity is not in the scheme of work, is there a complete written risk assessment,approved according to agreed departmental procedures?

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Table 5 (continued)

The nature of the class: Examples of questions to think about

What safetyinformation willyou need to givethe class?

Will you need to tell the class about particular hazards?

Will you need to remind the class about safety precautions, eg, wearing eye protection,standing up to carry out practical work involving heating or the use of chemicals, etc?

Will any warnings be incorporated into worksheets, etc?

Will you need to remind the class about behaviour, laboratory rules, naked flames, etc?

What is the abilitylevel of the class?

Will all pupils understand the instructions? If not, would the activity be unsafe?

Can all pupils understand / read English well enough?

Will it be necessary to remind the class of basic skills, eg, how to heat a test tube safely?

What is the size ofthe class?

Is the class too large to be safely supervised for the proposed activity?

Do any of thepupils havespecial needs,particular medicalor other condi-tions which mightbe relevant?

Are there any pupils with special educational needs who might need different treatment (eg,visually-impaired pupils might need a face shield rather than safety spectacles)? Is a teachingassistant or other support available for such pupils?

Do any of the pupils have medical conditions which might be relevant, eg, asthma, epilepsy,allergies?

Are there securityissues?

Will it be necessary to check, or count out and count back in, particular items of equipment?

What would you do if items are not returned?

How well-behavedare the pupils?

Will all pupils follow the instructions? If not, would the activity be unsafe?

Are there any particular pupils who will need close supervision? If so, is any help available, eg,from a teaching assistant or technician? Will it be possible to provide sufficient supervision?

Will it be possible to enforce the basic laboratory rules, eg, wearing eye protection, bags notcluttering the floor?

What is the mood of the class today, eg, after PE or a wet lunchtime?

The nature of the room: Examples of questions to think about

What is the size ofthe room andwhat are itsfacilities?

Is the room too small for the size of class, so that pupils cannot carry out the proposedpractical work without being a danger to each other?

Is the layout of the room such that pupils are too crowded when using particular services (eg,gas) or such that they cannot be adequately supervised?

If there is to be a demonstration, can all pupils be at a safe distance from it?

Is there a fume cupboard, if needed? If not, can you arrange a room swap? Have you checkedthe fume cupboard is working?

Is the ventilation adequate for the planned activities?

What are theemergency facili-ties in the room?

What eye-washing / spills-kit facilities are available? Have you been trained to use them?

How would you turn off the gas, electricity etc in an emergency?

Where are the fire extinguishers / blankets located and do you know how and when to usethem?

How would you call for help in an emergency?

When and how would you evacuate the room, if necessary? Where would the pupils go?

What are thearrangements forpreparing for thelesson andclearing up after-wards?

Would there be hazards if technicians deliver equipment etc to the room some time before thelesson? Is it safer for equipment to be delivered after the lesson has started?

How will equipment and waste materials be dealt with after the lesson?

Will it be possible to leave the room in a safe condition for subsequent users, eg, how isbroken glass to be dealt with?

Will cleaning, disinfection or ventilation be necessary before the room is used again?

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Part C Examples of risk assessments on texts in daily use

Example 1

Incorporation into department’s own scheme of workThis is an example of a scheme of work, based on one devised by a school. The risk assessment column has threekinds of entry:

• references to a safety text, in this case to a Hazcard;• instructions to consult senior staff, to rehearse in advance;• direct warnings, eg, to wear eye protection.

Materials and Mixtures

Week Lesson ContentBook reference

Cross-curric-ulum links

Resources Risk Assessment

1 Building materialsC1.1 and C1.2

EconomicsIndustry

Thermometers See Mercury Hazcard.*

2 Strength of MaterialsC1.3 and CIAAssess. 1

EconomicsIndustry

Equip. for Assessment 1sheets of glass, 'clear'plastic and polythene

Eye protection if stretchingwires / nylon. Screen + Eyeprotection if smashingmaterials.

3 Solids, liquids &gases: mass &volume. C2.1 & C2.2

Industry Ice, Rice Krispies,thermometers

Warn not to eat in labs. SeeMercury Hazcard.*

4 Dissolving thingsSweet manufact. asexamples of states

C2.3 C 2.g Assess. 2

IndustryEconomics

Sugar & cubes,tea & bags, milk &whitener, carbonateddrink

Warn not to eat in labs.

5 Mixtures &separationC3.1 G 3.2

Industry 'Artificial' crude oil,variety of detergents

Distillation of a flammable:REHEARSE! See HoD firsttime.

* This record could be improved by changing the references from “See Mercury Hazcard” to “Clear up spills from brokenthermometers. See Mercury Hazcard”.

Examples 2a and 2b

Teachers' lesson plan and student worksheetIn the linked examples overleaf, the detail of the investigations is on the worksheet but it needs to be read inconjunction with the lesson plan. The documents give detailed advice as some of the teachers may be non-special-ists. If pupils have limited manipulative skills, safety could be improved by asking technicians to set up the equip-ment, pre-loaded with zinc carbonate.

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Example 2a Teachers' lesson plan

Chemical Patterns and Changes: Lesson 1, Elements and Compounds

Equipment Student instruction sheets available covering a circus of three decomposition experiments.Refer students to pages 6 and 7 of Chemistry Counts which are to be read for homework.

Plan The students' notes are comprehensive so go through them carefully with the students,reinforcing safety and assessment arrangements during the course. At the end of the lesson,leave plenty of time to go through their class results and homework so that they can round offthe lesson satisfactorily. (Time is short on the course so it may be difficult to go over the worklater.)

Homework Complete the Results Table. Write word equations for the reactions. Read pages 6 and 7 inChemistry Counts and answer the questions.

RiskAssessments

Rehearse experiments first.

Experiment 1: Suck back is possible so demonstrate to students toremove limewater if this happens or lift out delivery tubes.

Experiment 2: Use no more than 0.3 g (small spatula) of copper(II) nitrateas nitrogen dioxide gas is Toxic. Open window.

For bottom set, technician to weigh out samples.

Experiment 3: Hydrogen peroxide should be rinsed off the skin andclothes if spilled because, at this concentration (20 volume),it is an Irritant.

Arrange for Benches 1 & 2 to start with experiment 1;

Benches 3 & 4 to start with experiment 2;

Benches 5 & 6 to start with experiment 3.

Example 2b Students' worksheet

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Examples 3a, 3b and 3c Modifying a published schemeSometimes it is necessary to modify published text books or schemes of work, to correspond with model riskassessments. This is particularly likely for those bought some years ago but even recent schemes will need safetypoints highlighting. Modifications can be written or pasted in. Highlighter pens are also useful to draw attention tosignificant points.

The three examples given here are for the same experiment taken from a published course.

Example 3a UNSATISFACTORY adaptation

Note that Example 3a is unsatisfactory because it merely refers to Hazcards. There is no evidence that the schoolhas actually thought about this activity (or indeed actually read the Hazcard). In any case, people probably won’tbother to refer to Hazcards on a day-to-day basis. We know that the HSE does not consider this to be an adequaterecord.

Example 3b Good adaptation

In contrast with the previous example, note how in Example 3b, in the instructions:

• reference has been made to model risk assessments, namely Hazcards;

• hazard classifications (IRRITANT, HARMFUL and TOXIC) have been added;

• a warning has been added of the danger of sulfur dioxide for asthmatics (inexperienced teachers might wellforget that);

• personal protective equipment has been highlighted;

• solutions have been substituted for solids to reduce the hazard.

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Example 3c Good adaptation, showing on-going thinking

Example 3c is even better because there is evidence (from different handwriting) that the risk assessment has beenfurther changed as a result of:

• experience (the solution needs to be freshly made if it is to work);• reported accidents (eg, pupil clothing catching fire);• less-experienced teachers and technicians (they need to know what ‘dilute’ hydrochloric acid is);• changed legislation (potassium dichromate even at this concentration is now classed as TOXIC), etc.

However, it is beginning to become messy, so perhaps it is time to write it out again.

Example 4 Modification of a student practical textThe example below is from a published A-level practical text, so the warnings are intended for post-16 students.

Measurement of e/m for the electron with a fine-beam tube

Apparatus Teltron fine-beam tube

350 V dc power supply

25 V variable power supply

Leads

10 A ammeter etc

Procedure 1. Connect up the circuit shown.

Hazard as the High Voltage current is notlimited to 5 mA

Leads with shrouded plugs must be used – intray with Teltron tube

2. Vary the current through the field coils until a deflection of1 cm is obtained. Note the current.

3. Vary the voltage across the Y-plates until the spot returnsto zero. Note the voltage.

4. Repeat 2. and 3., with deflections of 2, 3, 4 and 5 cm.

DO NOT PLUG EITHER POWERSUPPLY INTO THE MAINS UNTILCIRCUIT HAS BEEN INSPECTED

BY TEACHER

Example 5 Annotated text bookIn this case, modified instructions in a textbook (overleaf) have implications for staff.

• The restriction to an agar, and incubation at a temperature, unlikely to isolate pathogens.• Reinforcing the requirement that plates are not sealed completely before incubation to prevent isolation of

pathogenic anaerobes.• Sealing the plates after incubation to make it much less likely that pupils will open them.

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Example 6

Annotating a simple text to help teachers and technicians who lackexperienceThis example (overleaf) is taken from a popular commercial scheme. The text, intended for pupils, has been annot-ated to draw the attention of inexperienced teachers and technicians to problems that more-experienced staff wouldtake as second nature. Of course, it might be argued that the result is so cluttered as to hinder communication.

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Example 7

Apparatus sheet prepared by a schoolNote how attention is drawn to the classification of 5M sodium hydroxide as CORROSIVE so that goggles are neededfor pupils and a face shield for the technician, rather than spectacles; also gloves. It is assumed that a set of Bunsenburners and tripods and gauzes is available in the laboratory.

Apparatus List Please submit 3 days in advance

Period: Tuesday 5 Room: L4 No of groups: 12 Class/teacher: 11A-Jones

Chemical Matters Soap making Section 5.4 p 39

NB THIS ACTIVITY IS NOT SUITABLE FOR STUDENTS WITH BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS.

Beaker, 250 ml 2 test tubes fitted with bungs

Evaporating basin Test-tube rack

2 measuring cylinders, 10 ml Castor oil, about 50 ml in bottle with dropper

Glass stirring rod 5 M sodium hydroxide solution

(CORROSIVE- Face shield - See Recipe card.)

Spatula 1 wash bottle (distilled water)

Filter funnel and paper Goggles, NOT safety spectacles

Gloves

Note 10 ml of the sodium hydroxide solution for each group in one of the measuring cylinders. To be left in prep room until requested duringthe lesson.

Include sodium hydroxide Hazcard with equipment.

CARE when washing up.

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Example 8

Detailed instructions not needing adaptationThis example shows a detailed set of instructions, with safety precautions included (in fact, taken from theCLEAPSS guide L195, Safer Chemicals, Safer Reactions27.) The school considered that no adaptation wasnecessary. All that it decided to do was to highlight the safety information.

m There have been occasional reported explosions when using methodssimilar to this. It is essential not to exceed the stated quantities and thatthe demonstrator and students are protected by safety screens.

ProcedureMagnesium ribbon

Fluted filter paper

Pip-clay traingle

Water layer

Tripod

Heat-proof mat

Igniter mixtureThermite mixture

1 litre beaker

Sand layer

• Eye protection and a laboratory coat (it can become messy at the end) should beworn by the demonstrator. Students should stand further than 4 m from thereaction and wear eye protection. Safety screens must be used.

• Fold two 12 cm diameter circles of filter paper into fluted cones and place oneinside the other.

• Into a 1 litre, thick-walled beaker, pour sand until it is one third full and then addwater until it is two thirds full.

• Wear eye protection. Place the beaker on a bench mat and set up the equipmentas shown in the diagram above. Add 12 g of Thermite mixture [9 g of iron(III) oxideand 3 g of aluminium powder (medium grade)] to the fluted filter paper.

• Make a depression in the Thermite mixture with a spatula and place the ignitermixture [0.2 g of magnesium powder and 2 g of barium nitrate (a ratio of 1:10)] intothis.

• Insert a magnesium ribbon fuse upright into the igniter mixture. It must extendabove the fluted filter paper. Light the magnesium fuse with a Bunsen burner flameand retreat.

• Once the reaction has stopped, remove the beaker and decant the water down thesink and retrieve the iron formed with a magnet. Wash the iron under a tap ofrunning water.

• It may be possible to extract some shiny iron from the spongy bits of metal anddemonstrate that it conducts an electric current.

Controlsand hints

The bench should be clear of combustible materials and protected with a sheet of hardboard ormats. Pupils should not look directly at the glare of the burning magnesium but cover their eyeswith their fingers slightly apart. The demonstrator must have room to move quickly away to a safedistance. Do not use potassium manganate(VII) and hot glycerol to initiate the reaction in thisversion because the filter paper catches fire. Do not use any copper oxides, chromium(VI) oxide,lead oxides or manganese(IV) oxide.

Disposal Leave the sand in a tray to dry and use again.

Extension Chromium(III) oxide or manganese(II)dimanganese(III) oxide (Mn3O4) can be used instead ofiron(III) oxide.

27 For details, see Table 9.

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Example 9

Limitations of a detailed risk assessmentThis example was produced with the encouragement of a health & safety adviser.

CLEAPSS has reservations about a risk assessment of this type. It is very detailed but does not in fact identify allthe hazards. For example, it fails to warn about baggy shirts (as opposed to untucked shirts), the possibility ofsetting waste bins on fire as a result of carelessly-discarded splints or the hazards of bags cluttering the floor. Ateacher, seeing the level of detail in such a risk assessment, might reasonably conclude that the thinking had beendone for them. This could give rise to dangerous complacency - if, of course, the teacher actually had time to readall of this before the lesson.

Examples 10a and 10b

Using a risk assessment formGenerally, we do not support the use of risk-assessment forms. They are not required by law and may obscureessential information in a mass of detail. Once completed, they tend to be filed away, never again to be read andhaving little impact on the day-to-day work of a science department. However, we recognise that some establish-ments may require the use of such forms. If they have to be used, we believe the example overleaf is suitable.However, it does illustrate the limitations of such forms - the person completing it initially has completely forgottenabout the products of the reaction, which in this case (especially the sulfur dioxide) are much the greatest hazard.

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Example 10a Badly-completed risk assessment form

Reference no / title of activity Rate of reaction

Details of activity Pupils make up various mixtures of sodium thiosulfate and water, add acid and timehow long it takes to go cloudy

Activity to be carried out by ( or ) technician Teacher / lecturer Student / pupil

If carried out by student age group Year 10 level of course GCSE

Persons at risk from activity ( or ) technician Teacher / lecturer Student / pupil

For each chemical

Name Quantity &/orconcentration

Hazard(s) (at thedilution used) &/or

risk phrase(s)

Exposurelimit

Control measures

Sodium thiosulfate 0.2 M none - none

Hydrochloric acid 2 M irritant - safety spectacles

For each hazardous procedure or piece of hazardous equipment

Nature of hazard(s) Control measures(s)

None -

Further comments -

Risk assessment carried out by Risk assessment checked by Date of risk assessment Date of next review of riskassessment

TPB 16/02/05

Example 10b Improved risk assessment form

Reference no / title of activity Rate of reaction

Details of activity Pupils make up various mixtures of sodium thiosulfate and water, add acid and timehow long it takes to go cloudy

Activity to be carried out by ( or ) technician Teacher / lecturer Student / pupil

If carried out by student age group Year 10 level of course GCSE

Persons at risk from activity ( or ) technician Teacher / lecturer Student / pupil

For each chemical used or made

Name Quantity &/orconcentration

Hazard(s) (at thedilution used) &/or

risk phrase(s)

Exposurelimit

Control measures

Sodium thiosulfate 0.2 M none - none

Hydrochloric acid 2 M irritant - safety spectacles

Sulfur dioxide Less than 14litres

Toxic & corrosive 13mg/m3

good ventilation; pour away solution atonce; warn asthmatics

For each hazardous procedure or piece of hazardous equipment

Nature of hazard(s) Control measures(s)

Glassware Remind pupils about lab rules

Further comments

Risk assessment carried out by Risk assessment checked by Date of risk assessment Date of next review of riskassessment

TPB RW 16/02/05 Feb 2006

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Example 11

Labelling apparatus or bottlesSome activities are based round a piece of apparatus, which has a limited range of uses, all presenting the samehazard. In this case, a warning attached to the equipment is sensible, even if there are references in schemes of worketc as well. Similarly, labels might be attached to bottles of particular chemicals. Some examples are given in thetable below.

Apparatus Warning Suggested methods of attachment

350 V 150 mA dcpower supply

HIGH VOLTAGE - no current limitationUse shrouded leads.

See Head of Physics before first use.

Adhesive label on supply.

Sphygmo-manometer

NEVER stop pulse for more than5 seconds.

See Head of Biology before first use.

Adhesive label on box.

Rotary vacuumpump

This pump weighs ... kg. Use trolleywhere possible. Only to be lifted by twopeople.

Attach to housing.

Steam engine *ALWAYS test safety valve to ensure itis free before starting heating and againwhen steaming.

*ALWAYS use only solid fuel.

Rehearse with technician first time.

Large plastic-covered card in the traywith the steam engine.

Potassium,sodium

Check Hazcard.

Only to be used by staff with training andapproval of Head of Department.

Label attached to bottle.

Bromine Check Hazcard.

Take sodium thiosulfate solution withbromine.

Only to be used by staff with training andapproval of Head of Department.

Label attached to bottle.

Phosphorus(white)

Check Hazcard.

Take dry sand to extinguish fires.

Cut up under water in a mortar.

Only to be used by staff with training andapproval of Head of Department.

Label attached to bottle.

Radioactivesources

Consult Local Rules for working withionising radiations.

Fill in log book.

Label attached to bottle.

* Advice depends on the model of the steam engine and may need adapting. Liquid fuels should not be used.

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Part D Risks in and around the prep room and to other staff

15. Technicians

15.1 GeneralIt is our experience that when science departments consider risk assessment, they automatically focus on the risk topupils but forget the risks to staff, especially technicians. In section 11.6, there was discussion of some of the waysin which schools can reduce the risk to students by limiting exposure to hazards by asking technicians to measureout chemicals etc. However, this may increase the risk to technicians. There need to be risk assessments for technic-ian activities, the aim of which is to reduce risk to the technicians themselves28. Employers have a duty of care inboth criminal and civil law to provide a healthy & safe working environment for all employees. The task of ensur-ing this for science technicians is likely be delegated to the head of science, although sometimes the bursar.

Much depends on the education, training, experience and attitude of a technician and these need to be exploredbefore a new technician starts work. Some induction will always be necessary29, for example, to explain the depart-ment's approach to risk assessment, and is in fact a requirement of the Management of Health and Safety at WorkRegulations. Experience can be deceptive: a technician who has worked for many years in a well-equipped electron-ic repair laboratory may not appreciate how hazards are increased in a busy general-purpose preparation room; atechnician with experience of working in an industrial chemical laboratory may never have had to dilute concen-trated sulfuric acid, to handle bromine or to bend glass tubing in a gas flame.

Operations of particular concern for which risk assessments are needed are listed in Table 6 but it is important toencourage an atmosphere in which concerns are exchanged and it is not considered an admission of failure to askfor advice. An incident, in which a student removed a bottle of bromine from a fume cupboard in a laboratory anddropped it in a corridor, was caused by a technician not knowing what to do with the bottle which had a split capand failing to ask for advice. This incident raises questions about security, supervision of students and studentaccess to hazardous chemicals.

Technicians, as with all employees, will be most comfortable in their employment if their responsibilities are ident-ified. It must be made clear that, although technicians have a legal obligation to point out, to the extent that theirtraining permits, serious risks and failure in health & safety arrangements, so do teaching staff. Technicians do nothave a special responsibility for health & safety and it would be unwise for a head of science to delegate to themhealth & safety tasks for which they have neither the education nor training. Therefore, it is usually inappropriateto ask technicians to compile risk assessments for all the science teaching activities although they may welltake a lead role in assessing risks in and around the prep room.

Finally, the head of science should instruct all technicians that their own health & safety is more important thanpreparing resources on time; risky shortcuts should not be taken.

15.2 Specific areasTable 6 overleaf will need adaptation before use by a particular school. The head of science, an experienced teacherappointed by him or her or, sometimes, a very experienced technician should go through the table with a newtechnician or one extending his or her skills, with particular attention paid to operations highlighted in the lastcolumn. It is not suggested that all technicians should attempt to cover all activities but the head of science shouldinstruct technicians not to attempt operations for which they had not received permission.

It is sensible to check that technicians know all the health & safety texts used in a department, particularly thosereferred to in the table, and understand their indexes. Attention can be drawn to many of the risk assessments whichtechnicians must observe by well-sited labels: eg, on heavy equipment which requires two persons to carry it, seePart C, Example 11 of this guide.

28 See the CLEAPSS Leaflet PS25, Model Risk Assessments for Laboratory Technician Activities, on the CLEAPSS Science

Publications CD-ROM. A customisable version is available on the CD but check the members-only part of the CLEAPSSweb site for any update. Once customised it can be incorporated into the departmental health & safety policy.

29 See the CLEAPSS guide L234, The induction and training of science technicians, on the CLEAPSS Science PublicationsCD-ROM.

32

Table 6 Technician activities likely to require risk assessmentNumbers refer to sections in the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook (Hbk), CLEAPSS information leaflets (PS) orSafety in Science Education (SSE).

Operation /resource Model RiskAssessments found in

Notes

Animals and plants Hbk: 14.1, 14.2, 15.5PS55SSE: 17

Important to discuss with the senior biologist. Hygiene important. Inform him/her ifsigns of sensitivity/allergy developing; no eating, drinking or smoking in areaswhich may be contaminated.

Animal materials from the butcher

Hbk: 14.13PS2SSE: 17.1, Table 17.1

Hygiene.

preserved Hbk: 14.6, 14.7, 15.8 Eye protection, perhaps gloves.Chemicals Eye protection appropriate for the task; perhaps gloves appropriate for the task;

fume cupboard if advised by RA; no eating, drinking or smoking in areas whichmay be contaminated.

disposal HazcardsHbk: 7.5SSE: Table 15.1, 15.2.1

preparing solutions Recipe CardsHbk: 7.6SSE: 14, 15

Dilution of concentrated sulfuric acid - TAKE CARE!

spills HazcardsHbk: 7.7SSE: 5.4, 14.3.4, 14.3.5

Evacuate if spills cause hazardous fumes in a closed space; eg, bromine,ammonia. Consult before calling the fire brigade (ask for Chemical Incident Unit),warning that the spill is small by their standards.

storage HazcardsHbk: 7.3SSE: 9

Storage must conform to the requirements of the Dangerous Substances &Explosive Atmospheres Regulations.

washing up Hbk: 20.12PS50

Gloves! Check what contaminants are likely to be.Raise bowls to a comfortable, non-stooping height, eg, using crate in sink.

Clearing up Priorities are security & safety. Hazardous items cleared away first.Benches possibly contaminated with hazardous chemicals etc must be wipedquickly. Gloves!Preparation rooms & stores kept tidy; floors free from hazard.

Electrical equipment,mains-powered

Portable appliance testing. A training course would be useful, eg, those run byCLEAPSS which cover all areas below.

continual check Hbk: 6.4SSE: 8.3.2

Damage to plugs, cables and sockets.

periodic test Hbk: 6.4SSE: 8.6.1

Local policy is likely to vary: consult.

repair Hbk: 10.11.2 Never open plugged-in equipment.Fume cupboards Hbk: 8.3; 20.10.6

SSE: 10Use, maintenance and monitoring (ie, regular testing).

Glass working Hbk: 11.13 → 11.5 Burns and cuts! A course may be useful, eg, as run by CLEAPSS.Highly-flammableliquids

Hbk: 4.1.2, 7.3.3, 7.4.2SSE: 9.2, 15.1.4

Avoid flames, cigarettes!

Human body fluids Hbk: 14.4PS6, 11, 27SSE: Table 17.14

Hygiene; disinfection / steam sterilisation required for disposal.

Immediate remedialmeasures

Hbk: 5.2SSE: 6.2

Rehearse these at least annually.

Lifting and carrying Hbk: 3.7SSE: 4.8.6, 8.4

See Table 7.

Lone working Hbk: 5.2.2 Follow departmental policy. Likely to exclude hazardous operations such asdiluting concentrated acids, heating highly-flammable liquids.

Microbiology Hbk: 15.2; 15.12PS34

Many precautions. Safe use of autoclaves. Better to go on a course, eg, run byCLEAPSS; no eating, drinking or smoking in areas which may be contaminated.

Security Hbk: 2.2.4SSE: 3.6

Follow departmental policy.

Tools, particularlypower tools

Hbk: 2.2.5, 2.2.7, 6.5.2SSE: 8.3.6, Table 16.7

Use the correct tool for the job; seek guidance if unsure, eg, from the D & Tdepartment.

33

Table 7 Risk assessments needed for lifting and carrying

The risk assessments below need adaptation for each school, to take into account, for example, whether or not ascience department is on several floors or with separated sites.

Hazardous situation Hazard ActionCongestion in corridors, stairs,etc

From a variety of accidents. Avoid moving equipment at times of congestion.

Floors, cluttered, wet ordamaged

From falls or slipping. Keep routes clear.Avoid bags etc on the floor.Ensure spills are mopped up promptly.Report all damage.

Moving equipment: To backs, which are vulnerable toeven moderate loads.To feet, from dropped equipment andchemicals.

Do not twist the spine when laden.Do not wear open-toed sandals.

Use:general trolleys where possible;gas cylinders cylinder trolleys;bottles of more than 1 litre bottle carrier.chemicals from an outsidestore

Avoid the dark, bad weather and times of congestion;

in trays Trays should not be overloaded and should be held close tothe body;

especially dangerous orfragile items

Use two technicians, one to carry, the other to open doorsand act as look-out;

through heavy fire doors Prop open door, but aim to do so for minimum time only, oruse two technicians.

Lifting equipment down fromhigh shelves

From falling load and falling fromsteps.

Store frequently-used items at a comfortable height.If possible, store nothing above head height. If this is notpossible, store only light-weight, non-fragile, rarely-used itemsabove head height.If an item has to be lifted down, use step ladder andassistance, NEVER stools. Avoid twisting motion.

Carrying equipment up or downstairs

Moving equipment enhanced byimpossibility of using trolleys,increased risk of slipping etc.

If available, use dumb waiter, lift or consider special trolleysfor stairs (but these are heavy).Keep one hand on banister.

trays Avoid moving where possible. Trays not overloaded and heldclose to the body.Boxes with lids may be better in some situations or a bucket,basket or backpack.

low-voltage supplies,microscopes

Avoid moving: have duplicate sets if possible.

TV and VCR Avoid moving: swap rooms.Lifting heavy and awkwardobjects, including vacuumpumps, large autoclaves etc

To backs, feet etc. Items should be labelled: “To be lifted only by two members ofstaff, observing good practice for lifting”.

Non-routine lifting, eg, movingflammables cabinet as part of areorganisation or when heavyitems are first delivered

To backs, feet etc. Carry out a full risk assessment before attempting activity.

Rushing From a variety of accidents. Never rush! Have a system for requisitions which requiresteachers to hand them in well in advance to allow forplanning.Do not accept last-minute tasks.

Because any injury is likely to be caused by careless lifting of moderate loads rather than lifting very heavy loads,elaborate training is unlikely to be needed. Reminders of good lifting practice are needed at least annually: eg,lifting with a straight back, not twisting it while under load. See the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook section 3.7and guidance from the HSE30.

30 Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992: Guidance on Regulations (HSC, HSE Books); for details see Table 10.

34

16. Others at riskRisk assessments for activities involving hazards need to take into account others entering rooms in the sciencedepartment.

16.1 CleanersScience rooms should be left safe for cleaners. Because cleaners change frequently, it is sensible to have simpleinstructions for them, covering the areas which they should clean and those which they should leave, what to do ifresources are inadvertently left out or misplaced, security etc. Also how to dispose of broken glass. Cleaners maynot be able to read English and so there should be a procedure to instruct new cleaners, agreed between the schooland the contractor.

Because of difficulties with child-care arrangements, cleaners are sometimes accompanied by their young children.This should not be permitted in science laboratories. In some schools, older pupils may be employed as cleaners. Ifthey were to clean laboratories or prep rooms, there would need to be a risk assessment under the regulationsconcerned with the employment of young persons. The control measures necessary, eg, the training and supervisionrequired, would be too onerous to be achieved easily. Science staff should inform senior management if problemsare identified.

16.2 Teaching assistantsIncreasingly, teaching assistants will be helping the classroom teacher on a regular basis, for example, supportingstudents with special educational needs, early bilinguals, etc. Any such staff need basic instruction in laboratoryhealth & safety and briefings by the class teacher before specific hazardous activities. In a recent incident, ateaching assistant who was diabetic showed pupils how she used a lancet to test her own blood. She then went on totest the blood of the children, using the same lancet. The TA’s own safety must also be considered, for example, ifthe risk assessment requires eye protection, s/he too must wear it; if hair has to be tied back to avoid Bunsen-burnerflames, her/his hair must also be tied back; if it is dangerous for pupils to be seated during heating activities, it isalso dangerous for support staff.

16.3 Non-science teaching staffPupils should be allowed in laboratories only if supervised by a teacher who is aware of the hazards andhow they can be avoided. This restriction should appear in the science safety policy under both pupil andstaff rules. Laboratories should not be used by pupils during recreation periods or even for registration byteachers who are not scientists31.

Teaching staff who are not science teachers sometimes supervise groups of pupils in laboratories: for registrationand form periods; for club activities; to `cover' for absent science teachers. The first two uses should be discour-aged; laboratories should be considered as danger areas under the Management Regulations to which access shouldbe restricted for a variety of reason32: for example, because of the vulnerability of the gas fittings; the possibilitythat, despite efforts to remove all hazardous resources, occasionally some may be left accessible; the possibility ofthe theft of laboratory items for use in drug abuse. A brief list of rules and warnings, discussed at a general staffmeeting and accepted by the head teacher, should be issued to non-science staff who have to supervise students inlaboratories; pre-eminent are the rules that unoccupied laboratories should be locked and that students should neverbe in a laboratory without a teacher present. Warnings should include the need to stop students playing with gas tapsand any apparatus, chemicals etc left in laboratories. These rules might be printed onto laminated card and issued atthe start of the day.

16.4 Caretakers and office staffChemicals and equipment may sometimes be delivered to the school office, or to the caretakers' office, where staffmay not have the knowledge or experience to handle them safely. A procedure should be established to ensure thesecurity of items received and the health & safety of any who may come into contact with them. This will include,for example, complying with instructions about which way up containers should be stored and warning staff of thedangers if hazardous chemicals are dropped and bottles broken.

16.5 VisitorsA visitor present during a practical activity needs to respect the precautions that teachers and students are observing.For example, the head teacher, a governor or an OFSTED inspector might be instructed to wear eye protection, ifnot already doing so.

31 Safety in Science Education, 1996 (DfEE, the Stationery Office), section 7.3. This publication is on the ASE web site,

www.ase.org.uk. The original document is on the public part of the site but some updated sections are on the members-onlypart. The extract quoted here had not been updated at the time of writing.

32 Management of Health and Safety at Work Approved Code of Practice & Guidance, Regulation 8 (HSC, HSE Books); fordetails see Table 10.

35

Activities proposed for open days etc need risk assessments if there are any hazards, with the likelihood of a relativelack of supervision taken into account. Sometimes, to achieve a memorable effect, schools are tempted to carry outdemonstrations which are not part of the normal curriculum and for which there may not be adequate risk assess-ments. Some years ago a school was prosecuted because of an explosion resulting from a chemical demonstrationon an open evening and another school narrowly escaped prosecution in similar circumstances.

Similarly, if a secondary school welcomes pupils in Y5 or Y6 from feeder primary schools, there needs to be a riskassessment for any proposed practical activities. Even if the activity is one which is routinely carried out in theschool, it is likely to need substantial modification to take account of the visitors’ lack of laboratory experience,their ignorance of laboratory safety rules, their limited skills with Bunsen burners, their unfamiliarity with glasswareand their physically-smaller size. Normal eye protection may not fit very satisfactorily. It is best not to be tooambitious - the excitement of using Bunsen burners for the first time may be quite enough!

Alternatively, if a secondary-science teacher goes into a primary school, even routine activities will require a differ-ent risk assessment. Children may not normally be allowed to use glassware. There may not be running water easilyavailable to rinse out an eye. Most primary schools use the ASE publication Be safe!33 as their model risk assess-ments and it would be wise for a secondary teacher to consult this before taking practical activities into a primaryschool.

33 Be safe! Health and safety in primary school science and technology, 2001, 3rd edition, Association for Science Education;

for details see Table 9.

36

APPENDICES

I. Where to find model risk assessments in published textsTable 8 is to help staff find model risk assessments for activities likely to be carried out by students and teachers.However, also included for convenience are sources of advice on the safe selection and maintenance of equipmentetc. Model risk assessments for technician operations are outlined in Table 6 in section 15.2 on page 32; see alsothe CLEAPSS leaflet PS25, Model Risk Assessments for Laboratory Technician Activities.

Numbers refer to chapters or sections, unless preceded by Table. DfES is used as an abbreviation for publicationsfrom the Department for Education and Skills and its predecessors; AM stands for Administrative Memorandum,Guide stands for CLEAPSS Guide, PS for CLEAPSS leaflet and Bulletin for CLEAPSS Bulletin.

For the convenience of readers, when the same activity or group of activities is listed under two different titles, thereferences are repeated: eg, Experiments involving students has the same references as Students involved inexperiments.

Details of publications are given in Appendix II. All except the most recent CLEAPSS guides and leaflets areavailable on the annually-updated CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM. Any which are too recent to be on theCD will be found on the members-only part of the CLEAPSS web site, www.cleapss.org.uk or can be obtainedwithout charge on request. For further advice, telephone or write to the CLEAPSS Helpllne (at Brunel University,Uxbridge UB8 3PH. Tel: 01895 251496, Fax: 01895 814372, E-mail: science@cleapss.org.uk; Web site: www.cleapss.org.uk).

Table 8 Where to find model risk assessments in published textsTopic Handbook (2004)

[Refs in bracketsare to 2005 editionon 2006 CD-ROM]

Topicsin Safety(3rd ed.)

Safeguards inthe SchoolLaboratory(10th ed.)

Safety in ScienceEducation (1996)

Other Texts / Notes

Adhesives, glues 11.5 [11.6] - 11.2, 11.9 - -Air rifles, pistols 12.4.6 - 10.2 Table 18.1 -Animals, keeping 14.1 - 13.1, 13.5,

13.6, 13.9Tables 17.1, 17.2,17.3

PS3/3a, PS55; severalguides on CD-ROM

Animals, suitable 14.1.1 - 13.5 Table 17.4 -Animals, wild 14.2 - 13.5 Tables 17.1, 17.2 -Aquaria, cages, vivaria etc,electrical safety

8.9.5, 14.3 - 11.5 Table 16.6 -

Asbestos 7.5.3 [7.5.5], 7.8.2,9.11.3, 20.10.6,Table 20.52

12 6.2, 15.4 Table 15.4 Mats etc from normalsuppliers since 1977 areasbestos free.

Autoclaves, pressure cookers 15.12.2 15 App 1 3.5, 9.2, 13.9 8.3.3, 8.6.1,Table 17.10

Guide L214 a, b, c, d

Batteries, cells 9.5 - 11.7 Table 16.1 -Biological investigations usingchemicals

20.3 - 13.8 Table 17.7 -

Biological investigations -where microorganisms mightbe involved

14.1.3, 14.4, 14.5.1,14.7, 14.13, 15.13,17.1.3

15 4.3, 13.1, 13.5 7.2, 14.3.5, 17.1 PS4

Biotechnology 14.9, 14.10 15 13.3 17.4, Table 17.11 -Blood and cell sampling 14.4 14 14.2 Table 17.14 PS6, PS11, PS27Bunsen burners, tubing 9.10.1, 9.10.2 - 4.3, 6.1, 6.2 14.2.8 -Cells, voltaic 9.5 - 11.7 Table 16.1 -Centrifuges 9.6, 15.2.2 - 10.1 Table 15.3 -Chemicals, disposal of 7.5, 11.7.4 [11.7.7], 11 15.10 15.2.1, Table 15.1 HazcardsChemicals, labelling & storage 7.3, 20.5,

Table 20.516 App.2,9, 10

4.3, 11.4, 16 9 -

Chemicals, procedures using 7, 13 10 4, 6, 7, 15 15.1, 15.2;Tables 15.2 -15.4.

Hazcards

Chemicals, recommended - 10 - Table 15.4 Hazcards

37

Table 8 (continued)Topic Handbook (2004)

[Refs in bracketsare to 2005 editionon 2006 CD-ROM]

Topicsin Safety(3rd ed.)

Safeguards inthe SchoolLaboratory(10th ed.)

Safety in ScienceEducation (1996)

Other Texts / Notes

Chromatography 11.1, 15.5.1 - 13.8 Table 15.3 -

Cryogenics 11.12 [11.2] - - - -Cylinders etc of LPG,(liquid petrol gas)

9.10.2, 20.14.2 - 5.3, 6.1, 15.2 11.7.3 Guide L164

Cylinders of oxygen, hydrogenetc; regulators

7.3.8, 9.9,20.10.5, 20.14.1

- 7.5, 9.1, 16.3 8.3.1 -

Disinfection 15.2.6, 15.12.3 15 4, 13.4 Tables 17.1, 17.10 Bulletins 95, 96Disposal of biologicalmaterials

14.6, 15.2.14,15.4.6, 15.12

15 13.9 Table 17.1 -

Disposal of chemicals 7.5 11 15.10 15.2.1, Table 15.1 HazcardsDissection 14.7 - 7.1, 13.5 Tables 17.1, 17.3 PS2DNA, working with 14.10 16 11.3, 13.3 Table 17.11 -Drugs & medicines Table 20.52 - - 8.1.3 -Electricity, high voltage ac 12.9.5, 12.9.6 17 11 Tables 16.4, 16.6 -Electricity, high voltage dc 12.9.1-12.9.4,

[11.1.7]17 11 Tables 16.2, 16.3,

16.4-

Electricity, mains-poweredequipment

6 17 3.5, 11.1, 11.2 Tables 16.4, 16.5,16.6, 16.7

-

Electrolysis 11.4 - - Tables 15.3, 16.4 -Electrophoresis 13.7.10 [11.1.7] - 11.3, 13.3 Table 16.4 -Emergency procedures 2.2.3, 4, 5.2.1 1, 8 - 5 See also First AidEnzymes 14.8 15 13.3, 13.6,

13.8Table 17.11 -

Experiments involvingstudents

11.8, 14.4, 14.5,14.13, 15.11, 15.13

14 11.6, 14 7.8, 8.3.5, 17.5,Tables 17.13, 17.14

PS6, PS11, PS27

Explosive mixtures Table 20.52 - 15.8 Table 15.2 HazcardsEye protection 3.2, 7.4, 7.7, 7.8,

11.7.2, 13.1.35 4.2, 6.1, 7.1.

11.93.8, 14.5.2,Table 14.1

Guide R135 for whichmodels to buy.

Eye washing 5.2.1 1.4 17.3 6.2, 14.7.2 -Fermenters 14.9 15 9.3, 13.3 Table 17.11 -Fieldwork 14.2, 15.4.5, 15.5.5,

17.1- 12.6, 13.5 Tables 17.1, 19.1 PS1, Guide L221

Fire precautions & equipment 4, 7.3.2, 7.3.3,Table 20.52

8 4.4, 5, 6, 15.6,16.2

5.1, 14.7.1 Hazcards for individualflammables.

First Aid (including ImmediateRemedial Measures

5, 7.3.8, 20.14.1 -- 17 6 -

Flammable liquids 4.1.2, 7.3.3, 7.4.2,7.8.1, 9.4.3, 9.10.7,9.10.8, 9.10.9,20.14.2,Table 20.19

8 6.1, 11.4, 13.8,15.2, 15.6,15.10, 16.1,16.2

9.2, 11.8, 15.1.4,Table 15.4

Hazcards for individualflammables.

Fume cupboards 8.3, 20.10.1,20.10.6

7 3.5, 7.3, 7.7, 7.8 10, Tables 15.3, 15.4 Guide R9a. CLEAPSSprovides information andtraining on annual testing.

Gas supply 2.2.3, 4.1.3, 8.1.1,9.10.2, Table 20.51

- 5.2, 5.3, 6.1 5.2, 11.7.2 -

Genetic manipulation 14.10 16 13.3 Table 17.11 -Glues, adhesives 11.5 [11.6] - 11.2, 11.9 - -Heating 7.4.2, 9.4, 9.10,

12.8.1- 4.3, 6 14.2.8, 14.3.2,

Tables 15.3, 16.6-

38

Table 8 (continued)Topic Handbook (2004)

[Refs in bracketsare to 2005 editionon 2006 CD-ROM]

Topicsin Safety(3rd ed.)

Safeguards inthe SchoolLaboratory(10th ed.)

Safety in ScienceEducation (1996)

Other Texts / Notes

Highly-flammable liquids 4.1.2, 7.3.3, 7.4.2,7.8.1, 9.4.3, 9.10.7,9.10.8, 9.10.9,20.14.2, Table 20.19

8 6.1, 11.4, 13.8,15.2, 15.6,15.10, 16.1, 16.2

9.2, 11.8, 15.1.4,Tables 15.3, 15.4

Hazcards draw attention toindividual highly-flammableliquids.

Human body measurements 11.8, 14.4, 14.5,14.13, 15.11, 15.13

14 11.6, 14 7.8, Table 17.14 -

Hygiene 3.6, 13.1.1, 14.1.3,14.13, 15.2.2, 15.13

15 4.3 3.6, 7.2, 14.3.5, 17.1,17.4.1, Table 17.10

-

Ionising radiations 12.10, Table 20.52 19 3.5, 12.8 8.2.1, 18.1, Table 18.3 DfES AM1/92, Guide L93Laboratories 6.3, 8, 20.14.1 6 3.7, 3.9, 3.10,

4.3, 5.211 Building for Science (ASE),

Science Accommodationin Secondary Schools(DfES), PS9, PS14,Guide L14.

Lasers 3.2.3, 12.12 18 7.1, 12.4 Table 18.3 -Lifting beams, hoists, pulleys &gears

12.1, 12.15 - - Table 18.1 -

Masses, heavy 3.7 4 10.4 Table 18.1 -Medicines & drugs Table 20.52 - - 8.1.3 -Mercury 7.5.3, 7.7, 7.10.2,

12.1310 7.6, 15.5, 15.9 Tables 15.4, 18.4 Hazcard

Microbiology 14.9, 15.2 15 4.4, 13.2, 13.4,13.9

17.4, Table 17.10 -

Peanuts, burning 9.4.2 - 13.6, 14.4 - -Personal protective equipment 3.1 - 3.3, 20.12 5 - 3.8, 14.5, Table 14.1 -Pesticides 15.4 - 13.7 Table 17.5 -Photography 11.7 - 3.7 - -Pipetting 13.8.2 [10.10.3] - 7.4 Table 15.3 -Plants 15.5 14 13.6, 13.7 Tables 17.5-17.9 -Plastics, testing 13.6 - 15.4, 15.5 Table 15.3 -Pond dipping 17.1 - 13.5 Tables 17.1, 19.1 PS1, Guide L221Ponds 14.12.2, 15.6 - - - Guide L221Power lines experiment 12.9.6 17 4.4, 11.3 Table 16.4 -Power tools 6.5 - 10.5, 11.9 8.3.6, Table 16.7 -Pressure cookers 15.12.2 15 3.5, 9.2 8.3.3, 8.6.1,

Table 17.10Guide L214 a, b, c, d

Protective clothing 3.3 5 7.1, 7.2 3.8, 14.5, Table 14.1 -Radiant heaters 11.9.2 - 11.8, 12.3 Table 16.6 -Radioactive substances 12.10, Table 20.52 19 3.5, 12.8, 16.3 8.2.1, 18.1, Table 18.3 DfES AM1/92.

Guide L93Rockets - - - Table 18.1 -Safety screens 3.8 - 7.3, 8.3, 8.4, 9.4,

10.214.6.1, Table 15.3 Hazcards for particular

experiments.Saliva 14.4 14 14.3 Table 17.14 PS27, PS64Soldering 6.5, 11.11 - 4.4, 6.1, 11.9 8.3.6, 14.1.5,

Table 16.7-

Sphygmomanometers 11.8, 15.11 14 11.6, 14 Table 17.14 -Spills, chemical 7.7 - 7.6, 15.9 5.4, 14.7.3 Hazcards for spills of

individual chemicals.Spills, microbiological 15.2, 15.12 15 13.4 Table 17.10 -

39

Table 8 (continued)Topic Handbook (2004)

[Refs in bracketsare to 2005 editionon 2006 CD-ROM]

Topicsin Safety(3rd ed.)

Safeguards inthe SchoolLaboratory(10th ed.)

Safety in ScienceEducation (1996)

Other Texts / Notes

Spirometers 11.8, 14.5 14 11.6, 14 Table 17.14 -Steam engines, model 9.7.1 - 3.5, 6.1, 9.2,

10.38.3.3, 8.6.1,Table 18.4

L214 a, b, c, d

Sterilisation 15.12 15 13.9 Table 17.10 -Stroboscopes 12.19 12.1 Table 18.3 -Students involved inexperiments

11.8, 14.4, 14.5,14.13, 15.11, 15.13

14 11.6, 14 7.8, 17.5, Tables17.13, 17.14

-

Sun, care in viewing 11.9 18 12.5 Table 18.3 PS17Tasting activities 14.13.1, 15.13,

Table 20.1314 14.4 7.8, Table 17.14 -

Technician activities 2.2.2, Table 2.4, 3.7,7.10.7

3 3.8 4.8.6 PS25, Guide L234

Tissue culture 15.14 16 13.3 Table 17.11 -Tools 6.5 - 10.5, 11.9 8.3.6, 14.1.5,

Table 16.7-

Transformers 12.9.5 17 - Table 16.4 -Trolley runways 12.4.5 10.4 Table 18.1 -Wires etc under tension 3.2.2 5 10.6 Table 18.1 -Urine - 14 14.3 Table 17.14 PS27, PS64UV radiation 11.9.3 18 7.1, 12.6 Table 18.3 -Vacuum 12.20.1 [10.6] - 8.3 Table 18.4 -Van de Graaff generator,Wimshurst machine etc

11.8.3, 12.9.1,12.10.4

17 11.3, 12.7 Table 16.3 Bulletin 96

Ventilation 7.9.3, 8.2 6 7.8, 16.2 11.7.5 -Working with glass 11.13 [11.5] - - - -X-rays 12.10.4, Table 20.52 19 12.7 Table 18.3 DfES AM1/92, Guide L93.

II. Booklist

Table 9 Publications for model risk assessments in scienceTITLE AUTHOR DATE PUBLISHER ISBNHazcards CLEAPSS 1995 edition

updatedannually on CD

CLEAPSS* -

CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook CLEAPSS Updatedannually on CD

CLEAPSS* -

Fume Cupboard: Suppliers & Repairers,R9a

CLEAPSS 2004 + update2005

CLEAPSS* -

Science for Secondary Aged Pupils withSpecial Educational Needs, L77

CLEAPSS 2000 CLEAPSS* -

Managing Ionising Radiations &Radioactive Substances, L93

CLEAPSS 2001 CLEAPSS* -

Eye and Face Protection , R135 CLEAPSS 2005 CLEAPSS* -Portable Laboratory Gas Burners, L164 CLEAPSS 2004 CLEAPSS* -Safer Chemicals, Safer Reactions, L195 CLEAPSS 2003 CLEAPSS* -Examining Autoclaves, etc, L214 a, b, c, d CLEAPSS 2000 CLEAPSS* -Pond Dipping & Weil's Disease, PS1 CLEAPSS 1996 CLEAPSS* -Dissection of Eyes, PS2 CLEAPSS 2001 CLEAPSS* -

* All the CLEAPSS publications listed above are on the CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM which is updated annually.

40

Table 9 (continued)TITLE AUTHOR DATE PUBLISHER ISBNKeeping & Using Animals & Plants:formulating a Science Department Policy,PS3 and PS3a

CLEAPSS 1996 CLEAPSS* -

COSHH: Risk Assessments in Situationswhere Microorganisms might beInvolved, PS4

CLEAPSS 1993 CLEAPSS* -

Cheek Cell Sampling, PS6 CLEAPSS 2003 CLEAPSS* -Human Blood Sampling: RecommendedProcedures, PS11

CLEAPSS 1999 CLEAPSS* -

Viewing the Sun, PS17 CLEAPSS 2004 CLEAPSS* -Model Risk Assessments for LaboratoryTechnician Activities, PS25

CLEAPSS 2005 CLEAPSS* -

Human Body Fluids, PS27 CLEAPSS 2003 CLEAPSS* -Safety in Science EducationThis book can also be found on the ASEweb site, www.ase.org.uk. Some pageshave been updated and can be found onthe members-only part of the site

Written by ASE &CLEAPSS but editedby the DfEE

1996 The Stationery Office,Publications Centre,PO Box 29Norwich NR3 1GNTel: 0870 600 5522Fax: 0870 600 5533E-mail: customerservices@tso.co.ukWeb site: www.tso.co.uk

011270915X

DfEE AM1/92: Use of lonising Radiationsin Educational Establishments inEngland & Wales

DfEE 1992 DfES PublicationsPO Box 5050Sherwood ParkAnnesleyNottingham NG15 0DJTel: 0845 602 2260Fax: 0845 603 3360E-mail: dfes@prolog.uk.comWeb site: www.dfes.gov.uk

-

Safeguards in the School Laboratory ASE 10th edition1996[11th editionin prepar-ation 2005]

ASE, College LaneHatfield AL10 9AATel: 01707 283000Fax: 01707 283001E-mail: booksales@ase.org.ukWeb site: www.ase.org.uk

0863572502

Topics in Safety Committee convenedby the ASE

3rd edition2001

ASEsee above

0863573169

Be safe! Health and safety in primaryscience and technology

ASE 3rd edition2001

ASEsee above

0 86357324 X

CD2 Hazardous Chemicals. AnInteractive Manual(Note: Available at greatly reduced pricefor CLEAPSS members if ordered viaCLEAPSS)

SSERC 2002 Scottish Schools EquipmentResearch CentreSt Mary's Building23 Holyrood RoadEdinburgh EH8 8AETel: 0131 558 8180Fax: 0131 558 8191E-mail: sts@sserc.org.ukWeb site: www.sserc.org.uk

-

* All the CLEAPSS publications listed above are on the CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM which is updated annually.

41

Table 10 Publications for health & safety management and laboratory designTITLE AUTHOR DATE PUBLISHER ISBNManagement of Health &Safety at Work: Management ofHealth & Safety at WorkRegulations 1999 ACOP &Guidance

HSC 2000 HSE BooksPO Box 1999SudburySuffolk C010 2WATel: 01787 881165Fax: 01787 313995E-mail: hsebooks@prolog.uk.comWeb site: www.hsebooks.co.uk

0717624889

Manual Handling: Manual HandlingOperations Regulations 1992Guidance

HSE 1998 HSE Books, see above 0717624253

Five Steps to Risk Assessment HSE 1998 HSE Books, see above 0717615650(pack of 10leaflets)No ISBN forsingle (free)leaflet.

Managing Health & Safety inSchools

HSC (EducationServices AdvisoryCommittee)

1995 HSE Books, see above Out of print

Health & Safety Guidance forSchool Governors and Members ofSchool Boards

HSC (EducationServices AdvisoryCommittee)

1998 HSE Books, see above 0717612988

COSHH: Guidance for Schools HSC (EducationServices AdvisoryCommittee)

1989 HSE Books, see above Out of print

GS23 Electrical Safety in Schools(Electricity at Work Regulations1989)

HSE 1990 HSE Books, see above Out of print

Science Class Sizes, LaboratorySizes and Possible Effects onSafety, PS9

CLEAPSS 1996 CLEAPSS*

Designing and PlanningLaboratories, L14

CLEAPSS 2000 CLEAPSS* -

Monitoring the Implementation ofScience Safety Policies, PS30

CLEAPSS 2000 CLEAPSS* -

Student Safety Sheets CLEAPSS 1997 withlater updates

CLEAPSS* -

Safe and Exciting Science. AnINSET Pack

ASE 1999 ASE 0863572952

Building Bulletin 80: ScienceAccommodation in SecondarySchools

DfES 2004 The 2004 edition is only availableon-line at www.teachernet.gov.uk

-

* All the CLEAPSS publications listed above are on the CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM which is updated annually.

42

Table 11 Publications for model risk assessments in other subjectsTITLE AUTHOR DATE PUBLISHER ISBNModel Risk Assessments for Design& Technology in Secondary Schoolsand CollegesThis is available on the CLEAPSSD&T Publications CD-ROM

CLEAPSS 2000 (Part 1),2001 (Parts 2, 3)(CD-ROM 2003)Updates: 2002,2003, 2005

CLEAPSS -

Risk Assessment in SecondarySchool Design & TechnologyTeaching Environments

DATA 2003 DATA16 Wellesbourne HouseWalton RoadWellesbourne CV35 9J BTel: 01789 470007Fax: 01789 841955E-mail: data@data.org.ukWeb site: www.data.org.uk

1898788146

Building Bulletin 81:Design and TechnologyAccommodation in SecondarySchools

DfES 2004 The Stationery Office,Publications Centre,PO Box 29Norwich NR3 1GNTel: 0870 600 5522Fax: 0870 600 5533E-mail: customerservices@tso.co.ukWeb site: www.tso.co.uk

0112711707

A Guide to Safe Practice in Art &DesignAn updated version of this book hasbeen published on the web site ofthe National Society for Education inArt and Design at:www.nsead.org/hsg/

DfEE 1995 The Stationery Office, see above 011270896X

Health & Safety in Ceramics - aGuide for Educational Workshopsand Studios

Institute of Ceramics 1997 Out of print but a photocopy can besupplied by:The Information OfficerInstitute of Materials, Minerals &Mining1 Carlton House TerraceLondon SW1Y 5DB

Tel: 0207 451 7360Fax: 0207 839 1702

0901092428

Control of Substances Hazardous toHealth in the Production of PotteryACOP

HSC 1998 HSE Books, see Table 10 0717608492

Safe Practice in Physical Education British Association ofAdvisers & Lecturersin Physical Education

2004 Coachwise LtdUnit 2/3, Chelsea CloseOff Amberley RoadArmleyLeeds LS12 4XYTel: 0113 201 5555Fax: 0113 231 9606E-mail: enquiries@1st4sport.comWeb site: www.1st4sport.com

1902523687