Appendix 7

UNIVERSITY OF ST.ANDREWS

GUIDANCE FOR ASSESSMENT OF PLACEMENTS
(HEALTH AND SAFETY)

Employers have the primary duty to ensure the health and safety of placement participants during their placements.  Universities and placement agencies also have a responsibility to ensure the suitability of placements.  They need to be sure that placements meet appropriate standards of health, safety and welfare and that employers know about their health and safety duties. The following elements form the basis for an assessment policy.

N.B.	Those carrying out such assessments should act, at all times, with tact and diplomacy and avoid any action which, however mistakenly, may be construed as prying into Company affairs

Preliminary enquiries

Any potential employer new to the placements procedures will need to discuss with the Placement Organiser the objectives of the placement, the implications of accepting students in the workplace and then informed of, and issued with the Placement Health and Safety Checklist.  

These discussions should preferably take place at the workplace and provide an opportunity for the Organiser to check the employer's management systems for ensuring occupational health, safety and welfare.  Where the new employer works from several premises (for example a chain of estate agents, or a multiple outlet store) it may not always be necessary to visit each worksite.  Much will depend on the Organiser's confidence in the health and safety management systems, as shown by responses to the points listed below.

Any employer of five or more people (including placement participants) who does not have, or is not willing to produce, a written statement of their policy on health and safety at work and of the arrangements for carrying that policy in to effect, should not be included in the placement scheme .  

The employer's policy and arrangements should be based on their assessment of the risks to the health and safety of employees arising from their work .  Where there are five or more employees the employer should keep a record of the significant findings of the risk assessment, and of any group(s) of employees identified by it as being especially at risk.  

The Health and Safety Commission publishes a simple step by step guide to help small businesses prepare a suitable policy which includes other checks that should be made at the preliminary visit. 

Thus,
•	Has the employer appointed someone to have overall responsibility for students on placements?

•	Has the employer confirmed that they have registered with the appropriate health and safety enforcing authority, where this is required?  In general this applies to factories (including garages, dry-cleaners, and repair workshops), quarries, mines, offices, shops and some construction sites?

•	Has the employer agreed to give students appropriate supervision at all times and to provide them with training in health and safety issues?

•	Has the employer confirmed that there  are procedures to deal with any accidents and emergencies that may arise?  

•	In particular, is first aid equipment provided and are records of first aid treatments kept?

•	If required, are trained first aiders available?

•	Does the employer know that all  accidents to students, however minor, must be reported to the placement organiser?

•	Has the employer confirmed that they have current employer's liability insurance? Insurance companies now carry out audits of the premises they insure and, if available, this information will greatly assist in determining the safety status of the organisation concerned.  It will also give an indication of the insurer’s professional risk assessment of the employer.

After discussing these and related issues the Placement Organiser should be able to assess the employer's general approach to occupational health and safety, and make a judgment about the placement's overall suitability.  An essential part of the initial visit to the employer should be a brief walk around the workplace.  This provides an opportunity to look at general conditions in the areas where students will be working.  Useful indicators of appropriate attention to occupational health, safety and welfare in many workplaces are:

The general standard of housekeeping

*	Are there clear gangways?
*	Is the workplace clean?
*	Are stairways or doorways obstructed by stored goods?

The general level of lighting.  

*	Is the workplace brightly lit or dingy?
*	Where work is done sitting down, are suitable seats provided?

Fire precautions.  

*	Are there any fire extinguishers? 
*	Does the employer have a system for checking them? 
*	Are fire exits clearly marked and not obviously obstructed? 
*	Are clear fire instructions displayed?

Electrical safety.

*	Are electric wires to be seen?  Loose, bare, dusty and disorganised wires or broken plugs or switches indicate an unsafe electrical system.

Welfare facilities.

*	Are toilets and washing facilities adequate and kept clean?
*	Are soap and drying facilities provided?
*	Are any health and safety information posters displayed?  

Every employer should, as a minimum have displayed the poster "Health and Safety Law, What You Should Know", or alternatively have arranged for distribution of the leaflet of the same name to all employees.

Placement Organisers should look at the specific work to be done by participants, where possible.  They could usefully ask about personal protective equipment, ensure that such equipment in appropriate sizes is available if needed and seek assurances that participants will be trained in its use.  Similarly, organisers can ask if there are health risks associated with the work and if such risks have been assessed by the employer.

Placement Organisers should also enquire about any health-based limitations on the type of person who may be appropriate for the placement.  Employers have a duty to assess the capabilities of their employees (which includes placement participants) in health and safety terms.  

There may, for example, be operations involving possible exposure to sensitising agents that would not be appropriate to students with asthma.  Another example might be a warehouse where there is a significant amount of works transport (lift trucks, etc.).In such a workplace a partially sighted student, or one with significant hearing loss, may need particularly careful supervision.  It is best practice to discuss students' ability to carry out particular tasks with their tutors.  

Where special arrangements are needed for students with disabilities, Placement Organisers should ensure that employers are given full information, and any necessary advice, well in advance of the placement.