MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK REGULATIONS 1999 RISK ASSESSMENT’S FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG PERSONS Brian Hagyard CMIOSH

What is a young person or Child? Regulation 1 _Citation, commencement and interpretation. Child: A person who is not over compulsory school age, construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996 Young Person: Any person who has not attained the age of 18

So under the management regulations a person can be a child and a young person.

Regulation 3 (4) An employer shall not employ a young person unless he has, in relation to risks to health and safety of young persons, made or reviewed an assessment:

Regulation 5 An employer shall take particular account of: a) The inexperience, lack of awareness of risks and immaturity of young persons; b) The fitting-out and layout of the workplace and workstation; c) The nature, degree and duration of exposure to physical, biological and chemical agents.

Regulation 5 - continued d) The form, range, and use of work equipment and the way in which it is handled; e) The organisation of processes and activities f) The extent of the health and safety training provided or to be provided to young person g) Risks from agents, processes and work listed in the Annex to Council Directive 94/33/EC on the protection of young people at work.

People Under 18 Years of age are not allowed by law to use the meat slicing machines in a butchers shop! Offices, Shops & Railway Premises Act 1963 – Prescribed Dangerous Machines. Dangerous Machines (Training of Young Persons) Order Revoked by Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997 which were repealed by Management Regs 1999.

Prohibition of Work for young people by Directive 94/33/EC Work which is beyond his physical or psychological capacity; Involving harmful exposure to agents which are toxic or carcinogenic Involving harmful exposure to radiation Involving risk of accidents which it may reasonably be assumed cannot be recognised or avoided by young persons owing to their insufficient attention to safety etc

Directive 94/33/EC continued. Work in which there is a risk to health from: Extreme cold or heat Noise; or Vibration. Forms Reg 19 Management Regs. But – its ok if Necessary for training, are supervised by competent person and risk is lowest reasonably practicable

Directive 94/33/EC continued Specific Restrictions Working with Biological Agents in Groups 3 and 4 (leprosy – Lassa fever) Substances classed as harmful (Xn) and some risk phrases (e.g. R42 may cause sensitization by inhalation) Working with Asbestos Work with fierce or poisonous animals

Risk Assessment. There is no need for you to carry out a new risk assessment each time you employ a young person, as long as your current risk assessment takes account of the characteristics of young people and activities which present significant risks to their health and safety. You may wish to consider developing generic risk assessments for young people. These could be useful when they are likely to be doing temporary or transient work, and when the risk assessments could be modified to deal with particular work situations and any unacceptable risks.

What Should My Assessment Look Like? 5 Steps To Risk Assessment

Hotel Hagyard

Step 1 What are the Hazards Using a Gravity Meat slicer Exposure to Rotating blade

Step 2 Who Might Be harmed and how Person using machine. (staff) could suffer serious cuts including potential amputation of fingertip.

Step 3 What are you already doing OVER 18. Only trained staff will be aloud to use. Blade guard must be in place at all times during use. See training procedures. UNDER 18. Will only be aloud to use under direct supervision for 2 months to ensure are competent – period to be extended if problems have been encountered

What further action is required Produce a list of authorised users for staff notice board

Step 1 What are the Hazards Blade has to be removed for cleaning exposing very sharp cutting surface.

Step 2 Who Might Be harmed and how Person cleaning machine. (staff) could suffer serious cuts including potential amputation of fingers

Step 3 What are you already doing OVER 18. Only trained staff will be aloud to clean, blade carrier must be used at all times for this operation. UNDER 18. No person under 18 will be allowed to clean this machine.

What further action is required Produce a list of authorised users for staff notice board.

Step 1 What are the Hazards General cleaning “Clean it” is a Know skin irritant can cause dermatitis is prolonged exposure (see COSHH assessment)

Step 2 Who Might Be harmed and how Persons using cleaning material i.e. staff. Skin irritation and dermatitis if exposed to product.

Step 3 What are you already doing OVER 18. All staff will be provided with protective gloves and instructed to open windows while using clean it. Training records kept. Health monitoring undertaken. UNDER 18. Under 18’s will undertake cleaning under direct supervision of another housekeeper for two weeks. Training records kept.

Step 1 What are the Hazards Clearing external gully drains “Un- Blok-It” is a caustic product which can cause sever skin damage. See COSHH assessment

Step 2 Who Might Be harmed and how Staff using cleaning fluid. Chemical Skin Burns

Step 3 What are you already doing OVER 18. Staff are trained in safe use, provided with long rubber gauntlets and face shield. UNDER 18. No one under 18 is allowed to us. It is kept in the dangerous chemical cupboard only head chef has access

Hotel Nursery Portable electrical appliances Step 1 What are the Hazards Electrocution/electric shock. Step 2 Who Might Be harmed and how. Staff and Children – if cable damaged or equipment faulty in some way

Step 3 What are you already doing A suitable risk assessment for portable appliances is unlikely to need many alterations see assessment produced at previous risk assessment event UNDER 18 An initial assessment will be made on all under 18’s to ensure they appreciate risk associated with electricity at induction. Training records kept.

Visits Off Site Step 1 What are the Hazards All outside visits are separately assessed for hazards Step 2 Who Might Be harmed and how. Staff/Children may be injured in accordance with the risk assessment.

Step 3 What are you already doing All outside visits are separately assessed for hazards UNDER 18. No one under 18 will be aloud to lead such a visit; a senior member of staff must supervise them at all times.