The school’s allocation of DFCG can be used to purchase additional fire safety equipment and improvements. The school may also have Energy Efficiency grant available to spend. If this grant has not been committed for spend on Energy Efficiency it…

Maintained schools within Somerset Council (SC) use European Educational Consultants (EEC) as their Health and Safety Management System. This system enables schools to compile risk assessments, record accidents and near misses, submit off-site visit applications for endorsement and provides the…

Normally the Legionella Risk Assessment (LRA) has a table of the contents to help keep your Legionella folder in order. Sites should be adding the results of their monitoring/testing under the records section, which may be completed by someone at…

Garden ponds are great! They’re nice to look at, good for wildlife… Unfortunately they’re not so good for young children. In fact, garden ponds are involved in more than half of all toddler drownings. Water holds a particular attraction for…

The FA (Football Association) updated heading guidance in May 2024 for age groups under 6 and under 18. Although there was no evidence in the field study to suggest that heading the ball was the cause to the link with…

A local authority has been sentenced after a technician lost his finger while operating a machine. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found West Sussex County Council, the local authority in charge of the school, failed to ensure the…

Gas Safety Week 2024 takes place 9th – 15th September and is an annual safety week to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of gas appliances. It is coordinated by the Gas Safe Register, the…

The new Somerset Council Outdoor Education Advice website includes guidance for schools and other education establishments on the planning, organisation and supervision of outdoor education and external visits. You can also find checklists, consent forms and links to book the…

As part of the Council’s policy review programme, the Health and Safety Service has published updated policies on the Health and Safety Internet site. The following policies were reviewed: Working Alone Safely (supporting Guidance available) Radon (supporting Guidance available) Hand Arm Vibration…

Our education providers recognise that they have a responsibility to ensure that pupils with medical conditions are supported, can continue to enjoy learning, develop friendships and play. Through working in collaboration with parents they can ensure that, as much as…

Somerset Council school’s Minibus Guidance has been updated. Eligibility to Drive a Minibus explains that following EU Directives, the County rules on the driving of school minibuses states that all drivers of minibuses, with post 1997 driving licences, should hold…

We have reviewed Somerset Council school’s Swimming Guidance and the two appendices for pool owners (Swimming Normal Operating Procedures and Swimming Emergency Action Plan) have also been updated.  When your NOP and EAP are due for review, please use the…

What a great way to remember Health and Safety tasks – Water Wednesdays and Fire Fridays!  St John’s Infant school in Glastonbury has this simple mantra and it really helps the team with their tasks and compliance. Midweek on a…

Somerset Council is required by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to develop plans to manage business continuity in the event of a range of disruptions to services. By extension, Local Authority schools have the same obligation. No-notice disruptions are, by…

When the Health & Safety Service conduct live training sessions, they are recorded and made into YouTubes which can then be accessed by school staff at a time convenient for them. Recent training sessions: External Visit Administrator (EVA) training recording…

This article explains the importance of contacting our Asbestos team (Somerset Scientific Services) and following their advice if you discover exposed Asbestos in your school. What happened? At one of Somerset’s Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) settings, a student back heeled…

Frequently asked questions about cooking and selling food at events Q: We are organising a cake sale, and a parent is making the cakes, they will be labelled as homemade, with a list of allergens and ingredients and there is…

A Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) is an organised and methodical look at your premises, the activities carried out there and the likelihood that a fire could start and cause harm to those in and around the premises.​The aims of the…

Is your Legionella Risk Assessment (LRA) in date? In the most recent Legionella Guidance we have amended the frequency of these assessments. Under Core Offer, the facilitation of statutory servicing and compliance checks to plant and equipment now includes Legionella…

Common questions that are asked by External Visit Co-ordinators (EVC’s): Q: Do I need risk assessments from a provider? A: Providers from an Outdoor Education perspective are businesses that provide adventurous activities. Some of the common providers you will be…