In House Safety offers a comprehensive school specific health and safety audit service that will help you and your organisation to understand how it measures up to the latest safety legislation, guidance and best industry practises that effects schools.
The service is the initial stage of our SafetyMARK scheme (further information can be found here) or can be offered as a standalone service.
What is a Health and Safety Audit?
When a health and safety audit is conducted well it is a useful tool that will help a school identify where they are not meeting the requirements of legislation or guidance that affects their sector. It is also a tool that can be used to identify the health and safety risks that may be effecting the business so that they can be addressed promptly before the risk actually causes a problem to the organisation.
The HSE recommends that audits are an essential tool for organisation leaders to “Check” that there organisation is managing safety on a day to day basis. Where deficiencies are found they can then “Act” to rectify the deficiencies and bring processes back under control. In order to lead effectively you need to be critical of your own performance and strive to continuously improve.
What makes our audit School Specific?
Schools and other educational establishments are unique organisations that have a complexity that is unlike other business sectors. There are numerous processes that are being undertaken at any given moment which are then further complicated by the fact that these processes may be undertaken by young people during lessons.
Our audits will look at all aspects of the schools operations including what is occurring within the classroom and lessons. An audit that focuses on the standard premises related matters will miss a considerable proportion of the risks present within a school environment.
After 12 plus years of working with schools, In House Safety has a full understanding of how schools of all types operate and how safe teaching practises and pupil behaviour management can have a significant effect on reducing the risks posed to both pupils and staff alike.
Who conducts your Audits?
All of our audits are conducted by staff that are Chartered Members of IOSH (CMIOSH) or those working towards achieving Chartered Status. Our Auditors are experienced with working within the school environments and understand how risks should be managed.
They also have a good understanding of what is achievable within the school environment because it is unlike any other business. Any recommendations for improvement that we make should be achievable in you setting so we make suggestions on what we think will work well within your school culture. Recommendations would never be put into practise if they are not achievable.
The Scope of our Audits?
Our audits have three distinct parts which can be tailored to meet the type and age of school being audited. The three parts are:
This section looks at health and safety management practices including: policies and procedures, risk assessments , training of staff, accident management and first aid provision to name a few.
This section considers all aspects of premises and facilities management including Asbestos management, Electrical safety, gas safety, Fire safety, Legionella management etc.
In addition we consider the activities of support departments such as caretaker, estates staff and grounds maintenance staff.
This section looks at any other matters that do not fit neatly into the other two sections. This does include: Security management, Lone Working and Management of Educational Visits
For larger independent senior schools and state funded Secondary schools other sections to the audit process to include higher risk Academic Departments these include:
- Physical Education / Games
- Science
- Design and Technology
- Art
- Performing Arts
How long does it take?
In order to conduct an effective audit of a school then a significant amount of time is required to allow the Auditor to properly identify any deficiencies or hazards that need to be addressed.
The time required on site will vary depending on the size and type of school concerned. In general terms the following can be used as a guide:
Primary Schools – 1 day on site plus write up time.
Secondary Schools – 2 days on site plus write up time.
Independent Prep Schools – 1-3 days on site depending on the size and facilities on site.
Independent Senior Schools – 3 – 5 days on site depending on the size and complexity of an organisation.
The Report?
After the audit has been completed, then a report is written that details the significant findings of the audit. The report is scored and RAG rated so that you can clearly see which areas of safety management require improvement.
The report also contains a prioritised improvement plan which can then be used to prioritise any deficiencies for improvement.
Any follow up?
With our School safety Auditing service there is no provision for any follow up apart from making minor amendments to the report to rectify any mistakes or misunderstanding.
However, if as a school you would like to upgrade the service to our SafetyMARK scheme and enjoy the additional benefits this scheme has then this is possible by making an enquiry here.
But as client of In House Safety you will benefit from preferential rates on further services required.