Risk assessment for a Young Person on a Work Experience Program
Details of Student (this form covers one individual only)
Name
Date of Birth
Address
Proposed start date
Proposed end date
Details of Parent/Legal Guardian
Name
Contact Number
Address
Type of work experience:
(Circle boxes below)
Non-Laboratory
Yes / No
Laboratory
Yes / No
If Non-Laboratory work experience, complete Section A and Information to be sent to
parents / guardians of children.
If Laboratory work experience, complete Section A, Section B and Information to be sent to
parents / guardians of children.
Version: November 2015
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Section A
Title of Assessment
Date of assessment
Date for review
Department
Descriptions of Activities
Name of those working to
this assessment
Any others who may be
affected by this
assessment
Assessment carried out
by
Additional information
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Foreseeable
Significant
Hazard
Existing control measures
Controlled Further Action where risk
residual
remains moderate/high
risk
By whom & when
Controlled
Risk Level
Work should not be carried out until the assessment is completed to a suitable & sufficient level and all required control measures
are in place.
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Is assessment suitable and sufficient
Yes
Any further actions required to allow work to commence
Approved By
Position
Date
Please print a copy, sign it and keep for your records
Severity of injury
Likelihood
Superficial
Minor
Serious
Major
Extreme
Very low
Very low
Low
Low
Moderate
Unlikely
Very low
Low
Low
Moderate
High
Possible
Low
Low
Moderate
High
Very
Likely
high
Low
Moderate
High
Very
Very
Very likely
high
high
Moderate
High
Very
Very
Very
Extremely likely
high
high
high
See ‘Matrix for risk evaluation’ for further guidance.
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Overall
Risk Rating
(highest
level found)
Section B
Protection of young people working in scientific laboratories and related workshops
Risk assessment information and pre-work notification
Person responsible for this work (The principal investigator)
Principal investigator
Position
Department
Faculty/School
Appointed Supervisor
Named Supervisor
Department
Process for approval:
 The remainder of this form is to be read and filled in by the principal
investigator or supervisor of the young person (definitions below)
 On completion, ensure the form is forwarded to the Health and Safety
 Department to agree and approve the control measures.
Further Information – Please read carefully
This assessment is generic for areas of work or research groups where young persons are working
but relates specifically to laboratory and related workshop environments.
By definition a young person is anyone under eighteen years of age. A child is anyone who has
not yet reached the minimum compulsory school leaving age (currently just before or just after
their 16th birthday). These requirements apply equally to work experience students, casuals and
trainees whether they receive payment or not and irrespective of the length of time they spend within
the University.
All work activities involving hazards which have the potential to present significant risks must have
a documented risk assessment. This assessment must detail control measures that will mitigate
the risk. This assessment is in addition to the activity based risk assessment and is not a
replacement for it.
In addition, it is a also a legal requirement to assess all risks to all young persons before they start
work and ensure that measures are in place to eliminate or control these risks. This document forms
the basic risk assessment for young persons and must be completed for anyone under 18 years of
age. At induction the young person must be told of the risks to health & safety and how to avoid or
control these.
Where the person is a child (see definition above), the principal investigator/supervisor must let the
parents or guardians know the key findings of the risk assessment before commencement of the
placement. This is done by completing the “Information to be sent to parents/guardian of children”
section at the end of this document. Use this assessment to distil the main findings; where any 'YES'
box is ticked and the controls are clearly stated. Any information must be comprehensible to a
person unfamiliar with the work we do.
Return the completed form to the nominated person within your department.
The conclusion from this risk assessment will always be that low or negligible risks only
remain for young persons; medium to high level risks having been eliminated.
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Restrictions
The following restrictions apply to ALL young persons working labs and workshops.
There will be no work with:1. Ionising radiation where the work involves entry into supervised areas or exposure to a
measurable radiation dose. Handling of labelled plant material can be allowed where a
specific risk assessment has been made.
2. Dangerous machines e.g. lathes, angle grinders etc. and hand-fed wood working
machinery, in particular band saws, sawing machines fitted with circular blade, planning
machines, vertical spindle moulding machines etc, and vehicles such as tractors, ATV's,
lift trucks etc. and any equipment which can lead to exposure to damaging noise and
vibration (hand-arm or whole body). Exceptions can be granted to apprentices or trainees
where required as part of their training and under certain controlled conditions.
3. Carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins, lead compounds, asbestos and
substances of a very toxic nature.
4. Biological organisms in hazard group 3 or above, or hazard group 2 for under 16’s
5. High risk, unscreened biological samples/clinical samples or tissues
6. Animal or plant derived allergens which can cause potential sensitisation
7. Work where there is exposure to extreme heat or cold which could be detrimental to
health. This does not include brief visits to cold stores or hot glasshouses but extended
work in these. If unsure of the degree of cold or heat consult the health and safety
department.
Access to CL3 laboratories is strictly forbidden for all children and young persons.
If any YES box is ticked you must state what controls are in place to eliminate or reduce risk.
If in doubt on any point please discuss with the Health and Safety Department. Guidance is
given in blue.
General risks
Risk Factor - Will the person:
Do physically demanding work normally
expected only of fit adults?
Work at a pace determined by machinery
normally operated by adults?
Work where there is sufficient noise to
make it necessary to shout to be heard?
Be exposed to UV radiation (natural or
from UV sources)?
Version: November 2015
Yes
No
Controls
Where the activity is manual
handling, ensure that suitable
handling aids are provided and
used where appropriate
This must not be allowed for
‘Children’. 16-18 year olds need
to agree controls with Health and
Safety Department
Ensure suitable hearing
protection is provided and used
No work involving UV sources
likely to cause a skin burn.
Ensure appropriate sun screen is
provided and used for natural UV
radiation
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Guidance on laboratory Specific Risks
Young persons must be supervised at all times. This duty remains the responsibility of the
principal investigator. A competent supervisor must be appointed to oversee all work.
No work with chemical or biological agents can be allowed to be carried out by the Young
Person unless they have been assessed as being capable of working to ‘Good lab
Practice Techniques’, and with this level of competence supervision will still need to be
maintained. Documented training on basic laboratory rules, including PPE usage and
emergency procedures must be given prior to the student starting.
Biological agents
Where the answer is yes, please provide sufficient detail to allow the Health and Safety
Department to provide suitable control measures.
Risk Factor - Will the person:
Yes
No
Controls
Exposure to human pathogens?
If yes, please indicate type, strain etc.(if
yes please give the risk assessment
reference number)
Exposure to any genetically modified
material? (if yes please give the GMBSC
reference number)
Exposure to screened / unscreened
human tissue
Exposure to screened / unscreened plant
tissue
Exposure to sensitising agents of a
biological nature
Exposure to any other type of biological
agents
Chemical Agents
All work with chemical agents must be on a small scale (grams, not kilograms). Lab coats
and other appropriate PPE as determined by the experimental risk assessment must be
provided and used when entering a laboratory.
Risk Factor - Will the person:
Exposure to substances classified as
sensitiser, highly toxic, carcinogen,
mutagen, teratogen
Exposure to materials classified as
‘pyrophoric’
Exposure to materials classified as
flammable or highly flammable
Version: November 2015
Yes
No
Controls
Observation only, no handling of
the material by under 16’s. All
work must be carried out in a
fume cupboard, emergency
procedures must be in place
Only observation of techniques
Small volumes only, handling in
fume cupboard
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Exposure to materials classified as
harmful, corrosive or irritant
Exposure to large volumes of corrosive
substances (Carboy)
No large volume chemical
handling allowed
Other risks
Enter any risk not already covered which may put young persons in greater danger than
adults due to their lack of experience, training or attention to safety.
Consider risks such as; electrical risks from equipment, manual handling risks, mechanical
risks including those from centrifuges, cold and heat risks from various laboratory
equipment including freezers and any other risks identified in the procedural risk
assessment.
Risk(s)
Version: November 2015
Yes
No
Controls
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Information to be sent to parents / guardians of children
To ___________________________ (parent or guardian)
I understand the person named above will not have reached the minimum school leaving
age by the time they will be working at The University of Warwick. This sheet provides you
with a statement of the risks to health and safety that may be encountered during the work.
Please feel free to question us on any matter related to the health & safety of your child
while on placement.
Risks to health &
safety:
What measures are in place to
eliminate or control these risks
Remaining level of
risk
(either negligible or low)*
* Key: Negligible = very low likelihood of harm being realised and/or of minor severity
Low = harm, although unlikely, could be realised but consequences would not be serious.
NOTE - Any risks greater than these have been eliminated from the work that young people do at
HRI.
You should note the following prohibitions for all children working at The University of
Warwick:
1. Ionising radiation where the work involves entry into supervised areas or exposure to a
measurable radiation dose.
2. Work with dangerous machines such as lathes, circular saws, angle grinders etc. and vehicles
such as tractors, ATV's, lift trucks etc. and any equipment which can lead to exposure to
damaging vibration (hand-arm or whole body). Exceptions can be granted to apprentices or
trainees under certain controlled conditions.
3. Work with category 1&2 carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins, lead compounds,
asbestos and substances of a very toxic nature.
4. Work with biological hazard group 2 organisms or above
5. Work with high risk, unscreened biological samples/clinical samples or tissues
6. Work with animal or plant derived allergens which can cause potential sensitisation
7. Work where there is exposure to extreme heat or cold which could be detrimental to health. This
does not include brief visits to cold stores or hot glasshouses but extended work in these.
Name of child/student: (PRINT) ________________________________________
Name of supervisor while on placement: (PRINT) __________________________
Signature of supervisor: ________________________________________
Date of this assessment: _______________________________________
Version: November 2015
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