Advice for work experience organisers
Work experience organisers have no responsibility under health and safety law for work experience students. The employer is responsible for workplace health and safety.
As the work experience organiser, you need to take reasonable steps to satisfy yourself that any work-related risks to a student are managed by the employer. Reasonable checks should be kept in proportion to the risks involved without second-guessing the employer's assessments and procedures. Talking with them will help you identify workplaces or tasks that would not be suitable for certain students.
Do not introduce unnecessary additional paperwork that could lead to employers being discouraged from offering placements. It is likely to be far more informative to talk with the employer about:
- what work the student will do
- what the relevant precautions are
- the planned arrangements for the induction, training and supervision of the student
Insurance
Ask the employer if they have employers' liability insurance and whether it covers work experience students as employees. There is no need for you to visit the employer to confirm this. Ask them to let you have a copy of the insurance certificate and make sure it covers the period of the work experience placement.