Health and safety
The health and safety team assists Herefordshire Council in ensuring that all of its employees, visitors and customers have a safe environment in which to work and access our services.
We provide an advisory service and support to those who need assistance in maintaining compliance with health and safety legislation and best practice. We also monitor health and safety performance, and produce reports and statistics to help us find ways of improving our service.
Our duties include overseeing the health, safety and wellbeing of staff and pupils in maintained schools; advising Management Board, service managers, directorate steering group members; and assisting managers with the investigation of any accidents, incidents or near misses on council property.
The council's delegated funding scheme gives schools control over their own management of health and safety and allows them to prioritise issues that directly affect their establishment. We offer a full advisory service to enable all local authority schools and educational establishments to comply with the legal requirements.
Below are some links to documents and guidance which schools may find helpful when reviewing their health and safety management systems. Any Herefordshire Council branded documents have been written to specifically refer to Herefordshire Council's processes and procedures, and should only be used as a reference point for the creation of documents specific to your school.
Health and safety checklists
- Schools health and safety self assessment
- HSE - Health and safety checklist for classrooms
- Model health and safety policy
Reporting and investigating accidents and incidents in schools
- Accidents and incidents - what to report
- Accident - incident form
- Accident and incident reporting - risk assessment template
- Schools accident reporting procedure
- Minor injury log
- HSE - Investigating an incident
- HSE - Reporting accidents in schools
- HSE - Make a RIDDOR report
Risk assessment and management
View the HSE's video on health and safety risk management assessment
- Risk assessment form
- Risk assessment for expectant mothers
- New and expectant mothers at work
- Hazard identification and risk management procedure
- Accident and incident reporting - risk assessment template
- Cleaning - risk assessment template
- Contractors - risk assessment template
- Design technology - risk assessment template
- Dogs - risk assessment template
- Drama and stage performances - risk assessment template
- DSE 2021 - risk assessment template
- Finger trapping - risk assessment template
- Home visits - risk assessment template
- Individual pupil - risk assessment template
- Industrial action - risk assessment template
- Infectious disease - risk assessment template
- Lone working - risk assessment template
- Outdoor play - risk assessment template
- Ponds - risk assessment template
- Slips, trips and falls - risk assessment template
- Snow and ice - risk assessment template
- Stress at work - risk assessment template
- Sunken trampoline - risk assessment template
- Welfare facilities and hot and cold water - risk assessment template
Asbestos in schools
View the HSE's video on the duty to manage asbestos
- GOV.UK - Asbestos management in schools including legislative framework
- HSE - Managing asbestos in schools
- HSE - Checklist on managing asbestos in schools
- Asbestos management guidance
- Asbestos management plan
Legionella
Safety in education visits
- HSE - School trips
- GOV.UK - Health and safety advice for schools includes school trips
- Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel
- Off-site visits
Fire safety
- HSE - Fire safety
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
- Fire safety risk assessment - Educational premises
- Building Bulletin 100
- Fire safety shared premises
- Fire safety management plan
First aid
- First aid guidance
- First aid kit checklist
- First aid risk assessment checklist
- DfE - First aid in schools
Violence in schools
- Unreasonable behaviour policy
- Assaults on staff by pupils
- Risk assessing challenging behaviour
- Harassment in schools - guidance for Heads and Governors
News and CPD
Stress
- HSE - Stress management and talking toolkits
- NHS - Moodzone
- Stress risk assessment questionnaire
- Stress management action plan
Contact us
- Education and Commissioning, Business Support, Children's Wellbeing, Plough Lane, Hereford HR4 0LE
Email: educationandbusiness@herefordshire.gov.uk - Health, Safety and Resilience Team, Plough Lane, Hereford HR4 0LE
Email: healthandsafety@herefordshire.gov.uk