Managing Risks in Science L196

Managing Risk Assessment in Science
L196
August 2005
Managing Risk
Assessment in
Science
L196
August 2005
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Our thanks are expressed to schools who provided us with materials for the first and later editions of this guide and
to all those science advisers/inspectors and health & safety advisers who commented on drafts of the second and
third editions.
We are particularly grateful to the then Education National Interest Group of the Health & Safety Executive for
suggesting the original schools in which satisfactory examples of risk assessments could be found and for the
helpful 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 Majestys Stationery
Office.
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 own
establishments.
CLEAPSS 2005
CLEAPSS
Brunel University
Uxbridge UB8 3PH
Tel: 01895 251496
Fax: 01895 814372
E-mail: science@cleapss.org.uk
Web site: www.cleapss.org.uk
ii
L196 Managing Risk Assessment in Science

CONTENTS
Part A
Introduction
1.
About this guide and how to use it
2.
Why risk assessments are needed
3.
A simple approach to risk assessment for science
4.
Definitions
Risk assessments and responsibilities

The responsibility of the employer
The responsibility of the employee
4
4
4
Official guidance
Risk assessment for science lessons
Summary
5.
5.1
5.2
6.
Part B
7.
8.
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.6
8.7
8.8
8.9
Setting up a procedure for assessing risks

The employer's requirements
The science department's health & safety policy
Which health & safety texts are needed?
Health & safety information in textbooks
Which activities need risk assessments?
Adaptation
Review of risk assessments
Training for staff
Personal protective equipment
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
Using model risk assessments

11
Is there a hazard in this activity?
11
Is the activity worth doing?
12
Is it advisable to perform the activity at the level / age of a particular class? 12
Can a substitution or other change be made to make this activity safer? 12
What safety equipment should be used?
12
Is control of a hazard covered by good laboratory practice?
12
How detailed should the risk assessment be?
13
9.
10.
10.1
10.2
10.3
10.4
10.5
10.6
10.7
10.8
How to adapt model risk assessments and keep records

Introduction
What factors need to be considered?
Class size and laboratory size
Students with behavioural problems
Students with special educational needs
What to do if a model risk assessment cannot be found
The need for records
When and what to record
8
8
8
9
9
9
10
10
11
11
13
13
13
14
14
15
15
15
15
Continued overleaf
iii
11.
11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7
11.8
The individual teacher in her/his classroom

Lesson preparation
Spoken and written warnings
Good practice
Education about health & safety
The precautions which should be pointed out to the students
Reducing risks by careful distribution and collection of resources
Avoiding leaving hazards for a technician clearing up
Emergency procedures if there is an accident
15
15
16
16
16
16
17
17
17
12.
12.1
12.2
Departures from the department's risk assessments

Novel activities or activities conducted in a different way
Projects and open-ended investigations
18
18
18
13.
The monitoring role of the head of department
18
14.
Risk assessment checklist
18
Examples of risk assessments on texts in daily use
21
Example 1
Incorporation into department's own scheme of work
21
Examples 2a, b
Teachers' lesson plan and student worksheet
21
Part C
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 lack

experience
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
Risks in and around the prep room and to other staff
31
15.
15.1
15.2
Technicians
General
Specific areas
31
31
31
16.
16.1
16.2
16.3
16.4
16.5
Others at risk
Cleaners
Teaching assistants
Non-science teaching staff
Caretakers and office staff
Visitors
34
34
34
34
34
34
Part D
APPENDICES
36
Where to find model risk assessments in published texts
36
II
Booklist
39
iv
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
L196 Managing Risk Assessment in Science

Part A
Introduction
The level of detail in a risk assessment should be proportionate to the risk. insignificant risks can
usually 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 it
This guide was first issued in 1992 and revised in 1997 to reflect new legislation requiring risk assessments and
what had been learnt about using them in school science. In 1992, CLEAPSS asked the then Education National
Interest 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 1992
edition attempted to publicise these approaches, as recommended in Part B. The 1997 edition updated the references
to further legislation, added guidance on risk assessment for technician activities and included further examples. A
draft was sent to the HSE for its comment.
This new, 2005, edition does not present major changes. Mostly, it updates and reinterprets legislation and adds
further examples. Some sections have been rewritten or reorganised to clarify the intended meaning in the light of
calls to the CLEAPSS Helpline and/or discussion on CLEAPSS courses. The guidance also takes account of
recent 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 also
provides comprehensive reference to other authoritative guidance, codes of practice, standards and the underpinning
legislation. In both these areas it is fully in tune with HSEs current emphasis ...:
i)
[on] sensible risk assessment, sensibly applied, ie, that where the benefits of an activity are clear, the associated
risks 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 such
a situation was possible;
ii)
that effective and targeted use of existing good practice (generic risk assessments) can be relied upon in most
circumstances to provide adequate standards for satisfactory risk control and protection. But .... this good
practice 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 defines
the terms used. It present a simple approach based on the use of Model (General, Generic) Risk Assessments. It
discusses 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 in
turn each of the factors to take into account, including the nature of the activity and the nature of the class. It
discusses 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 others
who may be affected.
The Appendices give guidance on where to find detailed help for specific activities in CLEAPSS and other publications and also an extensive Bibliography.
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.
Managing Health and Safety in Schools, 1995, (ESAC, HSE Books); for details, see Table 10.
1
2.
Why risk assessments are needed
A risk assessment3 is:
an analysis of a practical activity made in order to identify hazards3 and to take steps to minimise the risk of
harm 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 always
assessed risks. The evidence for this is the very low percentage of serious accidents occurring over the years in
school science4.
However, since 1989, risk assessment has been required by law, initially by the Control of Substances Hazardous to
Health (COSHH) Regulations but now by several sets of legislation, including the Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR), the Ionising 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 a
practical point of view, it matters little under which regulations a risk assessment is to be carried out, so that the
requirement can be summed up as follows.
A risk assessment is needed for any activity in which there is a significant hazard, whether
carried out by pupils, teachers or technicians.
3.
A simple approach to risk assessment for science

A risk assessment is nothing more than a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to
people. Dont be over-complicated.5
Based on HSE advice, we recommend that employers adopt the following strategy. If employers fail to give
adequate guidance, we suggest that schools should still follow this advice as far as possible. You will be doing what
most schools do, what most employers encourage and what the HSE has suggested.
Adopt various standard publications to provide Model Risk Assessments3. Eg, CLEAPSS
Hazcards, Recipe Cards, the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook and the DfEE's Safety in Science
Education6.
For a curriculum activity, instruct local managers (heads of science) to review the Model Risk
Assessments 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 be
recorded 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 standard
publication, then a Special Risk Assessment must be obtained, following the procedures in section
12.1.
For non-curriculum activities (eg, technician work), instruct local managers to adopt procedures
based on advice in Part D. The general approach should be recorded in departmental health & safety
policies and details for specific activities may need to be recorded on texts in daily use3, with
appropriate 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).
See section 4, Definitions.

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 and
PE. However, even this figure overestimates the accident rate in science because, as a result of a quirk of the reporting
system, over half of these result in no significant injury.
Five Steps to Risk Assessment, 1998, (HSE, HSE Books); for details, see Table 10.
See Tables 9, 10, 11 for details of these and other publications.
5
6
4.
Definitions
Hazard and risk The HSE has defined:
a hazard as something with the potential to cause harm, including ill health and injury, to persons or to
cause 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 the
potential to cause burns. As the burns are small and heal quickly, the severity of injury is minor, but they affect a
number of pupils and so there is a small but significant risk. Electric shock from faulty equipment powered by
mains electricity is a hazard as it could result in death. However, with properly-designed and maintained equipment, even though the severity of harm would be high, the risk is insignificant and so electrical equipment is
used 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, it
presents a hazard. If a 500 cm3 bottle is locked in a chemical store, the risk is slight, even though the severity of
injury would be considerable. Left out in a room used by students, the risk becomes significant, the level
depending on the experience and responsibility of the students and on the degree of supervision.
Risk Assessment
The term risk assessment has a range of related meanings, both in official texts and elsewhere, reflecting the
general usage of the word assessment. Usually it is clear from the context which meaning is implied but some of
its meanings are described below.
A process A risk assessment is an analysis of a practical activity made in order to identify hazards and to
take steps to minimise the risk of harm occurring. While the main analysis must be carried out before the
activity is undertaken, thinking should continue; a teacher or technician should closely observe any
hazardous 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 be
undertaken by a class in a particular way with certain precautions etc. The phrase risk assessment is often
applied 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 school
to 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 on
a 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 to
comply with the COSHH Regulations. However, most situations which arise in school science will also require risk
assessments under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and DSEAR; hence the wider term
Risk Assessment is much more useful.
11 (a); for details, see Table 10.
3
Model Risk Assessment

Also called a general or generic assessment, the term model (risk) assessment refers to an assessment made for
a 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 is
taught and the equipment to be used. They are the documents that would be given to a new teacher (including a
supply teacher) who said: I am teaching in your school tomorrow. How do I find out what to teach and with what
resources?.
Examples are: schemes of work, lesson plans, student worksheets, teachers guides, technicians notes, etc. In this
guide, these are referred to as texts in daily use although, in the previous edition, we called them point-of-use
texts.
5.
Risk assessments and responsibilities
5.1
The responsibility of the employer
The law makes it clear that employers must undertake risk assessment as part of their general duty to ensure, so
far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees and others in the workplace. The
employer is the body with whom employees have contracts of employment, that is an education authority for most
schools (ie, community and voluntary-controlled schools) and the governors for foundation and voluntary-aided
schools, incorporated colleges and academies. For independent schools, it may be the governors, the proprietor or a
trust.
Almost all education authorities have adopted the recommendations in Part B of this guide. In independent
establishments (independent, foundation and voluntary-aided schools, academies and incorporated colleges), the
employer usually gives much less guidance. The employer relies on the head of the science department to establish
and maintain a safe system of working, including a procedure for risk assessments. In such circumstances, many
heads of science follow the policy in Part B. However, outside consultants employed by some of these establishments may recommend the use of forms; the relative merits of the two methods of recording are discussed in the
extract 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 model
risk assessments, they have a duty to check that the function is carried out. Legislation also requires the provision of
instruction and training in health & safety matters, including in the setting up and use of risk assessments. The
extent of this training has varied greatly and it is apparent that the best-established use of risk assessments is in the
schools of those authorities in which heads of science meet regularly and in which there has been training backed up
by 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 chemical
demonstration on an open evening led to an explosion. The HSE referred to the failure of management to train staff
in how to conduct risk assessments and to the lack of systems for monitoring or checking that health & safety issues
had been addressed.
5.2
The responsibility of the employee
Employees are required by law to look after their own health & safety and that of others and to cooperate with their
employer on such matters. They should carry out their activities in accordance with the training and instruction
provided by their employer, including the procedures for risk assessments. The importance of this was highlighted
by another prosecution, this time of a teacher for failing to follow what were, in effect, the recommendations of Part
B, as instructed by his employer. His employer had provided Hazcards and other guidance - he had failed to follow
that 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 keep
health & safety well up front. The form-filling exercises proposed by some safety specialists have not been favourably 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 note
in 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 that
an assessment of risks has been done. This is not a safe assumption. Whilst the more-responsible publishers may
have 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.
4
Employees must inform their employer of what they consider, in the light of the training and instruction they have
received, to be serious failures in health & safety arrangements and to be serious risks, eg, the failure of a fume
cupboard.
Whatever is written in this guide, teachers and technicians must cooperate with their employer's arrangements for risk assessment (though these can be challenged if thought to be unreasonable).
6.
Official guidance
This 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 and
local authority officers advocate the recording of risk assessments on special forms. This appears to work in some
colleges and, perhaps, in some subject departments where there are relatively few hazards but most school science
departments 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 Safety
at 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 assessments
may also be developed by trade associations, employers' bodies or other organisations concerned with a
particular activity.10
In this context, CLEAPSS would be considered as an employers body and the ASE and the DfES (and its
predecessors) 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 is
appropriate to their type of work; and
adapt the model to the detail of their own actual work situations, including any extension necessary to cover
hazards not referred to in the model.
The HSC also requires11 that
employers 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 an
inspector 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 could
act 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 the
risk-assessment process. Whilst this may well be useful for the small number of chemicals used in well-defined
processes elsewhere in the school (eg, by cleaners or caretakers), CLEAPSS feels it would be unwieldy in the
science education context where many hundreds of different chemicals are used in many different ways and where
the quantities are normally very tiny. In any case, the web site would only address COSHH-related issues, thereby
ignoring many of the chemicals which actually cause problems in school science, not to mention all the potential
non-chemical problems.
9
10
11
12
13
14
Management of Health and Safety at Work Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, 2000, (HSC, HSE Books); for details,
see Table 10.
The same publication, p8 para 15.
www.coshh-essentials.org.uk/
5
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 Inspectors
may ask for evidence of how a particular science department has responded to general
assessments printed in published texts.
While some employers require the completion of a printed form, this approach may have
disadvantages - see below. However, most employers ask school staff to incorporate risk
assessments into the materials normally used in teaching, such as schemes of work, lesson
plans or worksheets.
Risk assessment forms
Completing assessment forms which have been well designed to fit school science activities
fulfils legal requirements; they demonstrate that general assessments have been consulted
and 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 completed to remind staff of hazards and how risks can be reduced. Their completion may involve
only a few staff and, because they are separate from the main texts used daily in science
teaching, 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 day
One approach for recording Risk Assessments is to annotate documents which are used daily
in the science department. The information will be derived from the general assessments stipulated by the employer but will need adaptation for the circumstances of a particular
department and/or class; it will include appropriate hazard warnings, substitutions, restrictions
and precautions.
Texts which can be annotated include schemes of work, lesson plans, worksheets and text
books. Annotation of these documents has advantages:
because these risk assessments are on documents used daily to guide activities, there
is 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 so
more likely to be carried out; and
it will be easier for employers or HSE inspectors to relate risk assessments in this form
to actual practice because they will be part of the texts used for guidance and out on the
bench with the equipment.
This approach is equally suitable for non-chemical hazards. It encourages the view that safety
depends on the design of an activity, on the equipment, quantities, timing and so on, and is
not something to be considered later. It refers staff back to general assessments which have
been made by specialists who understand the significance of exposure limits, voltage limits
and 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 of
writing.
6
Part B
7.
Risk assessment for science lessons
Summary
The main advice in this guide is that warnings from model risk assessments should be adapted to suit an establishment and then written into texts in daily use such as schemes of work, lesson plans, instructions for teachers and
technicians, 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 model
risk assessments).
Is the activity really worth doing? Should it be carried out by pupils of a particular age? Would a teacher or technician need
specific 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? Can
it be used in smaller quantities or at greater dilution? Can thinner wires be used so that lighter masses can be used to
stretch them? Is a lower voltage possible? Can the bacterial culture be incubated at a lower temperature or a safer
species used? Consult model risk assessments.
What safety equipment should be used? Eye protection (what sort?), fume cupboard, gloves (what type?), safety screens
etc.
What are the emergency procedures if there is an accident? Should any reminders be written on schemes of work or
lesson plans? Should any equipment be to hand, eg, a fire blanket? Are there any rooms in which this activity would be
inappropriate or unsafe?
Is the room so overcrowded that this practical work could be unsafe? Do behavioural problems with this class make the
activity 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 quantities, concentrations etc? (Do NOT rely on authors / publishers giving useful or correct information.) Can health & safety
be 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 be
given 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 department health and safety policy
The texts to be consulted for model risk assessments should be listed with the procedures adopted on adaptation, on marking texts in daily use, the need for staff to follow
risk assessments, what to do if a model risk assessment cannot be found etc. Staff with
the functions of adapting risk assessments, marking texts etc should be named.
What to write in schemes of work,

lesson plans, instructions to technicians etc
Warnings could include the need to look up references (unless the relevant information
is reproduced), consult other staff about hazards and to try out particular activities in
advance. Also, hazard classifications, concentrations, quantities, precautions. Warnings
to 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 should
include warnings about preparation and clearing up after practical work.
What to write on pupil worksheets

and/or text books
Hazard classifications, concentrations, quantities, precautions. (For younger students,

obviously these will need to be expressed very differently from the model risk assessments.)
For the reasoning behind this advice

For details of how to apply it
For where to find detailed advice
see Part A,
sections 1 - 6
see Parts B, C, D,
sections 7 - 16
see Appendices I and II
(pages 1 - 6)
(pages 7 - 35)
(pages 36 - 42)
8.
Setting up a procedure for assessing risks

There 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 in
his/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 as
necessary 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 necessary
in relation to the special circumstances of their classes or rooms. Note any significant changes in lessons plans, daily
planners or equivalent (see section 11).
Dont forget risks to technicians and others (see part D, sections 15 and 16).
8.1
The employer's requirements
Employees are obliged to cooperate with their employer on health & safety matters. Most LEA employers give
instructions 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 more
freedom but CLEAPSS advises them to adopt a similar policy (see Part A). Often, foundation and voluntary-aided
schools buy into LEA health & safety services anyway. However, it is not the intention of the HSE that school
practical work should be unduly inhibited by health & safety legislation and so employers should make it
possible for staff to show initiative, perhaps in consultation with CLEAPSS.
8.2
The science department's health & safety policy
The science departments 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 to
prepare a draft departmental procedure with examples of warnings on schemes of work, worksheets etc, which
would reflect adaptations for local conditions. Nevertheless a short course outside the school, where different
approaches can be discussed and compared, is very useful and can provide reassurance; the CLEAPSS Management
of Safety courses19 cover this.
All science staff, including technicians, should be involved in discussion of this draft procedure as they are most
likely to respect a policy if they have taken part in its formulation and do not feel it has been imposed. However, it
is important that brief instruction be given to any staff not involved in the formulation of policy. This includes those
teaching science part time, including guests from other departments, newcomers (teachers and technicians), supply
teachers, 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 periodic
reminders 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 risk
assessments, mainly to find out if any require amendment but also to remind staff of the need to observe them. The
16
17
18
19
15; for details, see Table 10.
See section 4, Definitions.
Refer to PS30, Monitoring the Implementation of Science Safety Policies (on the CLEAPSS Science Publications CDROM); for details see Table 10.
See CLEAPSS website, www.cleapss.org.uk for a list of forthcoming courses, their dates and locations and the content of
the courses.
8
health & safety policy should make it clear that although departures from the department's scheme of work
may be encouraged in the interests of developing stimulating and educationally-worthwhile activities, such
departures can only take place if an agreed risk-assessment procedure is followed; see section 12.1. Most of
the (few) serious accidents in recent years have resulted from one-off activities, not part of the standard scheme of
work and usually contrary to advice on CLEAPSS Hazcards or other model risk assessments. Often, the occasion
has been an open evening or after-school club. The health & safety policy must make it clear that risk assessment
procedures 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 the
employer but, if choice is left to the science department, the employer should formally approve it. Those most
commonly 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 which
is updated annually. In principle, therefore, any CLEAPSS publication could be updated annually. The CD provides
a simple facility to check for and print off any such updates. Experience will decide which health & safety publications are most useful for different groups of activities.
8.4
Health & safety information in textbooks
A head of science will want to know if the health & safety warnings in textbooks or other published course materials can be regarded as model risk assessments. Legally, the employer must decide but often the decision is
delegated to heads of science. Some textbooks give health & safety information which can be regarded as satisfactory; however, some are not reliable and it may be a problem to distinguish between the two categories. CLEAPSS
and the ASE take great care to ensure that they give similar health & safety advice in their publications; these
bodies provided the authors for the early drafts of Safety in Science Education and so, again, the advice given in this
publication conforms to the general consensus. To be satisfactory as model risk assessments, the advice in published
course materials must also conform.
CLEAPSS, ASE and SSERC (in Scotland) have jointly produced guidance for authors and publishers20. Many publishers, especially the main curriculum-development projects, take it seriously but not all publishers can be relied
upon. 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 quantities of chemicals and maximum voltages and pressures etc are advised, with precise health & safety warnings, then
the advice is likely to be reliable. If these are omitted and the warnings are general and all-embracing, advice is
unlikely to be adequate. At the beginning of the book, there should be a statement of its health & safety policy and
what has been done to make the warnings conform to the consensus established by CLEAPSS and the ASE. A note
that a representative of either body has looked at the texts and checked for conformity makes it likely that the
warnings are acceptable. However, experience shows that the recommendations of these advisers are not always
fully incorporated into the published text. Therefore we advise that a school should always check that what is suggested does indeed conform to the model risk assessments acceptable to the employer. In any case, a school still
needs 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 for
activities 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, Health
and 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 of
laboratory accidents are caused by slipping, tripping, dropping etc but it would be counter-productive to be
continually drawing attention to these with written warnings. Most of these sorts of issue can be summarised as a
set 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.
9
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 forget
that tripods remain hot after use but remember also that many pupils join a class part way through the year. What is
appropriate 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 V
ac / 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, birds
and mammals), plants that could be poisonous or produce sensitisation, microorganisms and material from butchers
or 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 including
autoclaves, 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 over
25 V ac / 40 V dc, exothermic reactions, generation of gases in closed vessels, processes in which material may be
ejected, activities where glassware may be broken, etc.
Physics
Activities involving chemicals (see just above), air guns, electron and gas-discharge tubes [eg, some Teltron tubes
because 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 and
plastic monofilaments under tension etc.
Student
investigations
Although risk assessments should be part of student planning (as they are required by the Programme of Study of
the1999 National Curriculum for England and its equivalent in Wales and Northern Ireland), staff control is essential.
Personal protective
equipment
Risk assessments are needed to decide when PPE should be used and the type that is appropriate. However, model
risk assessments will advise.
Prep room
Preparing solutions, disposal of chemicals or sharps, storage, using ladders, moving equipment or chemicals up and
down stairs or along crowded corridors, moving heavy or hazardous items, soldering, working alone, handling living or
once-living organisms, especially microorganisms.
8.6
Adaptation
Official guidance requires that, before model risk assessments are adopted for use in a particular workplace, they are
adapted to suit the local conditions: size of rooms and their ventilation, class size and behaviour, the apparatus
available etc. In other words, risk assessments need to be customised. The points to be considered in making
adaptations 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 etc
but for practical activities using these (including storage, dispensing or carrying). Therefore, the person adapting a
model risk assessment for local circumstances should be a member of staff who is familiar with the activity. For
classroom activities, this will almost certainly be a teacher, preferably an experienced one. While a technician might
be asked to find an appropriate model risk assessment and to give advice, for curriculum activities the head of
science is advised to choose experienced teachers to adapt model risk assessments for local use, perhaps dividing
the work according to subject specialism. On the other hand, for activities in and around the prep room, a technician, preferably an experienced one, is likely to be the best person.
8.7
Review of risk assessments
A 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 department meetings. Problems can then be reported and risk assessments amended if necessary. Technicians and parttime staff should be present at least for this item. However, other items on the agenda may also have health & safety
implications.
10
8.8
Training for staff
The need for all science staff to be instructed in the risk-assessment procedures of the department has been
mentioned.
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 chemicals;
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 can
be 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 before
an 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. In
such cases, an experienced teacher (or technician) may need to give brief instructions or hands-on training: eg, to a
teacher about to use a 350 V, 150 mA supply (ie, not an EHT supply, the current of which is limited to 5 mA). This
will be especially necessary for those with unusual qualifications. See the CLEAPSS guide L238 Health and Safety
Induction and Training of Science Teachers. External courses can be useful for major topics such as microbiology
and 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-on
training or To be issued only to teachers on the approved list.
8.9
The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the last line of defence in risk assessment. The use of moredilute solutions, fume cupboards, safety screens, etc is always the preferred option, although older pupils on moreadvanced courses will clearly need a range of experiences. The type of PPE to be used needs to be considered as
part of the risk assessment. When chemicals classed as CORROSIVE or TOXIC are used, goggles giving chemical
splash 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 assessments
Those adapting risk assessments to suit a departments conditions, and those using them, need to be aware of a
series 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 as
VERY TOXIC, TOXIC, CORROSIVE, HARMFUL or IRRITANT or having a Workplace Exposure Limit (see CLEAPSS
Laboratory Handbook, section 7); pathogenic microorganisms or cultures of safer microorganisms which may have
become 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 voltages, etc) as hazardous, from experience, both personal and based on reports from educational establishments over
many 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.
11
It is worth emphasising that where quantities are given on model risk assessments, especially Hazcards, these are
NOT arbitrary amounts. For example, they take into account the amount of toxic gas which could be safely released
into a laboratory, knowing the Workplace Exposure Limit and making various assumptions about the size of the
laboratory, 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, then
find 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 its 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 or
on the backs of Hazcards. The compiler has to make assumptions concerning the likely experience and behaviour of
students in each year of the National Curriculum. In practice, these will vary from school to school and so the level
at which an activity is undertaken is likely to be subject to local adaptation. (Note that in most model risk assessments, the year notation used in England and Wales is given. Schools in Northern Ireland need to add one to obtain
their 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 ordinary
lessons. 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, or
if secondary teachers take practical activities into local primary schools. See the CLEAPSS leaflet PS58, Open
evenings 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? For
example, in the preparation of nylon, cyclohexane should be used in place of trichloroethane. (Chemical substitutions 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 should
be used rather than a culture from soil or pond water. If cotton buds are used for sampling cheek cells rather than
wooden 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-lines
demonstration safer is to use lower voltages. Less-concentrated reagents should be used where possible. Bench
reagents at a concentration of 2 mol dm-3 are a relic of qualitative analysis and could be more dilute, saving money
and making them safer as well; sodium hydroxide solution at 0.4 mol dm-3 is much less likely to cause severe
damage to the eyes. A list of suitable concentrations for most reagents used in school science will be found in
section 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 are
required for operations where there might be an explosion or implosion, eg, certain demonstrations in chemistry and
vacuum work in physics. If such protection is necessary, then both pupils and teachers need protection, ie, at least
two screens are needed (preferably three).
Sometimes the means to increase safety can be very simple; eg, a carton containing packing material placed on the
floor 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 as
hazardous is used. The type of protection should be subject to risk assessment. Generally, CLEAPSS considers that
TOXIC and CORROSIVE chemicals require goggles (or even face shields if large quantities are handled) while, for
those classed as HARMFUL or IRRITANT, suitable safety spectacles are adequate. Similarly, heating activities give
rise to greater risks than the use of cold solutions of the same substances. Again model risk assessments give guidance. 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). For
example, students should learn to stand when manipulating hazardous liquids, so that they can move quickly out of
the way in case of a spill. The question arises: should this be part of a model risk assessment? In many cases, such
basic precautions will be listed as laboratory rules, ie, the outcome of a risk assessment for general laboratory
activities. A sensible policy with less-experienced pupils is to consider such precautions as part of the risk assessment for a particular lesson. As pupils gain experience, the precautions would be considered to be part of good
practice, of course still needing to be reinforced with spoken warnings, but indicated on the worksheet or practical
12
text only when there was a significant hazard, eg, because a liquid being heated was CORROSIVE. The way in which
good practice takes care of minor hazards is compatible with HSE advice that risk assessments should not be
obscured 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 laboratory
practice and respecting the professional judgement of science staff. At one extreme, the risk assessment for preparing a microbiological culture is a consideration of all the good practice needed to obtain reliable results safely
and so is long and detailed. At the other, it can be only a short warning (or warning label); eg, when using ultraviolet 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
Introduction
The regulations requiring risk assessments and official guidance accompanying them make it clear that employers
are 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 best
delegated to the science departments in individual schools but training on risk assessment provided by the employer
should give guidance on this. Heads of science should not hesitate to ask for advice from their employer or the
CLEAPSS Helpline. As well as considering the points raised in this section, those making adaptations are advised
to 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 schools 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 a
set of bullet points. Although it will vary from school to school, many establishments in recent years have encountered staffing difficulties and sometimes employ people with less than ideal qualifications or experience. If in doubt
when recording risk assessments, it is probably helpful to imagine that you are writing guidance for such inexperienced 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 risk
assessments, the following give examples of possible adaptations which might be needed for the department as a
whole, or just for a particular class.
Requiring that teachers previously have hands-on training in the more hazardous activities, provided by
more-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 apparatus, 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, in
Part 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.

13
Major factors affecting adaptations are student behaviour and teacher control; the rest of this section will discuss
influences on these.
10.3
Class size and laboratory size
There is no easy answer to teacher concerns that the recent tendency to increase class size is reducing safety. More
detail on official guidance is given in the CLEAPSS leaflet PS9, Science Class Sizes, Laboratory Sizes and Possible
Effects on Safety. Briefly, there are no official limits to class size in England and Wales but some in Northern
Ireland. 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. This
will depend on the number of students, the size of the room, the amount of bench space and the nature of the
activity.
Pupils need to move around the room during practical work. In a crowded room, this in itself may be hazardous
with 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 the
chance of injury. The nature of the activity is crucial: 50 listening to a chalk-and-talk lecture are not at much risk; a
crowded A-level class may be able to titrate safely but not prepare organic compounds, unless students are using
microscale techniques. Young pupils are told not to point test tubes at each other but it is difficult to avoid this in a
packed 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 hot
water from a kettle as the heat source instead of Bunsen burners when extracting chlorophyll from leaves. Pupil
movement can be reduced by the careful planning of equipment collection and return; for example, dynamics trolley
runways could be distributed around the room by a few students while the remainder wait in the corridor. Providing
pre-weighed quantities of solids may reduce movement. Activities which can be conducted safely only in larger
rooms 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 doing
and to move quickly to prevent an accident. The risk here will depend upon the age, ability and, above all, the
behaviour of the students, as well as the nature of the activity. The presence of students with special needs or in the
early 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 make
supervision more difficult but an experienced teacher knows where to place those students requiring closest
supervision.
Some laboratories are badly designed (even modern ones). The layout of benches may make it difficult to reach the
site of a (potential) accident quickly.
It is important to remember that, although many of the (very few) serious accidents in school science occur during
teacher 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 be
reduced 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 restricted
and that the school is failing to meet statutory requirements. On the other hand, there are much more severe penalties 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 problems
Again it is important that a science department has an agreed policy for preventing a few students with behavioural
problems from making normal practical class activities unsafe or making it necessary to restrict them. Staff will
need to support each other in implementing it. An important factor is the number of such students: with a substantial
number in one class, the risk assessment may require the postponement or abandonment of certain activities. One
strategy may be to have a teaching assistant working with the most difficult pupils. A technician might supervise
and 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 sin
bin as the risk of theft or damage would be unacceptable. The head teacher should be informed; if s/he refuses to
14
allow such exclusions, some activities may need to be abandoned altogether and the head informed of the consequent failure to deliver the National Curriculum.
At pupil referral units, at schools for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and at home and hospital
teaching units, the situation is very different. Hazcards and other standard health & safety texts can still provide a
basic model risk assessment but much more adaptation will be needed. Policy decisions might be made, and recorded, 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 needs
The presence, in a class, of students with special educational needs can introduce particular hazards which need to
be considered when model risk assessments are adapted. There is a wide range of special needs, from emotional
problems to motor disabilities, and the special support provided varies considerably from school to school and
according to the types of need. Departmental policy will have to take account of each case individually. It may be
necessary to treat emotionally-disturbed students as in section 10.4. Students with impaired vision or hearing or
with 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 pupils role does not become totally passive. Teaching assistants will need
guidance on risk assessment. Adaptations of practice can sometimes be made: for example, pupils in wheel chairs
may need extra protection such as aprons when heating liquids; they and visually-impaired students may need to
wear face shields instead of safety spectacles if they work with their faces close to equipment. The CLEAPSS Guide
L77, Science for secondary-aged pupils with special educational needs, makes other suggestions for students with
such needs.
10.6
What to do if a model risk assessment cannot be found
If a model risk assessment cannot be found in the standard health & safety texts, a risk assessment can often be
adapted by comparison with similar model assessments. For example, a risk assessment for the small-scale electrolysis of a solution of potassium bromide could be based on the Hazcard on Sodium salts, on which the electrolysis
of sodium chloride solution is considered, and on the Hazcard for Bromine. If there is doubt, the CLEAPSS
Helpline should be consulted to see if a special risk assessment is needed. Be warned, however, that special risk
assessments often take many hours to research in the library, in the laboratory and on the internet. They need to be
checked by other colleagues. Hence a special risk assessment usually takes some days to prepare.
10.7
The need for records
There must be some evidence of risk assessments having been consulted; the law is quite clear. However, contrary
to what some consultants seem to think, no particular method of providing this evidence is prescribed by law, and
there is little point in merely copying down that which already appears as a model assessment. In this section, the
emphasis will be on giving warnings on texts in daily use (point-of-use texts). By this is meant the documents
used 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 precise
warnings and deciding on where to record them is part of the adaptation expected by the HSE; it is best left to each
school.
10.8
When and what to record
Tables 6, 7 and 8 will indicate when there is a model risk assessment to be consulted and the findings of this to be
recorded, 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 preparation
In 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
15
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 has
been consulted and considered.
11.2
Spoken and written warnings
Staff sometimes ask if spoken warnings to pupils can be considered as a substitute for written warnings on worksheets. 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 drawing
attention to safety warnings. Further, such warnings can be considered part of the recording of the significant findings 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 pupils
will need continual reminders, for example, to wear eye protection, supported by sanctions. A-level students should
need only occasional warnings. Teachers and technicians must always set a good example.
11.3
Good practice
A teacher will need to consider what aspects of good practice need to be taught or reinforced during a lesson. An
account of good general laboratory practice is given in Safety in Science Education section 14 and, for the safe
handling of chemicals, in the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook section 13.1.
11.4
Education about health & safety
Schools often teach about health & safety. In a recent court case, the defence produced evidence that a week or two
before an accident the class had carried out a Spot-the-hazard activity, the injured pupil had been present and
indeed had done a homework based on it. This was seen as part of the evidence that a risk assessment had taken
place 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 students
should be explained to them, as these extracts from the National Curriculum for England22 show. (Similar, but less
detailed, statements appear in the National Curricula for Wales and Northern Ireland.)
Table 3
Extract from the National Curriculum for Science for England
Key Stage
Programme of Study
Scientific
enquiry
Pupils should be taught to:

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

use a wide range of equipment and materials appropriately and manage their working environment to ensure
the safety of themselves and others.
3 and 4
Breadth of
study
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 take
action to reduce risks to themselves and others.
3 and 4
Over-arching
requirements
When working with tools, equipment and materials, in practical activities and in different environments, including 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 find
in an activity and how risks can be reduced. Applied Science courses often have specific requirements about students drawing up risk assessments. Because most information sources are too complicated for students, CLEAPSS
has 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 students
Often 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 transmission lines, the 230 V wires are insulated. Why insulation is important for voltages above about 25 V ac should
22
23
The National Curriculum for England, DfEE / QCA, 1999. Available at www.nc.uk.net
Student Safety Sheets, CLEAPSS, 1997 with additions in 2000, 2003, 2005; included on the CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM.
16
be pointed out to the students. Bottles should be accurately labelled with the hazards of their contents. It would be
ironic if, with laboratory reagents made safer by being more dilute, students were not made aware of how corrosive
substances can be, including some found in the home such as oven cleaner, quite a concentrated alkali. Discussing
safety precautions with students is part of meeting National Curriculum requirements in Key Stages 3 and 4; see
section 11.4. Learning how to handle safely hazardous chemicals which may be met at home is an important reason
for all pupils to study science.
11.6
Reducing risks by careful distribution and collection of resources
Instructions and apparatus lists for technicians must be clear and precise (see Part D). Although there are many
highly-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 or
incorrect or if the wrong resource (or wrong-sized resource) is supplied. Frequently-used instructions should have
hazard warnings on them and one-off requests should be accompanied by warnings of any hazard which will not be
obvious to a particular technician; discussion may be necessary to check this. Also, if instructions are clear, with
hazards 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 voltage
obtainable from low-voltage supplies can be preset, perhaps to prevent risk of overheating a resistor. If students are
to use a corrosive alkaline solution, risks are reduced if each group is allowed only a small amount, measured out by
a technician beforehand. A fire was started by a student putting a hot deflagrating spoon into a jar of magnesium
powder; the usual practice in that school was for each group to be given a small amount of powder on a watch glass
but, on this occasion, the technician had insufficient time to prepare these. Instructions to set out resources in a particular 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 equipment
distributed too soon; unless controlled, they can rush to obtain it, perhaps jostling each other if several items are left
in one small tray. If a hazard can arise because two items are confused, it is preferable to clear one away before the
other is made available. Activities must be limited to fit the time available so that teachers and students are not
encouraged to rush to finish in time for the bell. This is part of good class management in that it is automatic for a
competent 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 and
the consequential deterioration in behaviour.
11.7
Avoiding leaving hazards for a technician clearing up
Pupils and teachers should, as a matter of good practice, rinse used glassware before stacking it but it would be
unwise for technicians to rely on this. After being used for chemicals which are hazardous when concentrated, test
tubes etc could be left in water, eg, in a water-filled plastic bowl. Glassware contaminated with saliva from tests on
its amylase content should be deposited in a vessel containing a disinfectant24. Teachers should be careful to inform
the technician of unexpected hazards: for example, a beaker left after a demonstration containing small fragments of
potassium. Labels or notes may be appropriate if there may be no personal contact. Warnings should be given if
there are hazards in disposing of used materials. The need for thought about apparatus and other resources left out
after a practical class is greater if another class, cleaners etc are expected to enter the laboratory before a technician
is able to clear it away.
11.8
Emergency procedures if there is an accident
All science staff should be familiar with the few routine immediate remedial measures for washing eyes, putting out
clothing on fire etc25,26 and also how to turn off the gas and electricity in all rooms in which science is taught. Brief
reminders can be posted on the laboratory walls. A teacher about to conduct a class activity with chemicals should
check the eye-washing facilities in the room to be used. If Bunsen burners are to be used, check on the fire-fighting
equipment available. A very few activities require that a particular safety measure be at hand: for example, sand if
white phosphorus is to be burned. (Antidotes, such as solutions to be swallowed or vapours to be inhaled, should
not be used in school science as they usually cause more harm than good.)
24
25
26
See the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook, section 15.12.3.

See the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook, section 5.2.1.
There is a range of training activities in Safe and Exciting Science INSET Pack. ASE. 1999; see Table 9 for details.
17
12.
Departures from the department's risk assessments
12.1
Novel activities or activities conducted in a different way
Sometimes a staff member will want to try out a new experiment or a new way of doing an old one and science
education would be the poorer if this is not encouraged. However, departures from normal risk assessments require
careful thought and consultation with colleagues with more knowledge and experience, including technicians; a
brief note of the main points of the new risk assessment should be made on the lesson plan or some other convenient
place. If there is still doubt that a proposed activity is safe, the CLEAPSS Helpline should be consulted for a
special risk assessment. Teachers should also carry out a careful risk assessment if they plan changes to the design
of 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 explosion
occurred when, to show that bromine water was acidic, water was added to a gas jar containing bromine; the teacher
had forgotten that previously sodium had been burned in that jar and was likely to have left fragments.
12.2
Projects and open-ended investigations
Students should be asked to assess risks in their planning of any project or open-ended investigation, possibly with
the help of the CLEAPSS Student Safety Sheets, and to discuss health & safety among other aspects with their
teacher before starting work. Many departments will have a planning sheet for students to complete and there must
be entries for health & safety issues. (The number of stages involved in choosing and planning before the investigation starts and the number of times a student submits proposals for teacher comment will depend on the complexity
of the project and the ability of the student.) Teachers should check these risk assessments carefully and alter the
activities until they are acceptable in comparison with model assessments. Technicians, who notice possible hazards
in the lists of equipment they are asked to provide, should be encouraged to report their doubts to the teachers
concerned; however, the responsibility for the health & safety of students must remain with the teachers supervising
them. If doubts remain, staff should telephone the CLEAPSS Helpline, or, in some education authorities, science
or health & safety advisory staff.
Students should not telephone CLEAPSS themselves. They lack the experience to present a succinct, accurate and
comprehensive account of their intentions and CLEAPSS cannot be familiar with local conditions. Only if the technician or the teacher supervising the student telephones could any liability for a subsequent accident be attributed to
CLEAPSS. In any case, we would be unsure whether our staff were doing students assignments for them and could
not cope with the potential numbers involved.
13.
The monitoring role of the head of department
There is no point in having risk-assessment procedures in place if these are largely ignored. One serious science
accident resulted in the prosecution of the school. The HSE inspector argued that, although the school had clear
health & safety policies and clear procedures for risk assessment, nobody was implementing these and nobody was
checking whether anybody was implementing them. Heads of department, as middle managers, need to monitor
what 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 of
Science 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 dont use them.
Of course, monitoring may identify problems. Ignoring problems is tantamount to condoning bad practice. Encouraging good practice through departmental meetings is a start. Informal discussions with individual staff may help. In
the end, however, it may be necessary to give formal oral or written warnings. If so, senior management should be
involved and careful records kept.
14.
Risk assessment checklist
Note: the checklist on the following pages is slightly adapted from section 2 of the CLEAPSS guide L238, Health
and Safety Induction and Training of Science Teachers.
18
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 chemicals
are you using or
making?
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 biological
materials are
you using?
What are the hazards of each material?

Have you checked sections 14 and 15 of the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook and other
information on the CLEAPSS CD-ROM?
If microbiology is involved, have you been trained in the relevant techniques?
What hazardous
equipment are
you using?
Has any mains-powered equipment been checked for electrical safety?

Have you considered that even simple equipment may be hazardous, eg, scalpels, cracked
glassware?
Have you checked whether there are any hazards associated with the equipment, eg, in the
CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook?
Do you need hands-on training for using this equipment?
What hazardous
processes will
take 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 the
CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook?
Do you need hands-on training?
What is the
likelihood of theft
or misuse?
Are there any chemicals or equipment in use which pupils may be tempted to misuse, eg, teat
pipettes?
Are there any chemicals (eg, magnesium ribbon), equipment (eg, scalpels, balances, agar
plates) or components (eg, the vents from safety goggles) that pupils may be tempted to
remove 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 the
science department scheme of
work actually
say about the
activities?
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 with
suitable training or with the approval of the head of department? Have you received relevant
training?
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 or
other 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, or
might 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 particular
laboratory, 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?
19
Table 5 (continued)
The nature of the class: Examples of questions to think about
What safety
information will
you need to give
the 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 ability

level 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 of

the class?
Is the class too large to be safely supervised for the proposed activity?
Do any of the
pupils have
special needs,
particular medical
or other conditions which might
be 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 teaching
assistant or other support available for such pupils?
Are there security

issues?
Will it be necessary to check, or count out and count back in, particular items of equipment?
How well-behaved
are the pupils?
Will all pupils follow the instructions? If not, would the activity be unsafe?
Do any of the pupils have medical conditions which might be relevant, eg, asthma, epilepsy,
allergies?
What would you do if items are not returned?
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 not
cluttering the floor?
What is the mood of the class today, eg, after PE or a wet lunchtime?
The nature of the room:

What is the size of
the room and
what are its
facilities?
Examples of questions to think about
Is the room too small for the size of class, so that pupils cannot carry out the proposed
practical 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 checked
the fume cupboard is working?
Is the ventilation adequate for the planned activities?
What are the

emergency facilities 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 use
them?
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 the

arrangements for
preparing for the
lesson and
clearing up afterwards?
Would there be hazards if technicians deliver equipment etc to the room some time before the
lesson? 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 is
broken glass to be dealt with?
Will cleaning, disinfection or ventilation be necessary before the room is used again?
20
Part C
Examples of risk assessments on texts in daily use
Example 1
Incorporation into departments own scheme of work
This is an example of a scheme of work, based on one devised by a school. The risk assessment column has three
kinds 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 Content
Book reference
Cross-curriculum links
Resources
Risk Assessment
Building materials
C1.1 and C1.2
Economics
Industry
Thermometers
See Mercury Hazcard.*
Strength of Materials
C1.3 and CIA
Assess. 1
Economics
Industry
Equip. for Assessment 1

sheets of glass, 'clear'
plastic and polythene
Eye protection if stretching

wires / nylon. Screen + Eye
protection if smashing
materials.
Solids, liquids &

gases: mass &
volume. C2.1 & C2.2
Industry
Ice, Rice Krispies,

thermometers
Warn not to eat in labs. See

Mercury Hazcard.*
Dissolving things
Sweet manufact. as
examples of states
Industry
Economics
Sugar & cubes,

tea & bags, milk &
whitener, carbonated
drink
Warn not to eat in labs.
Industry
'Artificial' crude oil,

variety of detergents
Distillation of a flammable:
REHEARSE! See HoD first
time.
C2.3 C 2.g Assess. 2

5
Mixtures &
separation
C3.1 G 3.2
This record could be improved by changing the references from See Mercury Hazcard to Clear up spills from broken
thermometers. See Mercury Hazcard.
Examples 2a and 2b
Teachers' lesson plan and student worksheet
In the linked examples overleaf, the detail of the investigations is on the worksheet but it needs to be read in
conjunction with the lesson plan. The documents give detailed advice as some of the teachers may be non-specialists. If pupils have limited manipulative skills, safety could be improved by asking technicians to set up the equipment, pre-loaded with zinc carbonate.
21
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 off
the lesson satisfactorily. (Time is short on the course so it may be difficult to go over the work
later.)
Homework
Complete the Results Table. Write word equations for the reactions. Read pages 6 and 7 in
Chemistry Counts and answer the questions.
Risk
Assessments
Rehearse experiments first.

Experiment 1:
Suck back is possible so demonstrate to students to

remove limewater if this happens or lift out delivery tubes.
Experiment 2:
Use no more than 0.3 g (small spatula) of copper(II) nitrate

as 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 and

clothes 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
22
Examples 3a, 3b and 3c
Modifying a published scheme
Sometimes it is necessary to modify published text books or schemes of work, to correspond with model risk
assessments. This is particularly likely for those bought some years ago but even recent schemes will need safety
points highlighting. Modifications can be written or pasted in. Highlighter pens are also useful to draw attention to
significant 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 school
has actually thought about this activity (or indeed actually read the Hazcard). In any case, people probably wont
bother to refer to Hazcards on a day-to-day basis. We know that the HSE does not consider this to be an adequate
record.
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 well
forget that);
personal protective equipment has been highlighted;
solutions have been substituted for solids to reduce the hazard.
23
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 been
further 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 text
The 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
Hazard as the High Voltage current is not

limited to 5 mA
Teltron fine-beam tube

350 V dc power supply
25 V variable power supply
Leads with shrouded plugs must be used in

tray with Teltron tube
Leads
10 A ammeter etc
Procedure
1.
Connect up the circuit shown.
2.
Vary the current through the field coils until a deflection of

1 cm is obtained. Note the current.
3.
Vary the voltage across the Y-plates until the spot returns
to zero. Note the voltage.
4.
Repeat 2. and 3., with deflections of 2, 3, 4 and 5 cm.
Example 5
DO NOT PLUG EITHER POWER

SUPPLY INTO THE MAINS UNTIL
CIRCUIT HAS BEEN INSPECTED
BY TEACHER
Annotated text book
In 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.
24
Example 6
Annotating a simple text to help teachers and technicians who lack
experience
This example (overleaf) is taken from a popular commercial scheme. The text, intended for pupils, has been annotated to draw the attention of inexperienced teachers and technicians to problems that more-experienced staff would
take as second nature. Of course, it might be argued that the result is so cluttered as to hinder communication.
25
Example 7
Apparatus sheet prepared by a school
Note how attention is drawn to the classification of 5M sodium hydroxide as CORROSIVE so that goggles are needed
for pupils and a face shield for the technician, rather than spectacles; also gloves. It is assumed that a set of Bunsen
burners and tripods and gauzes is available in the laboratory.
Apparatus List
Please submit 3 days in advance
Period: Tuesday 5
Room: L4
Chemical Matters
No of groups: 12
Soap making
Class/teacher:
11A-Jones
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 during
the lesson.
Include sodium hydroxide Hazcard with equipment.
CARE when washing up.
26
Example 8
Detailed instructions not needing adaptation
This example shows a detailed set of instructions, with safety precautions included (in fact, taken from the
CLEAPSS guide L195, Safer Chemicals, Safer Reactions27.) The school considered that no adaptation was
necessary. All that it decided to do was to highlight the safety information.
There have been occasional reported explosions when using methods

similar to this. It is essential not to exceed the stated quantities and that
the demonstrator and students are protected by safety screens.
Procedure
Magnesium ribbon
Fluted filter paper
Igniter mixture
Thermite mixture
Pip-clay traingle
Tripod
1 litre beaker
Water layer
Sand layer
Heat-proof mat
Eye protection and a laboratory coat (it can become messy at the end) should be
worn by the demonstrator. Students should stand further than 4 m from the
reaction and wear eye protection. Safety screens must be used.
Fold two 12 cm diameter circles of filter paper into fluted cones and place one
inside the other.
Into a 1 litre, thick-walled beaker, pour sand until it is one third full and then add
water until it is two thirds full.
Wear eye protection. Place the beaker on a bench mat and set up the equipment
as shown in the diagram above. Add 12 g of Thermite mixture [9 g of iron(III) oxide
and 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 igniter
mixture [0.2 g of magnesium powder and 2 g of barium nitrate (a ratio of 1:10)] into
this.
Insert a magnesium ribbon fuse upright into the igniter mixture. It must extend
above the fluted filter paper. Light the magnesium fuse with a Bunsen burner flame
and retreat.
Once the reaction has stopped, remove the beaker and decant the water down the
sink and retrieve the iron formed with a magnet. Wash the iron under a tap of
running water.
It may be possible to extract some shiny iron from the spongy bits of metal and
demonstrate that it conducts an electric current.
Controls
and hints
The bench should be clear of combustible materials and protected with a sheet of hardboard or
mats. Pupils should not look directly at the glare of the burning magnesium but cover their eyes
with their fingers slightly apart. The demonstrator must have room to move quickly away to a safe
distance. Do not use potassium manganate(VII) and hot glycerol to initiate the reaction in this
version because the filter paper catches fire. Do not use any copper oxides, chromium(VI) oxide,
lead oxides or manganese(IV) oxide.
Disposal
Extension
Leave the sand in a tray to dry and use again.
27
Chromium(III) oxide or manganese(II)dimanganese(III) oxide (Mn3O4) can be used instead of

iron(III) oxide.
For details, see Table 9.

27
Example 9
Limitations of a detailed risk assessment
This 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 all
the hazards. For example, it fails to warn about baggy shirts (as opposed to untucked shirts), the possibility of
setting waste bins on fire as a result of carelessly-discarded splints or the hazards of bags cluttering the floor. A
teacher, seeing the level of detail in such a risk assessment, might reasonably conclude that the thinking had been
done for them. This could give rise to dangerous complacency - if, of course, the teacher actually had time to read
all of this before the lesson.
Examples 10a and 10b

Using a risk assessment form
Generally, we do not support the use of risk-assessment forms. They are not required by law and may obscure
essential information in a mass of detail. Once completed, they tend to be filed away, never again to be read and
having little impact on the day-to-day work of a science department. However, we recognise that some establishments 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 forgotten
about the products of the reaction, which in this case (especially the sulfur dioxide) are much the greatest hazard.
28
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 time
how long it takes to go cloudy
Activity to be carried out by (9 or 8)
technician
If carried out by student
age group
Year 10
Persons at risk from activity (9 or 8)
technician
Teacher / lecturer
Student / pupil
level of course
Teacher / lecturer
GCSE
Student / pupil
For each chemical

Name
Quantity &/or
concentration
Hazard(s) (at the

dilution used) &/or
risk phrase(s)
Exposure
limit
Control measures
Sodium thiosulfate
0.2 M
none
none
Hydrochloric acid
2M
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
TPB
Date of risk assessment
Date of next review of risk

assessment
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 time
how long it takes to go cloudy
Activity to be carried out by (9 or 8)
technician
If carried out by student
age group
Year 10
Persons at risk from activity (9 or 8)
technician
Teacher / lecturer
Student / pupil
level of course
Teacher / lecturer
GCSE
Student / pupil
For each chemical used or made

Name
Quantity &/or
concentration
Hazard(s) (at the

dilution used) &/or
risk phrase(s)
Exposure
limit
Control measures
Sodium thiosulfate
0.2 M
none
none
Hydrochloric acid
2M
irritant
safety spectacles
Sulfur dioxide
Less than 14
litres
Toxic & corrosive
13
mg/m3
good ventilation; pour away solution at

once; warn asthmatics
For each hazardous procedure or piece of hazardous equipment

Nature of hazard(s)
Glassware
Control measures(s)
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 risk

assessment
TPB
RW
16/02/05
Feb 2006
29
Example 11
Labelling apparatus or bottles
Some activities are based round a piece of apparatus, which has a limited range of uses, all presenting the same
hazard. In this case, a warning attached to the equipment is sensible, even if there are references in schemes of work
etc as well. Similarly, labels might be attached to bottles of particular chemicals. Some examples are given in the
table below.
Apparatus
Warning
Suggested methods of attachment
350 V 150 mA dc
power supply
HIGH VOLTAGE - no current limitation

Use shrouded leads.
Adhesive label on supply.
See Head of Physics before first use.

Sphygmomanometer
NEVER stop pulse for more than

5 seconds.
Adhesive label on box.
See Head of Biology before first use.

Rotary vacuum
pump
This pump weighs ... kg. Use trolley

where possible. Only to be lifted by two
people.
Attach to housing.
Steam engine
*ALWAYS test safety valve to ensure it

is free before starting heating and again
when steaming.
Large plastic-covered card in the tray

with the steam engine.
*ALWAYS use only solid fuel.

Rehearse with technician first time.
Potassium,
sodium
Bromine
Check Hazcard.
Label attached to bottle.
Only to be used by staff with training and

approval of Head of Department.
Check Hazcard.
Take sodium thiosulfate solution with

bromine.
Phosphorus
(white)
Check Hazcard.
Take dry sand to extinguish fires.

Cut up under water in a mortar.
Radioactive
sources
Consult Local Rules for working with

ionising radiations.
Fill in log book.

*
Advice depends on the model of the steam engine and may need adapting. Liquid fuels should not be used.
30
Part D
15.
Risks in and around the prep room and to other staff
Technicians
15.1
General
It is our experience that when science departments consider risk assessment, they automatically focus on the risk to
pupils but forget the risks to staff, especially technicians. In section 11.6, there was discussion of some of the ways
in which schools can reduce the risk to students by limiting exposure to hazards by asking technicians to measure
out chemicals etc. However, this may increase the risk to technicians. There need to be risk assessments for technician activities, the aim of which is to reduce risk to the technicians themselves28. Employers have a duty of care in
both criminal and civil law to provide a healthy & safe working environment for all employees. The task of ensuring 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 explored
before a new technician starts work. Some induction will always be necessary29, for example, to explain the department's approach to risk assessment, and is in fact a requirement of the Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations. Experience can be deceptive: a technician who has worked for many years in a well-equipped electronic repair laboratory may not appreciate how hazards are increased in a busy general-purpose preparation room; a
technician with experience of working in an industrial chemical laboratory may never have had to dilute concentrated 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 to
encourage an atmosphere in which concerns are exchanged and it is not considered an admission of failure to ask
for advice. An incident, in which a student removed a bottle of bromine from a fume cupboard in a laboratory and
dropped it in a corridor, was caused by a technician not knowing what to do with the bottle which had a split cap
and failing to ask for advice. This incident raises questions about security, supervision of students and student
access to hazardous chemicals.
Technicians, as with all employees, will be most comfortable in their employment if their responsibilities are identified. It must be made clear that, although technicians have a legal obligation to point out, to the extent that their
training permits, serious risks and failure in health & safety arrangements, so do teaching staff. Technicians do not
have a special responsibility for health & safety and it would be unwise for a head of science to delegate to them
health & safety tasks for which they have neither the education nor training. Therefore, it is usually inappropriate
to ask technicians to compile risk assessments for all the science teaching activities although they may well
take 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 than
preparing resources on time; risky shortcuts should not be taken.
15.2
Specific areas
Table 6 overleaf will need adaptation before use by a particular school. The head of science, an experienced teacher
appointed by him or her or, sometimes, a very experienced technician should go through the table with a new
technician or one extending his or her skills, with particular attention paid to operations highlighted in the last
column. It is not suggested that all technicians should attempt to cover all activities but the head of science should
instruct 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 those
referred to in the table, and understand their indexes. Attention can be drawn to many of the risk assessments which
technicians must observe by well-sited labels: eg, on heavy equipment which requires two persons to carry it, see
Part C, Example 11 of this guide.
28
29
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 CLEAPSS
web site for any update. Once customised it can be incorporated into the departmental health & safety policy.
See the CLEAPSS guide L234, The induction and training of science technicians, on the CLEAPSS Science Publications
CD-ROM.
31
Table 6
Technician activities likely to require risk assessment
Numbers refer to sections in the CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook (Hbk), CLEAPSS information leaflets (PS) or
Safety in Science Education (SSE).
Operation /resource
Model Risk
Assessments found in
Notes
Animals and plants
Hbk: 14.1, 14.2, 15.5

PS55
SSE: 17
Important to discuss with the senior biologist. Hygiene important. Inform him/her if
signs of sensitivity/allergy developing; no eating, drinking or smoking in areas
which may be contaminated.
Animal materials
from the butcher
Hbk: 14.13
PS2
SSE: 17.1, Table 17.1
Hygiene.
Hbk: 14.6, 14.7, 15.8
Eye protection, perhaps gloves.
preserved
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 which
may be contaminated.
disposal
Hazcards
Hbk: 7.5
SSE: Table 15.1, 15.2.1
preparing solutions
Recipe Cards
Hbk: 7.6
SSE: 14, 15
Dilution of concentrated sulfuric acid - TAKE CARE!
spills
Hazcards
Hbk: 7.7
SSE: 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
Hazcards
Hbk: 7.3
SSE: 9
Storage must conform to the requirements of the Dangerous Substances &

Explosive Atmospheres Regulations.
washing up
Hbk: 20.12
PS50
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 wiped
quickly. 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 by
CLEAPSS which cover all areas below.
continual check
Hbk: 6.4
SSE: 8.3.2
Damage to plugs, cables and sockets.
periodic test
Hbk: 6.4
SSE: 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: 10
Use, 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-flammable
liquids
Hbk: 4.1.2, 7.3.3, 7.4.2

SSE: 9.2, 15.1.4
Avoid flames, cigarettes!
Human body fluids
Hbk: 14.4
PS6, 11, 27
SSE: Table 17.14
Hygiene; disinfection / steam sterilisation required for disposal.
Immediate remedial
measures
Hbk: 5.2
SSE: 6.2
Rehearse these at least annually.
Lifting and carrying
Hbk: 3.7
SSE: 4.8.6, 8.4
See Table 7.
Lone working
Hbk: 5.2.2
Follow departmental policy. Likely to exclude hazardous operations such as

diluting concentrated acids, heating highly-flammable liquids.
Microbiology
Hbk: 15.2; 15.12

PS34
Many precautions. Safe use of autoclaves. Better to go on a course, eg, run by

CLEAPSS; no eating, drinking or smoking in areas which may be contaminated.
Security
Hbk: 2.2.4
SSE: 3.6
Follow departmental policy.
Tools, particularly
power tools
Hbk: 2.2.5, 2.2.7, 6.5.2

SSE: 8.3.6, Table 16.7
Use the correct tool for the job; seek guidance if unsure, eg, from the D & T
department.
32
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 a
science department is on several floors or with separated sites.
Hazardous situation
Hazard
Action
Congestion in corridors, stairs,

etc
From a variety of accidents.
Avoid moving equipment at times of congestion.
Floors, cluttered, wet or

damaged
From falls or slipping.
Keep routes clear.
Moving equipment:
To backs, which are vulnerable to

even moderate loads.
Avoid bags etc on the floor.

Ensure spills are mopped up promptly.
Report all damage.
To feet, from dropped equipment and

chemicals.
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 outside

store
Avoid the dark, bad weather and times of congestion;
in trays
Trays should not be overloaded and should be held close to

the body;
especially dangerous or
fragile items
Use two technicians, one to carry, the other to open doors

and act as look-out;
through heavy fire doors
Prop open door, but aim to do so for minimum time only, or

use two technicians.
Lifting equipment down from

high shelves
From falling load and falling from

steps.
Store frequently-used items at a comfortable height.

If possible, store nothing above head height. If this is not
possible, store only light-weight, non-fragile, rarely-used items
above head height.
If an item has to be lifted down, use step ladder and
assistance, NEVER stools. Avoid twisting motion.
Carrying equipment up or down

stairs
Moving equipment enhanced by

impossibility of using trolleys,
increased risk of slipping etc.
trays
If available, use dumb waiter, lift or consider special trolleys

for stairs (but these are heavy).
Keep one hand on banister.
Avoid moving where possible. Trays not overloaded and held
close 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 awkward

objects, including vacuum
pumps, large autoclaves etc
To backs, feet etc.
Items should be labelled: To be lifted only by two members of

staff, observing good practice for lifting.
Non-routine lifting, eg, moving

flammables cabinet as part of a
reorganisation or when heavy
items 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 requires

teachers to hand them in well in advance to allow for
planning.
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 3.7
and guidance from the HSE30.
30
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992: Guidance on Regulations (HSC, HSE Books); for details see Table 10.
33
16.
Others at risk
Risk assessments for activities involving hazards need to take into account others entering rooms in the science
department.
16.1
Cleaners
Science rooms should be left safe for cleaners. Because cleaners change frequently, it is sensible to have simple
instructions for them, covering the areas which they should clean and those which they should leave, what to do if
resources are inadvertently left out or misplaced, security etc. Also how to dispose of broken glass. Cleaners may
not be able to read English and so there should be a procedure to instruct new cleaners, agreed between the school
and 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. If
they were to clean laboratories or prep rooms, there would need to be a risk assessment under the regulations
concerned with the employment of young persons. The control measures necessary, eg, the training and supervision
required, would be too onerous to be achieved easily. Science staff should inform senior management if problems
are identified.
16.2
Teaching assistants
Increasingly, teaching assistants will be helping the classroom teacher on a regular basis, for example, supporting
students with special educational needs, early bilinguals, etc. Any such staff need basic instruction in laboratory
health & safety and briefings by the class teacher before specific hazardous activities. In a recent incident, a
teaching assistant who was diabetic showed pupils how she used a lancet to test her own blood. She then went on to
test the blood of the children, using the same lancet. The TAs own safety must also be considered, for example, if
the risk assessment requires eye protection, s/he too must wear it; if hair has to be tied back to avoid Bunsen-burner
flames, her/his hair must also be tied back; if it is dangerous for pupils to be seated during heating activities, it is
also dangerous for support staff.
16.3
Non-science teaching staff

Pupils should be allowed in laboratories only if supervised by a teacher who is aware of the hazards and
how they can be avoided. This restriction should appear in the science safety policy under both pupil and
staff rules. Laboratories should not be used by pupils during recreation periods or even for registration by
teachers who are not scientists31.
Teaching staff who are not science teachers sometimes supervise groups of pupils in laboratories: for registration
and form periods; for club activities; to `cover' for absent science teachers. The first two uses should be discouraged; laboratories should be considered as danger areas under the Management Regulations to which access should
be restricted for a variety of reason32: for example, because of the vulnerability of the gas fittings; the possibility
that, despite efforts to remove all hazardous resources, occasionally some may be left accessible; the possibility of
the theft of laboratory items for use in drug abuse. A brief list of rules and warnings, discussed at a general staff
meeting and accepted by the head teacher, should be issued to non-science staff who have to supervise students in
laboratories; pre-eminent are the rules that unoccupied laboratories should be locked and that students should never
be in a laboratory without a teacher present. Warnings should include the need to stop students playing with gas taps
and any apparatus, chemicals etc left in laboratories. These rules might be printed onto laminated card and issued at
the start of the day.
16.4
Caretakers and office staff
Chemicals and equipment may sometimes be delivered to the school office, or to the caretakers' office, where staff
may not have the knowledge or experience to handle them safely. A procedure should be established to ensure the
security 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 the
dangers if hazardous chemicals are dropped and bottles broken.
16.5
Visitors
A 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, if
not already doing so.
31
32
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-only
part. The extract quoted here had not been updated at the time of writing.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Approved Code of Practice & Guidance, Regulation 8 (HSC, HSE Books); for
details see Table 10.
34
Activities proposed for open days etc need risk assessments if there are any hazards, with the likelihood of a relative
lack of supervision taken into account. Sometimes, to achieve a memorable effect, schools are tempted to carry out
demonstrations which are not part of the normal curriculum and for which there may not be adequate risk assessments. Some years ago a school was prosecuted because of an explosion resulting from a chemical demonstration
on 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 risk
assessment for any proposed practical activities. Even if the activity is one which is routinely carried out in the
school, 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 glassware
and their physically-smaller size. Normal eye protection may not fit very satisfactorily. It is best not to be too
ambitious - 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 different risk assessment. Children may not normally be allowed to use glassware. There may not be running water easily
available to rinse out an eye. Most primary schools use the ASE publication Be safe!33 as their model risk assessments and it would be wise for a secondary teacher to consult this before taking practical activities into a primary
school.
33
Be safe! Health and safety in primary school science and technology, 2001, 3rd edition, Association for Science Education;
for details see Table 9.
35
APPENDICES
I.
Table 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 equipment
etc. Model risk assessments for technician operations are outlined in Table 6 in section 15.2 on page 32; see also
the 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 publications
from 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, the
references are repeated: eg, Experiments involving students has the same references as Students involved in
experiments.
Details of publications are given in Appendix II. All except the most recent CLEAPSS guides and leaflets are
available on the annually-updated CLEAPSS Science Publications CD-ROM. Any which are too recent to be on the
CD will be found on the members-only part of the CLEAPSS web site, www.cleapss.org.uk or can be obtained
without 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

Topic
Safety in Science
Education (1996)
Other Texts / Notes
Handbook (2004)
[Refs in brackets
are to 2005 edition
on 2006 CD-ROM]
Topics
in Safety
(3rd ed.)
Safeguards in
the School
Laboratory
(10th ed.)
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, 13.9
Tables 17.1, 17.2,

17.3
PS3/3a, PS55; several

guides 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 normal

suppliers since 1977 are
asbestos 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 using

chemicals
20.3
13.8
Table 17.7
Biological investigations where microorganisms might

be 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, PS27
Bunsen 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
Hazcards
Chemicals, labelling & storage
7.3, 20.5,
Table 20.51
6 App.2,
9, 10
4.3, 11.4, 16
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
36
Table 8 (continued)
Topic
Safety in Science
Education (1996)
Other Texts / Notes
Handbook (2004)
[Refs in brackets
are to 2005 edition
on 2006 CD-ROM]
Topics
in Safety
(3rd ed.)
Safeguards in
the School
Laboratory
(10th ed.)
Chromatography
11.1, 15.5.1
13.8
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, hydrogen

etc; 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, 96
Disposal of biological
materials
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
Hazcards
Table 15.3
Dissection
14.7
7.1, 13.5
Tables 17.1, 17.3
PS2
DNA, 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-powered
equipment
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
See also First Aid
Enzymes
14.8
15
13.3, 13.6,
13.8
Table 17.11
Experiments involving
students
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
Hazcards
Eye protection
3.2, 7.4, 7.7, 7.8,

11.7.2, 13.1.3
4.2, 6.1, 7.1.

11.9
3.8, 14.5.2,
Table 14.1
Guide R135 for which

models 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
4.4, 5, 6, 15.6,
16.2
5.1, 14.7.1
Hazcards for individual

flammables.
First Aid (including Immediate

Remedial Measures
5, 7.3.8, 20.14.1
--
17
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
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 individual

flammables.
Fume cupboards
8.3, 20.10.1,
20.10.6
3.5, 7.3, 7.7, 7.8
10, Tables 15.3, 15.4
Guide R9a. CLEAPSS

provides information and
training 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
37
Table 8 (continued)
Topic
Handbook (2004)
[Refs in brackets
are to 2005 edition
on 2006 CD-ROM]
Topics
in Safety
(3rd ed.)
Safety in Science
Education (1996)
Safeguards in
the School
Laboratory
(10th ed.)
Other Texts / Notes
Highly-flammable liquids
4.1.2, 7.3.3, 7.4.2,

8
7.8.1, 9.4.3, 9.10.7,
9.10.8, 9.10.9,
20.14.2, Table 20.19
6.1, 11.4, 13.8, 9.2, 11.8, 15.1.4,

15.2, 15.6,
Tables 15.3, 15.4
15.10, 16.1, 16.2
Hazcards draw attention to

individual highly-flammable
liquids.
Human body measurements
11.8, 14.4, 14.5,

14.13, 15.11, 15.13
11.6, 14
7.8, Table 17.14
Hygiene
3.6, 13.1.1, 14.1.3, 15

14.13, 15.2.2, 15.13
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 L93
Laboratories
6.3, 8, 20.14.1
3.7, 3.9, 3.10,

4.3, 5.2
11
Building for Science (ASE),

Science Accommodation
in 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
10.4
Table 18.1
Medicines & drugs
Table 20.52
8.1.3
Mercury
7.5.3, 7.7, 7.10.2,

12.13
10
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
3.1 - 3.3, 20.12
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
14
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 L221
Ponds
14.12.2, 15.6
Guide L221
Power 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 17.10
Guide L214 a, b, c, d
Protective clothing
3.3
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 L93
Rockets
Table 18.1
Safety screens
3.8
7.3, 8.3, 8.4, 9.4, 14.6.1, Table 15.3

10.2
Hazcards for particular

experiments.
Saliva
14.4
14
14.3
Table 17.14
PS27, PS64
Soldering
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
38
Table 8 (continued)
Topic
Handbook (2004)
[Refs in brackets
are to 2005 edition
on 2006 CD-ROM]
Topics
in Safety
(3rd ed.)
Safety in Science
Education (1996)
Safeguards in
the School
Laboratory
(10th ed.)
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,

10.3
8.3.3, 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 in
experiments
11.8, 14.4, 14.5,

14.13, 15.11, 15.13
14
11.6, 14
7.8, 17.5, Tables

17.13, 17.14
Sun, care in viewing
11.9
18
12.5
Table 18.3
PS17
Tasting activities
14.13.1, 15.13,
Table 20.13
14
14.4
7.8, Table 17.14
Technician activities
2.2.2, Table 2.4, 3.7, 3

7.10.7
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
Trolley runways
12.4.5
Wires etc under tension
3.2.2
Table 16.4
10.4
Table 18.1
10.6
Table 18.1
Urine
14
14.3
Table 17.14
PS27, PS64
UV 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
7.8, 16.2
11.7.5
Working with glass
11.13 [11.5]
X-rays
12.10.4, Table 20.52 19
II.
12.7
Table 18.3
DfES AM1/92, Guide L93.
Booklist
Table 9
Publications for model risk assessments in science
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
Hazcards
CLEAPSS
1995 edition
CLEAPSS*
updated
annually on CD
PUBLISHER
ISBN
CLEAPSS Laboratory Handbook
CLEAPSS
Updated
CLEAPSS*
annually on CD
Fume Cupboard: Suppliers & Repairers,

R9a
CLEAPSS
2004 + update
2005
CLEAPSS*
Science for Secondary Aged Pupils with

Special 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.
39
Table 9 (continued)
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
PUBLISHER
Keeping & Using Animals & Plants:

CLEAPSS
formulating a Science Department Policy,
PS3 and PS3a
1996
CLEAPSS*
COSHH: Risk Assessments in Situations

where Microorganisms might be
Involved, PS4
1993
CLEAPSS*
CLEAPSS
ISBN
Cheek Cell Sampling, PS6
CLEAPSS
2003
CLEAPSS*
Human Blood Sampling: Recommended

Procedures, PS11
CLEAPSS
1999
CLEAPSS*
Viewing the Sun, PS17
CLEAPSS
2004
CLEAPSS*
Model Risk Assessments for Laboratory

Technician Activities, PS25
CLEAPSS
2005
CLEAPSS*
Human Body Fluids, PS27
CLEAPSS
2003
CLEAPSS*
Safety in Science Education
Written by ASE &

CLEAPSS but edited
by the DfEE
1996
The Stationery Office,

Publications Centre,
PO Box 29
Norwich NR3 1GN
011270915X
This book can also be found on the ASE

web site, www.ase.org.uk. Some pages
have been updated and can be found on
the members-only part of the site
DfEE AM1/92: Use of lonising Radiations

in Educational Establishments in
England & Wales
Tel: 0870 600 5522

Fax: 0870 600 5533
E-mail: customerservices@tso.co.uk
Web site: www.tso.co.uk
DfEE
1992
DfES Publications
PO Box 5050
Sherwood Park
Annesley
Nottingham NG15 0DJ
Tel: 0845 602 2260

Fax: 0845 603 3360
E-mail: dfes@prolog.uk.com
Web site: www.dfes.gov.uk
Safeguards in the School Laboratory
ASE
10th edition
1996
ASE, College Lane

Hatfield AL10 9AA
[11th edition
in preparation 2005]
Tel: 01707 283000

Fax: 01707 283001
E-mail: booksales@ase.org.uk
Web site: www.ase.org.uk
0863572502
Topics in Safety
Committee convened
by the ASE
3rd edition
2001
ASE
see above
0863573169
Be safe! Health and safety in primary

science and technology
ASE
3rd edition
2001
ASE
see above
0 86357324 X
CD2 Hazardous Chemicals. An

Interactive Manual
SSERC
2002
Scottish Schools Equipment

Research Centre
St Mary's Building
23 Holyrood Road
Edinburgh EH8 8AE
(Note: Available at greatly reduced price

for CLEAPSS members if ordered via
CLEAPSS)
Tel: 0131 558 8180

Fax: 0131 558 8191
E-mail: sts@sserc.org.uk
Web site: www.sserc.org.uk
40
Table 10 Publications for health & safety management and laboratory design
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
PUBLISHER
ISBN
Management of Health &

Safety at Work: Management of
Health & Safety at Work
Regulations 1999 ACOP &
Guidance
HSC
2000
HSE Books
PO Box 1999
Sudbury
Suffolk C010 2WA
0717624889
Manual Handling: Manual Handling

Operations Regulations 1992
Guidance
HSE
1998
HSE Books, see above
0717624253
Five Steps to Risk Assessment
HSE
1998
0717615650
(pack of 10
leaflets)
Tel: 01787 881165

Fax: 01787 313995
E-mail: hsebooks@prolog.uk.com
Web site: www.hsebooks.co.uk
No ISBN for
single (free)
leaflet.
Managing Health & Safety in
Schools
HSC (Education
Services Advisory
Committee)
1995
Out of print
Health & Safety Guidance for

School Governors and Members of
School Boards
HSC (Education
Services Advisory
Committee)
1998
0717612988
COSHH: Guidance for Schools
HSC (Education
Services Advisory
Committee)
1989
Out of print
GS23 Electrical Safety in Schools

(Electricity at Work Regulations
1989)
HSE
1990
Out of print
Science Class Sizes, Laboratory

Sizes and Possible Effects on
Safety, PS9
CLEAPSS
1996
CLEAPSS*
Designing and Planning

Laboratories, L14
CLEAPSS
2000
CLEAPSS*
Monitoring the Implementation of

Science Safety Policies, PS30
CLEAPSS
2000
CLEAPSS*
Student Safety Sheets
CLEAPSS
1997 with
later updates
CLEAPSS*
Safe and Exciting Science. An

INSET Pack
ASE
1999
ASE
0863572952
Building Bulletin 80: Science

Accommodation in Secondary
Schools
DfES
2004
The 2004 edition is only available

on-line at www.teachernet.gov.uk
41
Table 11 Publications for model risk assessments in other subjects

TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
Model Risk Assessments for Design

& Technology in Secondary Schools
and Colleges
CLEAPSS
2000 (Part 1),

CLEAPSS
2001 (Parts 2, 3)
ISBN
-
(CD-ROM 2003)
This is available on the CLEAPSS

D&T Publications CD-ROM
Risk Assessment in Secondary
School Design & Technology
Teaching Environments
PUBLISHER
Updates: 2002,
2003, 2005
DATA
2003
DATA
16 Wellesbourne House
Walton Road
Wellesbourne CV35 9J B
1898788146
Tel: 01789 470007

Fax: 01789 841955
E-mail: data@data.org.uk
Web site: www.data.org.uk
Building Bulletin 81:
Design and Technology
Accommodation in Secondary
Schools
DfES
2004
The Stationery Office,

Publications Centre,
PO Box 29
Norwich NR3 1GN
0112711707
Tel: 0870 600 5522

Fax: 0870 600 5533
E-mail: customerservices@tso.co.uk
Web site: www.tso.co.uk
A Guide to Safe Practice in Art &
Design
DfEE
1995
The Stationery Office, see above
011270896X
Institute of Ceramics
1997
Out of print but a photocopy can be

supplied by:
0901092428
An updated version of this book has

been published on the web site of
the National Society for Education in
Art and Design at:
www.nsead.org/hsg/
Health & Safety in Ceramics - a
Guide for Educational Workshops
and Studios
The Information Officer

Institute of Materials, Minerals &
Mining
1 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5DB
Tel: 0207 451 7360
Fax: 0207 839 1702
Control of Substances Hazardous to

Health in the Production of Pottery
ACOP
HSC
1998
HSE Books, see Table 10
0717608492
Safe Practice in Physical Education
British Association of
Advisers & Lecturers
in Physical Education
2004
Coachwise Ltd
Unit 2/3, Chelsea Close
Off Amberley Road
Armley
Leeds LS12 4XY
1902523687
Tel: 0113 201 5555

Fax: 0113 231 9606
E-mail: enquiries@1st4sport.com
Web site: www.1st4sport.com
42

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Managing Risk Assessment in Science

This guide replaces the 1997 and earlier editions of

L196 Managing Risk Assessment in Science

About this guide and how to use it

Why risk assessments are needed

A simple approach to risk assessment for science

Risk assessments and responsibilities

Risk assessment for science lessons

Setting up a procedure for assessing risks

Using model risk assessments

How to adapt model risk assessments and keep records

The individual teacher in her/his classroom

Departures from the department's risk assessments

The monitoring role of the head of department

Risk assessment checklist

Examples of risk assessments on texts in daily use

Incorporation into department's own scheme of work

Teachers' lesson plan and student worksheet

Examples 3a, b, c Modifying a published scheme

Modification of a student practical text

Annotated text book

Annotating a simple text to help teachers and technicians who lack

Apparatus sheet prepared by a school

Detailed instructions not needing adaptation

Limitations of a detailed risk assessment

Examples 10 a, b Using a risk assessment form

Labelling apparatus or bottles

Risks in and around the prep room and to other staff

Where to find model risk assessments in published texts

Activities needing risk assessments

Training for emergencies

Extract from the National Curriculum for Science for England

Questions for class teachers to think about when planning a lesson

Technician activities likely to require risk assessment

Risk assessments needed for lifting and carrying

Where to find model assessments in published texts

Publications for model risk assessments in science

Publications for health & safety management and laboratory design

Publications for model risk assessments in other subjects

L196 Managing Risk Assessment in Science

About this guide and how to use it

Why risk assessments are needed

A risk assessment3 is:

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

A simple approach to risk assessment for science

Provide training for local managers to support these instructions.

See section 4, Definitions.

Hazard and risk The HSE has defined:

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.

a Model Risk Assessment printed in a safety text;

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

Model Risk Assessment

Risk assessments and responsibilities

Recording Risk Assessments

Risk assessment for science lessons

What to write in schemes of work,

What to write on pupil worksheets

Hazard classifications, concentrations, quantities, precautions. (For younger students,

For the reasoning behind this advice