Education
HSENI continually works with the various agencies associated with all stages of education in Northern Ireland. From pre-school nurseries to third level college and university education, HSENI has a role to play in ensuring the health and safety of both the student and employee populations is properly managed and enforced.
Introduction
It is essential that leaders within the education sector have a comprehensive understanding of their health and safety responsibilities and good practice.
Leaders must consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with other duty holders who share health and safety duties on the same matter.
The employer's health and safety functions are often delegated to members of staff to fulfil on behalf of the employer. However, overall legal accountability for the health and safety of employees and others cannot be delegated and remains the responsibility of the employer. Employers must undertake regular monitoring to ensure that local management arrangements are in place to ensure risks are managed responsibly and proportionately.
Where you have employee health and safety representatives or a safety committee, they can play a valuable role in contributing to the development of a positive health and safety culture.
Pre-school education
Early Years education takes place in a variety of settings including statutory nursery schools and units and in those voluntary and privately run nurseries or childminders. Management responsibility including accountability for health and safety lies with each individual organisations employer. The relevant enforcing authority varies with the setting as determined by the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations (Northern Ireland) and associated guidance.
Primary and secondary education
The school sector has a range of management types and associated employers resulting in variations in health and safety responsibilities. Overall accountability for health and safety lies with the employer of the members of staff in the school. School governors in all schools have some responsibilities for health and safety. The extent of their responsibilities will depend on how much control they have in running the school.
In voluntary schools, the governors are the employers and must comply fully with the employer’s duties outlined above. In controlled and maintained schools, the Education Authority (EA) or Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) remains the employer, but governors control most expenditure. Further information on management types can be found at the following link:
Further and higher education
Further education is post-compulsory education (in addition to that received at secondary school), excluding universities which are covered by the term higher education. Management responsibility including accountability for health and safety lies with each individual institute’s governing body.
Reporting an accident or a dangerous occurrence
Further information on reporting an accident or a dangerous occurrence can be found at the following links:
Highest risk areas
The importance of good management systems, risk analysis and incident reporting is fundamental in ensuring the health and safety of everyone involved.
Slips, trips and falls
Slips, trips and falls on the same level are the greatest cause of injury to employees resulting in major injuries and over three day absences.
Stress and Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (MSDs)
Stress and Musculo-Skeletal Disorders are also important issues for the workforce within the education sector. Further information on Stress can be found at:
Workplace transport
The safe management of transport is paramount in the protection of pedestrians particularly where children and large buses/coaches are present. Sites where vehicles are parked, serviced and maintained are also high risk.
Estate maintenance
Duty holders are required to take reasonable measures to ensure that the premises are safe and without risk to health. Roles, responsibilities and arrangements for estate health and safety should be clearly set out within the health and safety policy.
Asbestos
- Managing Asbestos in Schools Checklist for Schools
- Managing Asbestos in Schools questions and answers
Safety gates
Bouncy castles
RAAC
Adjustable guarding on sanding machines (vertical belt sanders) in educational and similar establishments
British Standard, BS 4143:2014 “Health and safety for design and technology in educational and similar establishments – code of practice” advises that adjustable guarding should be provided for the abrasive belt on sanding machines so that only the minimum required for the sanding operation is exposed.
Other risks in the education sector
HSE eBulletins
- Safety alerts and notices - (hse.gov.uk)
- HSE eBulletin on health and safety in schools - 11 January 2019
Resources
- Avoiding Ill Health at Open Farms - (hse.gov.uk)
- Managing Asbestos in Schools Checklist for Schools
- Managing Asbestos in Schools questions and answers
- Report of an Accident or a Dangerous Occurrence
- Good estate management for schools - (www.gov.uk)
- Health and Safety - (eani.org.uk)
Key legislation
- The Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 - (legislation.gov.uk)
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993 - (legislation.gov.uk)
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 - (legislation.gov.uk)
Please note that these links are to the original legislation, visitors should verify for themselves whether legislation is in force or whether it has been amended or replaced by subsequent legislation.