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NSC Home Page > EUAS Contents > Local Education Authority Standpoint
LOGISTICS
Health and Safety
Local Education Authority Standpoint
A cross section of Local Education Authority (LEA) Health and Safety Officers (7 in all) were interviewed by telephone as part of this project. Those included the three main quarrying counties - Derbyshire, Somerset and Leicestershire and three more 'typical'; counties Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and Cheshire and an urban authority, Birmingham. They were asked about (a) application of general, national guidance and local interpretation, (b) visits to quarries and similar sites (c) use of company transport.
Responses were fairly wide ranging and on specific matters, naturally tended to reflect local or the personal experience of the respondent.
LEA guidance to schools making educational visits to working quarries or related industrial sites can be summarised as follows:
1. All schools closely follow the DfES guidance on Health and Safety with regard to educational visits out of school. All schools must have a trained co-ordinator. This is normally a teacher at the school who can offer general advice and guidance for the planning of a visit.
2. Many LEA's follow the DfES guidance for educational visits, with additional rules and guidance for school parties.
3. Some LEA's can provide schools with templates for use in preparing risk assessments for visits to specific environments such as quarries, caves and factories. However, in LEA's which do not have quarries, caves etc., it is very unlikely that risk assessments will be readily available.
4. Many schools prepare their own 'low-level' risk assessments for educational visits. Schools can use the LEA's specialist advisors to help prepare 'high-level' risk assessments, if they are not available from the place being visited.
5. All LEA's have a specialist advisor, or team of advisors for Health and Safety matters relating to schools including educational visits. The job title of this person can vary, e.g. Health and Safety Advisor, Outdoor Education Advisor.
Of those participating, only one provided specific advice to teachers on quarry visits and this was made available via their intranet for schools. They also provided guidance on visits to show caves and factories. One other large quarrying county also offered information on cave visits, but apparently considered that quarry visits were very infrequent. The third large quarrying county's specific advice only covered visits abroad.
One of the LEA's expressed great interest in the outcome of any study of current practice and another rated visits high or low risk and attached to each, specific requirements to consult LEA advisors accordingly. Another (based on personal experience in heavy industry) suggested that there should be a minimum age limit to quarry visits and most specifically an implicitly strongly advised on a pre-visit to reconnoitre the situation.
Transport was the area where there appeared to be the greatest degree of variation. Some LEA's requirements were essentially a restatement of DfES guidance - roadworthiness, safe/suitable for the age group, written undertakings from the company concerned - if vehicle doesn't comply, then the school should not participate in that activity.
In general, the case of using company transport not under contract to or not owned by the LEA of school, was outside normal experience. One respondent therefore stressed the need (in addition to the above), to consider on a case by case basis, the nature of transport, length of journey/children with learning difficulties, etc.