Health and safety guidance for schools is available on the Occupational Safety Website -
Please contact the Occupational Safety Team for further help if needed -
Ensuring Legal compliance in schools, Bradford Council
Occupational Safety - On Line meetings, health and safety audits, documents and site visits during COVID-19 pandemic.
As Schools are returning during September, 2020 we are looking at an alternative service provision. It is important to remember that both the schools and the local authority have a legal duty under Health and safety legislation to provide this service to
educational establishments within the district.
Unfortunately, due to the Covid 19 pandemic, we are all having to adapt to the restrictions this virus imposes on us.
After considering a number of scenarios, our proposed plan for the immediate future is we will provide a WebEx Health and safety service to schools as an alternative to site visits, for the following reasons.
1. It reduces the number of site visitors, who would not normally be there, therefore reducing the risk of viral transmission.
2. Should a school that has just been visited is identified as having one or more Covid cases, leading to one or more persons or bubbles having to self-isolate or at worst close. This could also impact unnecessarily on other schools that our service
may have visited in the following days.
Reducing the number of social contacts can significantly reduce the virus transmission risk, so by using a visual web based system, where meetings could be held over the computer, just the same as if we were visiting site, questions can be asked and answered
in real time. Documentation will be sent prior to the agreed meeting via email, for review and preparation. If there is a particular need, there could be a planned onsite inspection of an area of the school whilst following Covid-19 risk mitigations. For example,
a raised concern within school which cannot be resolved by any other means.
Whist it is our intention to give schools an alternative of a site visit, if a school is visited there will need to be a time gap of at least 10 days prior to subsequent visits to assist with reducing the risk of virus transmission. However; schools will
continue to be supported as normal in an emergency situation.
Please contact
occupational.safety@bradford.gov.uk leave your details and we will contact you to discuss your arrangements.
Here is the Schools rolling programme visits pro-forma.
Guidance on heating and ventilation during the pandemic
AHUss and Central Ventilation with recirculation functionality
Employers must, by law, ensure an adequate supply of fresh air in the workplace and this has not changed.
Good ventilation can help reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus, so focus on improving general ventilation, preferably through fresh air or mechanical systems.
Where possible, consider ways to maintain and increase the supply of fresh air, for example, by opening windows and doors (unless fire doors).
Also consider if you can improve the circulation of outside air and prevent pockets of stagnant air in occupied spaces. You can do this by using ceiling fans or desk fans for example, provided good ventilation is maintained.
The risk of transmission through the use of ceiling and desk fans is extremely low providing there is good ventilation in the area it is being used, preferably provided by fresh air. (HSE)
It is recommended to avoid central recirculation during SARS-CoV-2 episodes to prevent the risk of airborne transmission and recirculation of airborne viral particles in the building. The advice is to close recirculation dampers via the Building Management
System or manually.
Bypassing the recirculation section may impact the building cooling or heating capacity; this has to be accepted because it is more important to seek to reduce contamination and protect public health than to guarantee thermal comfort. This may require education
for building occupants and a relaxing of dress codes.
Some air handling units and recirculation sections may be equipped with return air filters. This should not be a reason to keep recirculation dampers open as these filters do not normally filter out particles with viruses. (CIBSE)
Air conditioning
The risk of air conditioning spreading coronavirus (COVID-19) in the workplace is extremely low as long as there is an adequate supply of fresh air and ventilation.
You can continue using most types of air conditioning system as normal. But, if you use a centralised ventilations system that removes and circulates air to different rooms it is recommended that you turn off recirculation and use a fresh air supply.
You do not need to adjust air conditioning systems that mix some of the extracted air with fresh air and return it to the room as this increases the fresh air ventilation rate. Also, you do not need to adjust systems in individual rooms or portable units
as these operate on 100% recirculation. You should still however maintain a good supply of fresh air ventilation in the room.
If you’re unsure, ask the advice of your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) engineer or adviser. (HSE)
For further advice or assistance, email Danny.Keenan@bradford.gov.uk or Tel 01274 437489 Mob 07582 101918
Health and Safety Training
Following feedback from the Health and Safety Executive it is strongly recommended that at least one member of the school management team undertakes health and safety trainng. The IOSH accredited Managing Safely qualification is an appropriate qualification
to meet this requirement and will equip school management with the minimum basic knowledge needed to manage health and safety effectively on a day to day basis.
Please follow this
link to the Health and Safety Training pages for further information.
Documentation for the Safety Management Self-Audit can be found on the schools information page of our website
www.bradford.gov.uk/hands
Health & Safety - use of laptop racks, further guidance
Laptop Charging Trolleys/Racking Advice for Schools
(updated guidance added 9 December 2013)
Sticker for laptop trolleys