General health
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See the health and safety notes in each experiment. The following is general guidance.
Health and safety in school science affects all concerned: teachers and classroom assistants, their employers, pupils, their parents or guardians, as well as authors and publishers.
These guidelines refer to procedures in the United Kingdom. If you are working in another country you may need to make alternative provision.
Health & safety checking
As part of the reviewing process, the experiments in this booklet have been checked for health and safety. In particular, we have attempted to ensure that:
• all recognized hazards have been identified,
• suitable precautions are suggested,
• where possible, the procedures are in accordance with commonly adopted model (general) risk assessments,
• where model (general) risk assessments are not available, we have done our best to judge the procedures to be satisfactory and of an equivalent standard.
Assumptions
It is assumed that:
• pupil behaviour is properly managed,
• schools follow the guidance in ASE 'Be Safe', 3rd Edition, 2001,
• hand-washing facilities are readily available.
Teachers' and their employers' responsibilities
Under the COSSH Regulations, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, and other regulations, employers are responsible for making a risk assessment before hazardous procedures are undertaken or hazardous chemicals used or made. Teachers are required to co-operate with their employers by complying with such risk assessments. However, teachers should be aware that mistakes can be made. Therefore, before carrying out any practical activity, teachers should always check that what they are proposing is compatible with their employer's risk assessments and does not need modification for their particular circumstances. Any local rules issued by the employer must always be followed, whatever is recommended in this booklet.
Reference material
Model (general) risk assessments have been taken from, or are compatible with:
ASE Be Safe, 3rd Edition, 2001
CLEAPSS Guide L5p Safe Use of household and other chemicals
And other relevant CLEAPSS publications (www.cleapss.org.uk)
Procedures
Clearly, you must follow whatever procedures for risk assessment your employers have laid down. As far as we know, almost all the practical work and demonstrations in this booklet are covered by the model (general) risk assessments detailed in the above publications, and so, in most schools, you will not need to take further action, other than to consider whether any customisation is necessary for the particular circumstances of your school or class.
Special risk assessments
Special risk assessments are unlikely to be needed in primary science. However, only you can know when your school needs a special risk assessment. But, thereafter, the responsibility for taking all the steps demanded by the regulations lies with your employer.
Additional Guidance for Lower Secondary Activities
Assumptions
It is assumed that:
• practical work is conducted in a properly equipped and maintained laboratory,
• rules for student behaviour are strictly enforced,
• mains-operated equipment is regularly inspected, properly maintained and appropriate records
are kept,
• care is taken with normal laboratory operations such as heating substances and handling
heavy objects,
• good laboratory practice is observed when chemicals are handled,
• eye protection is worn whenever risk assessments require it,
• any fume cupboard used operates at least to the standard of Building Bulletin 88,
• students are taught safe techniques for such activities as heating chemicals, smelling them, or
pouring from bottles,
• hand-washing facilities are readily available in the laboratory.
Reference material
Model (general) risk assessments have been taken from, or are compatible with:
CLEAPSS Hazcards (see annually updated CLEAPSS Science publications CD-ROM)
CLEAPSS Laboratory handbook (see annually updated CD-ROM)
CLEAPSS Recipe cards (see annually updated CD-ROM)
ASE Safeguards in the school laboratory 11th edition 2006
