What does assessing and managing risks mean?
Health and safety law requires the employer to assess the risks to the health and safety of staff and others affected by their activities.
The terms risk assessment and risk management are used to describe the process of thinking about the risks of any activity and the steps taken to counter them. Sensible management of risk does not mean that a separate written risk assessment is required for every activity.
School employers should always take a common sense and proportionate approach, remembering that in schools risk assessment and risk management are tools to enable children to undertake activities safely, and not prevent activities from taking place.
Sensible risk management cannot remove risk altogether but it should avoid needless or unhelpful paperwork.
Some activities, especially those happening away from school, can involve higher levels of risk. If these are annual or infrequent activities, a review of an existing assessment may be all that is needed. If it is a new activity, a specific assessment of significant risks must be carried out.
Headteachers should ensure that the person assigned with the assessment task understands the risks and is familiar with the activity that is planned.
Where a risk assessment is carried out the employer must record the significant findings of the assessment
However, schools need not carry out a risk assessment every time they undertake an activity that usually forms part of the school day, for example, taking pupils to a local venue which it frequently visits, such as a swimming pool, park, or place of worship.
Any risks of these routine activities should already have been considered when agreeing the school’s general health and safety policies and procedures.
A regular check to make sure the precautions remain suitable is all that is required.
