UNIT 27 P4
Produce a risk assessment for a selected administrative work environment
In this assignment I will be planning a risk assessment for JCoSS school's science department, which I will be conducting after I plan it. Risk assessments are used to protect workers and students, any anyone else involved in the workplace to ensure all risks are identified and noticed and the appropriate precautions are made in order to prevent these problems from occurring. They are easy to understand, making it easy for businesses to focus on the most important risks that really matter in the science department, the ones that could potentially harm someone. It is very important to manage these risks to ensure everyone in the science department is safe and in a safe workplace. Risk assessments are the best way of managing risks because they look activities and assess what could go wrong and identify suitable ways to prevent them from happening. They are legal requirements which mean all work places have to conduct risk assessments frequently and ensure they are up to date.
For the risk assessment, there is no compulsory format to use, however many businesses use a generic one. For example, all schools will use the same one and all fire management businesses use the same one. If there are more than 5 people in the workplace, there must be documents recorded as this is a legal requirement. It can be recorded either by paper or electronically. JCoSS have more than 5 people working in their science department which means a risk assessment document is compulsory.
Some businesses risk assessments don't need to be updated frequently as not a lot things change in the businesses however, a lot of businesses, especially science departments because the rooms are constantly being used with different toxic chemicals and substances and equipment etc being used in it. Therefore, the risk assessment for the science department needs to be updated frequently and throughly checked through to ensure all risks have been identified. Also, by talking to the sciences teachers and technicians who are constantly in the classrooms will help because they may have noticed a risk that wasn't noticed easily. When a new practice is introduced in the science department, a new risk assessment has to be made as this is important to ensure all risks for that new practise are ruled out and eliminated. In the case of an injury or emergency, the risk assessment has to be replaced and updated to ensure all risks are throughly noticed this time.
The content in the risk assessment has no set content as it differs for different businesses. For JCoSS's science department they would have to include the risks, who will be harmed and how to prevent them happening. There should be a grading system on the risk assessment which is either done numerically or e.g. rated low, medium, high, extreme. When risks are identified they need to be recorded and measures need to be put in place in order to prevent these risks from occurring. An assessor also needs to review the risks assessments and update them when necessary.
Guidelines and legalisations need to be adhered to many businesses because they will draw up their own guide lines to minimise particular risks for their specific businesses or departments e.g. science department. This provides those who are carrying risk assessments with more information which is extremely helpful and useful for them because it makes the risk assessment more accurate.
Sometimes suppliers won't follow the Health and Safety procedures which is a danger to everyone in the workplace and every businesses need to be aware of this. There are different options available to businesses when they are choosing their suppliers. One of the options is to accept them and ignore the Health and Safety procedures, risking a bad reputations if material are not fit for purpose. Another option is to reflect the supplier. Also, a business could accept them if they provide written evidence that there are some risk assessments acknowledgeable. The last option is that they could accept them and visit the suppliers premises however, the supplier doesn't doesn't have to accept this and could send them away.
Many ex-business related workers are employed to work in specific Health and Safety areas as they are experienced and know what they are talking about. For example, ex fire offices are hired as fire safety consultants because they have the experience in that sector of work place (fire) and therefore they will perform this job appropriately.
I will be speaking to a few different people who are involved within JCoSS. I will speak to the head of the science department, Dr Oliver, two science teachers, Ms Follet and Mr Martin and the senior science technician, Mrs Handcock. By speaking to these different people I will be able to ask them specific questions about the science department and the current risk assessment. I will also find out if they are happy with the current risk assessment or feel any immediate changes should be made. On the 28th December 2016 I will be carrying out the risk assessment within the JCoSS Science department going into different science classrooms. This encounter will take place on September 1st, before the school opens for the new school year. This is to ensure all rooms are safe and all the health and safety regulations have been met. Things like e.g. broken glass, dirt, insects are not in the classrooms to prevent an accident or injury.
Science Department in JCoSS
Risk Assessment Plan
Date: 28.12.16
Venue: Science Department
Duration: Two hours
When conducting the risk assessment for the Science Department, ensure all risks and hazards are identified throughly and every area of the department is taken into consideration and checked. Anything that could be a possible risk should be noted down to prevent a hazard occurring and harming anyone in the department. Issues that are included: spillage of chemicals or substances, bags not under desks, wires/cables next to electricity plugs and water, smashed equipment, injury caused by falling off chair, infestation of bugs, electrocution, intake of toxic chemicals and substances.
This is to certify that your observation was through and every hazard was identified accurately and correctly.
Signature:
UNIT 27 M3
Conduct a detailed risk assessment of a selected workplace- I
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT RISK ASSESMENT
Visit Details: JCoSS- Science Department
Carried out: OHS
Date: 28.12.16
ISSUE
Spillage of chemicals and substances- a chemical or substance could have spilt and this could cause an injury as someone may slip over it.
Intake of toxic chemicals and substances- if the appropriate equipment isn't worn correctly anyone could take in through e.g. a harmful substance or chemical.
Tripping over wires- wires may have not been placed back correctly.
Infestation of bugs- the doors or windows may have been left open and bugs could have got in and created a nest.
Electrocution- if a wire/cable touches water or a electricity socket this will cause an electric shock.
Causing burns- the bunsen burners are extremely dangerous and if not handled correctly someone could burn themselves.
Room catch on fire- if a bunsen burner isn't used correctly, the room could catch on fire.
Stabbing on equipment- if not handled correctly, someone could stab themselves on the sharp equipment.
Smashing equipment- if not handled correctly, equipment could smash and go all over the classroom.
Falling off a chair- the science department chairs do not have a back on them and they are quite far from the ground compared to normal classroom chairs.
Tripping over bags- bags may not be placed under the tables and someone could trip.
HOW TO MANAGE IT
This could be managed by ensuring all spillage is immediately cleared up ensuring the floor is not wet or slippy. If this happens, a teacher should be made aware off it immediately to ensure everyone else avoids that area for the time being until it is cleaned.
This can be managed by wearing protective googles every time an experiment happens or is demonstrated.
This could be managed by ensuring all wires/cables are placed back in their correct labelled draws immediately after use. Also, all wires should be kept on the tables to avoid tripping over them.
When the classroom isn't being used the windows and doors should be shut to prevent bugs coming in. Also, no food or drink is allowed in the science classrooms. If water needs to be drunk they can go outside.
This will be managed by ensuring no water or chemical is near an electricity socket. If water needs to be near one for any reason, they should be accompanied by a science technician.
This could be managed by only using the bunsen burner on the safe flame which isn't flammable and cannot cause the room to catch on fire.
This can be managed by ensuring all equipment comes back correctly in their labelled drawers and are handled correctly. Anyone who doesn't seem capable of handling the equipment should be exempt from the experiment.
This can be managed by ensuring all equipment is in the centre of the table and is controlled by a minimum of two people so one person is constantly watching the equipment. However, if a piece of equipment smashes then the teacher should be immediately made aware and they will call a science technician in order to handle it and dispose of it in the appropriate waste bin.
This could be managed by ensuring no one swings on their chairs. Also, the chairs should all have 4 working legs, if this is not the case then the chair should not be used and given to the Health and Safety Officers to handle.
This can be managed by ensuring at all bags are firmly under their tables and no bags are in the way of anyone. If someone needs to access their bag they should make sure no equipment is around them before going into their bag.
NAME OF PEOPLE WHO MAY BE IN HARM
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
Students, teacher
LOW, MODERATE, HIGH OR EXTREME
Moderate
Extreme
High
Low
Extreme
Extreme
Extreme
Extreme
Moderate
Extreme
High
SIGNATURE:
UNIT 27 D1
Make recommendations for improving health and safety standards and practises in a selected work environment
For this task I will be making recommendations on how to improve the health and safety standards and practises in JCoSS's Science department.
One way in which the health and safety standards could be improved within the science department is by having more regular checks of the equipment and procedures of how to handle the equipment. All the equipment in the science department needs to be checked frequently in all the different parts of the science department e.g. the science classrooms, the teachers office, the technicians rooms. The managers should record all the information about each piece of equipment that is used or in the science department and continue to monitor them to ensure health and safety standards and practises are better within the science department. These checks should be carried out weekly to ensure health and safety standards are up to standards and there are no problems or damages to any of the equipment. Furthermore, safety drills should take place and be logged.
In the science department, they could have more fire extinguishers and fire exit's because there is not enough of the fire extinguishers around the school nor fire exits. Currently there is a fire extinguisher in the corridor in between two departments which is dangerous because in case of an emergency within a classroom and nobody could get out, this is dangerous and the fire is then preventable. However, if there was a fire extinguisher within every classroom then a fire could be preventable. By having not enough fire extinguishers and fire exits this can be extremely dangerous because students may not be able to reach the fire exits because there so spaced out. Also, students and teachers usually crowd round the stairs for a long time when there is a fire which is unsafe and too crowded when a fire is happening. One way this can be improved is by having more fire exits along with science department, as well as the rest of the school. This will be more efficient in a case of an emergency because people will be ore spaced out and it will be easier for people to exit the building in a short time. The science department should have more fire extinguishers in their classrooms to ensure their is a way of stopping a fire if one occurs.
Additionally, risk assessments should continuously be carried out within the science department, to ensure safety is maintained and hazards are the same. Although, if there is anything new this show,d instantly be noted down because this is fundamental for the science department because it could cause an injury or accident towards someone. The potential risks and hazards should be identified along with any new hazards and this is put into a new risk assessment which anyone in the science department can access to alter or to just look at. The risk assessments should also be checked to ensure the correct and appropriate measures and methods are sufficient or if they feel any methods need to be changed or replaced. From carrying out my risk assessment, I found out that their was too much water near to plug sockets which is a massive hazard. As well as this, their were loose cables on the tables and floors which people can trip over and cause an injury. This is especially dangerous within the science department when there are harmful chemicals around. To improve the safety within the science departments, a system could be put in place that everyone is assigned a numbered cable or wire and they have to return it at the end of the lesson in the box, if they fail to do so they miss their break or free time.
Another way that the health and safety standards and practises should be improved in the science department is by making staff aware of industry related hazards. I feel its necessary to implement compulsory induction sessions for new staff to introduce them to all the health and safety regulations and procedures that they need to follow. Also, they should be shown around all the classrooms, offices and technicians offices within the science department. They should be made aware of all the potential hazards that could occur and the appropriate solutions, by looking at the risk assessment. For existing staff, they should have to frequently attend safety refresher sessions in which they will have sessions to refresh them on all the health and safety regulations within the science department to make them more aware of the more updated hazards. They could be taught more on first aid training, fire marshalling, fire safety procedures and COSHH training as this is all essential and important information that teachers should be fully aware of. They could implement workstation assessments, which is where every so often the workstations in the science department are inspected to see if they are safe to use.
Benchmarking could be conducted in order to compare themselves to other businesses or schools so that they can learn how to reduce accidents and ill health. Also, by doing this JCoSS's science department would learn how to improve their compliance with health and safety procedures. This is a continuous learning process where they would be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses and then can improve their performance in order to ensure the science department is a safe workplace for everyone. From conducting my risk assessment, I feel like the science technicians should cover their trolleys when transporting them into classrooms and back to the technicians rooms, because this will prevent the beakers with chemical substances in them being smashed, which prevents accidents and hazards. By having benchmarking, this improves the health and safety within the science department because, by having a minimum standard then they have something to aim for and they can only aim higher.
Various improvements can be made to ensure Health and Safety is improved within the Science department. Some include high risks, some medium and some low although they should all be considered and improved to make the science department the safest it possibly can be for employees, pupils, visitors and anyone that enters the rooms. Some of the accidents that could occur if Health and Safety isn't improved in the Science department are; Electric shock, burns, breaking a bone etc. From doing my risk assessment I feel it is necessary to implement the use of gloves when using bunsen burners to avoid burns. This can be done by providing each classroom with gloves in it for all pupils to use on the hand they are touching the bunsen burner with. This will prevent any incidents that could occur with hands getting burnt and by doing this it will definitely improve the Health and Safety in the Science department.
Having public liability insurance would really help JCoSS's science department to improve their health and safety standards and practises as things can go wrong, like any other business, as their are health and safety failures. By having public liability insurance this will protect and cover the cost of the science department against any injury or damage of any third party. The amount charged depends on the size of the business and the business activity they undertake. This will ensure the science department are protected which is a positive thing and means the school don't have to pay or get sued as they have insurance to back them and secure them. It will protect JCoSS and the science department if a third party is injured which makes them a safer school by having public liability insurance.
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