Education & research | For museums | Developing a Museum Education Service
	Introduction Working with schools Learning experiences for all Finding a space Designing and organising your activities Administration Fundraising Information and support services Education policy Health and safety issues Child protection Working with volunteers Dealing with problems Skills and training Resources and equipment Handling collections and conservation Step-by-step guide Weblink index	Risk assessments   Working with children is always fraught with danger and risk assessment is a vital part of the planning process, both for your own needs and for the teacher in charge of the visiting group. The teacher-in-charge holds ultimate responsibility for the welfare of the pupils during school time even if they are off school premises. Teachers are expected to do a pre-visit to educational sites to do their own risk assessment. They may ask if you have done risk assessments and it is essential that you have, however it is VERY IMPORTANT that the teacher should do their own and not rely on yours. By providing the school with a risk assessment in lieu of them doing their own you are accepting full responsibility in the case of an accident – this has been proved in court. If you send out your risk assessment to prove the safety of your site and workshop activities you should clearly mark it ‘FOR REFERENCE ONLY, TEACHERS ARE ADVISED TO DO THEIR OWN RISK ASSESSMENT WITH THEIR PARTICULAR GROUP IN MIND’. This will ensure that everything possible has been done to protect your visitors and yourself. In any public places risk assessment have to take into account people moving about freely. The public spaces in a museum, by their very nature, tend to be open, clear and free from workplace hazards like cables, chemicals and potentially dangerous equipment. On the other hand, we are dealing with people who do not know the building, exits, layout, staircases etc. They are also likely to be distracted by the exhibits. The main cause of accidents is ‘slips, trips and falls’ and up to 87% of accidents are down to human factors so signing and instructions should be clear and extra care taken to avoid these types of accidents.   What is a risk assessment?   Despite all the legal jargon which goes along with risk assessments, the underlying principles are straightforward and once you know what you are doing they become relatively easy to do. However, if at first you do not feel confident to do a risk assessment, you may be able to find a training course where you can learn the rudiments. If you work in a ‘hub’ region you should be able to get this sort of advice from your local hub museum. Risk assessment leaflets can be obtained from: www.hse.gov.uk.pubns/raindex.htm Risk assessments allow a judgement to be made as to the possible problems or risks in the workplace, and how to deal with them to minimise injury or ill-health. Even when there is no legal requirement to carry out a risk assessment it is still a valuable management tool and advisable practice. Risk assessments are often asked for in civil actions; the production of a well documented risk assessment is a good defence and evidence that reasonable care has been taken to prevent accidents. A risk assessment must be ‘suitable and sufficient’. It is not adequate to deal with potential risk in an informal or dismissive way. Risk assessments involve specific tasks and appraisals to provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation, its possible consequences and measures to alleviate the risks. It should include:- Identification of hazard(s) Identification of people at risk Evaluation of the extent of the risks taking past history into account Evaluation of existing control measures Carrying out a risk rating (severity of injury x likelihood) Arrangement of additional/new control measures Recording of findings Informing affected parties (managers, employees, contractors etc) Instigate training if required Monitoring and evaluation It is your duty to do any assessment in line with Health and Safety legislation and guidance. For the purposes of risk assessment some terms including ‘hazard’ and ‘risk’ have quite specific definitions. A HAZARD is something with the potential to cause harm. It could be a physical obstruction, a moving object, an industrial chemical, air pollution (including passive smoking), noise – anything which could result in damage to a person(s). Once identified, the best option is to remove the hazard. The RISK is the likelihood that someone will be harmed due to a hazard. This is not always easy to determine as there are many factors to take into account. A trailing wire is a hazard, but the risk depends on where the cable is, how many people walk across it, lighting levels etc. RISK EVALUATION is a process undertaken as part of the risk assessment to determine the level of risk of any particular hazard in a given situation. This includes taking into account any history of accidents or injury and carrying out a RISK RATING exercise. CONTROL MEASURES should be implemented when the removal of identified hazards is not possible to minimise the risk. In the example of the trailing cable, if it is not possible to re-route the cable, it could be covered with a cable cover, warning signs put up and lighting improved. Once a Risk Assessment has been done and the recommendations implemented, there is no room for complacency. Working on the principle that there is always room for improvement, and taking into account changes in the workplace and staff (or public), there is a need to watch the situation through review and monitoring. MONITORING and REVIEW require continual observation of the effectiveness of control measures as well as keeping written records of accidents and injuries so that an on-going re-assessment of the efficacy of the measures can be done. In this way, any necessary remedial adjustments to the safety measures can be identified and acted upon, and the risk assessment revised. It is only necessary to do another full risk assessment if something changes – for example a change in machinery, buildings or materials – or in the event of a major accident/injury.   Specimen risk assessment form   A specimen risk assessment form is available as a downloadable pdf file by clicking on the link below. pdf link   The stages of risk assessment   Do your risk assessments in a logical way and try to put yourself in the place of a visitor - perhaps a child - and think about all the possible things that could happen to you as you move through the building and carry out the activities that have been planned for schools' visits. Walk around the spaces you will be using. Identify any inherent hazards in the static furniture, buildings, layout, permanent exhibits, etc. Look at any moveable fixtures you will be using eg. chairs and tables. Consult other staff in the building. Find out if any accidents have occurred in the past involving any of the above. You should have an accident book in which all accidents or incidents, no-matter how minor, should be entered. Consider the type of activities you have planned with relation to the space. Think about the safety of materials and equipment you intend to use. Consider the arrangements for setting up a workshop – how far things have to be carried, how heavy objects are, the awkwardness or tidiness of the storage space, etc. Look at any legislation relevant to your type of site. Much of this is now available to view on the internet. www.hse.gov.uk Make an analysis of the potential hazard and enter details on a risk assessment form. I have included a sample risk assessment form based on the standard type of form used. You can design your own as long as it specifies the same range of information. If you are not sure, ask other museums in your area what sort of system they use. Normally, risks are assessed by looking at: a) The potential hazard (eg. stairs or wet floors) b) The likelihood of an accident (falling or slipping) c) The severity of harm likely to be incurred if an accident occurs The standard system is to use a likelihood x severity chart like the one illustrated on the specimen form.   The legal framework   The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the basis for all current legislation and it covers what must by done by law: it sets out general requirements. Regulations are also law. These tell you how Health and Safety work must be done. In your assessments you must make a judgement as to the appropriate requirements. These type of regulations include:- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 Some risks are so great, however, that it would not be appropriate to leave employers any discretion in deciding what to do about them. So some legislation lays out specific legal requirements. The following regulations all specify actual acceptable levels of exposure to, and protection from, these hazards. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 1994 Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 Control of Lead at Work 1987 Noise at Work Regulations 1989 Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations1992 Codes of Practice, European and British Standards and Guidance etc are not law. They tell you the standards that ought to be achieved. Standards laid out in one of these approved codes of practice is what a court would expect but it must be reasonable and practicable which means that the risk should be weighed against the cost in terms of time and physical difficulty. If a risk assessment is not produced the court can award damages without any further proof of incompetence. But if you do follow guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law. There is also a requirement for the provision of any necessary training (where appropriate) and information for employees which will include volunteers. Additionally, it is the employer’s responsibility to make sure that all equipment, workplaces, systems and storage/handling of dangerous substances are safe and not deleterious to health. Other employees also have a responsibility for their own safety as well as that of others around them. This implies the need to be aware of any Health and Safety issues relating to their work. Enforcement of the laws and regulations falls to: Environmental Health Officers Health and Safety Executive Officers Fire Officer
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