1. Health & Safety in practical science What do I say about safety?
CLEAPSS
Steve Jones Director CLEAPSS

2. CLEAPSS
The myths
The fear…

3. Manging safety in practical science
CLEAPSS
Manging safety in practical science
Fears about safety can be a barrier to any sort of practical work (effective or otherwise)
Addressing the issue can be seen as:
Someone else's problem – eg the placement school?
A Pandora’s box – reluctance to open the lid!
Time spent with beginning teachers on managing safety is time well spent!
Can give trainees the confidence to do more practical tasks
Unlocking the potential of practical work as a classroom management tool
Helps to avoid career changing (ending) incidents
Equips trainees to deflect unworkable, bureaucratic risk assessment processes (lots of forms!)

4. Manging safety in practical science
CLEAPSS
Manging safety in practical science
Has a discrete subject ‘content’
Employer vs Employee
Duty vs Function
Hazard vs Risk
What legislation really requires
Risk assessment
Best presented
as part of a focus on effective practical work
by someone who has an understanding of the science curriculum - risk vs benefit
Duty of care
Who’s looking out for your trainees?

5. Avoiding disaster in practical activities…..
CLEAPSS
Avoiding disaster in practical activities…..
… requires
some understanding of H&S legislation and its implications
a good understanding of what you’re actually doing

6. So what is CLEAPSS? CLEAPSS or CLEAPSE?
A consortium of local authorities (for now at least)
Not for profit
Started in 1963
Based at Brunel University
Has 21 staff, an office, a workshop and a lab
CLEAPSS advice covers science, D&T and Art across England, Wales and NI
A website
A telephone and helpline
Currently has 21,500 members
98% of secondary schools are members
94% of primary schools are members
CLEAPSS

7. CLEAPSS’ role
CLEAPSS is tasked by employers in education to produce advice and guidance, including model risk assessments, for all practical activities involving risks to employees or ‘others’
By buying into CLEAPSS, employers are instructing their employees to follow CLEAPSS model risk assessments….. but they rarely tell them this!
CLEAPSS

8. What else does CLEAPSS do?
Develops exciting practical activities!
Practical Procedures (PPs)
Storage and disposal
(2-4DNP(H) & Asbestos in gauzes
Labs, preprooms and audits….
Radioactivity
Behind the scenes…..
Pressure vessel, Water supplies
Radioactives – Charging for registration, Euratom
Explosives regulations
3D printing
Drones
Pond weed Armageddon!
CLEAPSS

9. CLEAPSS – Supporting ITE providers
Managing risk in practical science - A ‘toolkit’
Gatsby funding
A presentation – covering the ‘content’
Materials to support activities focusing on the risk assessment process (using resources from the CLEAPSS website)
Examples of effective (and ineffective) approaches to risk assessment
‘Questionnaire’ - to be used in placement schools?
Concept cartoons…..
And…….

10. CLEAPSS
CLEAPSS
The Gardiner Building,
Brunel Science Park, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PQ Tel: Fax: Web:
Steve Jones