Health and Safety Assurance Audits
Schools that haven't had a full Health and Safety Audit carried out in more than two years are required to have one carried out in this academic year.
For schools who have signed up to the Enhanced SLA, please contact the Corporate H&S Team to arrange your audit as soon as possible.
Team diaries fill very quickly, therefore, even if your audit isn’t due until early next year, by booking early, it will ensure you won’t be disappointed if other commitments nearer the time mean the team are unable to accommodate your requested date.
Getting the most from your other benefits of the Enhanced SLA
It is highly important for all schools to ensure that all Health and Safety related guidelines and legislation is being followed and checked periodically.
The Corporate H&S Team are ready to provide support and guidance as needed, many of which are included in the Basic or Enhanced SLA:
- Access to HSMS, Sypol, HelpDesk, Radiation Officer (secondary Schools only)
- Meet the Headteacher and Governors
- Support with Enforcing Authorities
- Training Courses
- Legionella reviews
- Risk Assessments reviews etc.
Schools Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Schools will shortly be contacted by the Schools SLA Team to sign up to next year’s SLA (2025-26).
The SLA offers significant benefits towards providing your school with the assurance it’s H&S is being managed efficiently and effectively and in-line with legislation, and we encourage all schools to sign up for the New 2025-2026 Service Level Agreement as soon as it is available to do so.
An SLA Event is to be held on 28 January, which all schools will be invited to attend. This will provide information on all the SLA’s that SCC offer to schools and an opportunity to sign up. Please attend if you can.
If you have any queries regarding the SLA please contact health.and.safety@southampton.gov.uk.
Ad-Hoc Services are also available to purchase on demand for those who don't wish to sign up to the full SLA. Please contact our team for information.
New guidance
The Corporate Health and Safety Service is working on creating new guidance relating to Lithium Batteries. This will replace the previous SWP for Lithium Batteries. It includes information on how to use, store, maintain and dispose of lithium batteries safely. Please look out for this new guidance on the Schools Guidance pages.
Incident reporting
The Corporate H&S Team strive to ensure all incidents reported via the online H&S reporting system (HSMS) are reviewed and closed as quickly as possible. This is to ensure serious incidents receive the attention and support required and to ensure compliance with RIDDOR regulations.
However, this task is made more difficult if schools do not complete the Manager Review section of incidents in a timely manner.
Please help us to help you by ensuring we have the correct email address for those who are responsible for reviewing and updating Manager’s Reviews for your school, making sure you email the team if there are any changes so that we can update our systems.
Please note, the HSE has updated the RIDDOR reporting form for all incident/accidents. Therefore, please ensure all serious incidents that will need to be reported on HSE under RIDDOR, contain clear information regarding the following:
- What was the work activity being undertaken at the time of the accident?
- What happened in the lead up to the accident?
- What were the environmental conditions at the time of the accident e.g. weather, temperature, lighting, floor/ground condition?
- What was the name and type of the machinery/equipment/substances involved in the accident?
- What action have you taken to prevent similar accidents occurring?
- Describe the nature of the injuries sustained
- Is there any other relevant information which describes what happened?
Important Note: All of the above mentioned are new questions implemented in the RIDDOR Reporting form. Please ensure that all this information is clearly stated in the HSMS reporting form in the Managers' Review section (comments box).
Failure to receive this information may mean the CHSS will not be able to submit a RIDDOR report within the timeframe required under RIDDOR Regulations.
Staff personal medicines in schools
A recent incident has highlighted the importance of staff in schools, who may need to have personal medications with them, to ensure these are not bought into teaching areas, even in personal handbags or other bags.
Please ensure all staff members are aware that personal medicines must be kept in areas, which are not accessible by pupils, at all times.
Upcoming training courses
Please see below a list of training that the Corporate H&S team are providing over coming months:
- 8 January 2025 – Asbestos Awareness
- 22 January 2025 – Caretaker/Site Manager – General H&S (am)
- 22 January 2025 – Caretaker/Site Manager – Fire Safety (pm)
- 23 January 2025 – Caretaker/Site Manager – Legionella Awareness (am)
- 23 January 2025 – Caretaker/Site Manager – Asbestos Awareness (pm)
- 4 March 2025 – Accident & Incident Reporting and Investigation
- 13 March 2025 – Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Assessor
- 27 March 2025 – Accident & Incident Reporting and Investigation
- 2 April 2025 – Fire Marshal Training
To book any of the above training, please contact Learning and Development.
Important: Please note, a charge applies for schools to attend these training sessions, please see details below:
- The cost of training for schools who are NOT signed up to the Schools H&S SLA or who are only signed up to or entitled to the Basic SLA is charged at £109.20 per delegate.
- For schools who are signed up to the Enhanced Schools H&S SLA, there is one free place at a half day course per year included (course must be run by a member of the Corporate H&S Team). After this free place has been used, all other training is charged at a discounted rate of a £10 reduction in price for the first person (i.e. £99.20) and £20 reduction for all other delegates attending the same H&S training course on the same day from the same school (i.e. £89.20).
- Caretaker/Site Manager sessions are charged at £65 per person per session, or £220 in total for the same person to attend all four sessions. Schools who are signed up to the Enhanced SLA will be charged a discounted rate of £55 per person per session. Schools who use their free half day training place for one session, will be charged at the discounted rate of £55 per person per session for all other sessions attended (£165 for the remaining three sessions)
- Non-attendance on the day for all training will be charged at the rates quoted above.
HSE Stress Awareness Week: 4 to 8 November 2024
Raise awareness of legal duty
Many people still don’t realise that it’s a legal duty to include work-related stress in risk assessments. You can help change that during stress awareness week by supporting HSE’s Working Minds campaign.
The campaign helps raise awareness that all employers are required by law to prevent work-related stress and support good mental health by doing a risk assessment and acting on it.
You could:
- Talk about it at your next one-to-one with a staff member
- Bring it up at a team meeting
- Encourage others to do our free bitesize online learning
- Download and share resources, such as our one-page summary of support, a campaign poster and social media graphics, with your colleagues and networks
The Enhanced SLA provides access to the HSE’s online Stress Risk Assessment Tool, please contact the Corporate H&S Team for further information if you would like to consider running a Stress Risk Survey in your school.
Fire alarm testing in school
Please be aware that when Housing Operations carry out Fire Alarm Testing they check and report if smoke devices are out of date as per manufactures recommendations and schools need to ensure these are replaced accordingly.
Water quality management - Legionella
Schools are reminded that they must ensure they have sufficient competency to review their legionella risk assessments in order to prioritize and complete actions accordingly. Actions taken must be recorded and records made available for inspection on request.
Legionella Awareness training is available on 23 January at a cost of £65 per delegate or £55 if attending all four Caretaker/Site Manager Modules. Please contact Learning and Development to book a place.
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER)
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 are extremely wide-reaching and, consequently, it’s easy to get caught out if you aren’t aware of how they could apply to your workplace.
In educational settings, LOLER inspections are required for various types of lifting equipment, such as passenger lifts, wheelchair lifts, platform lifts, laboratory equipment hoists, and any other equipment used for lifting purposes, to ensure they meet safety standards.
Make sure you are compliant in your school.
Rising violence and abuse incidents
It is noted that there is a growing increase of violence and abuse incidents in schools, especially against staff members.
Some of this may be down to better reporting, which is a positive.
However, where this isn’t the case, whilst it is appreciated such incidents are sometimes attributable to the challenging behaviours of some of the children we support, especially those who may have special educational needs, schools are encouraged to review such incidents carefully to see if there is any means to reduce the risks of injuries to their staff as far as reasonably practicable.
