Students and learners

The law

• The Health and Safety (Training for Employment) Regulations 1990
• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

Health and safety responsibilities

Within the context of their knowledge and status, students have a duty to:

• take care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions.
• co-operate with the placement provider in complying with the provider’s legal duties, for example by complying with instructions and training;
• never intentionally interfere with or misuse anything that has been provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare;
• work in accordance with the instruction and training provided to them, particularly in relation to the use of any machinery, work equipment, transport equipment, dangerous substances, means of production or safety device;
• inform their employer/placement provider, without delay, of any work situation, work equipment, etc which might present a serious and imminent danger, or of any shortcoming in the protection arrangements in place for health and safety.

Students should also report all accidents, work related ill health conditions and 'near miss' incidents to their employer/placement provider.

Preparing for the placement

Students should be:

• Briefed by the education establishment before the work experience placement begins about the importance of health and safety controls in the workplace, and the student’s own responsibilities for health and safety.
• Told by the placement provider about:

• the work activities involved and any associated significant risks;
• any necessary health and safety instructions and training;
• who has day to day responsibility at the workplace for supervising them, and who (if different) has overall responsibility for their health and safety during their work experience. Students will also need to know who their health and safety representative is.
• Given clear understandable advice by the organiser about who to contact if they, or their parents or carers, have serious concerns about their health and safety while on the placement.

If a student or learner is unclear about any of these matters they should ask.

During the placement

Students should be effectively supported during the placement. It is good practice for teachers or other suitably experienced staff to visit students during their work experience placement to monitor and review their progress. This provides a useful opportunity to ask students if they have any health and safety concerns and discuss practical ways in which risks are controlled.

After the placement

Students should be debriefed following their work experience. This is another opportunity for health and safety knowledge to be reinforced, and for students to raise any health and safety concerns. The education establishment should alert the organiser if students report that risks were not properly controlled.

Further guidance

This guidance does not attempt to deal with the wide range of complex arrangements for organising placements across England, Scotland and Wales. There is a range of other guidance available for learners, for example:

• The Learning and Skills Council provides valuable information on the safe learner website.
• 2006 is the year of the Young Worker, and the European Agency of Health and Safety has produced some information sheets:

• Your rights to safe and healthy work - advice for young people
• Looking out for work hazards – advice for young people