Health and safety duties of trusts: overview template and how to comply

As a trust, you have health and safety duties because you're the employer. Be clear on what these are and understand how to fulfil them. Use our overview tool to help you keep track of and monitor your requirements across your trust.

Last reviewed on 15 May 2023
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 43789
Contents
  1. Your trust is responsible for keeping staff, pupils and visitors safe
  2. Download our tool to keep track of your requirements
  3. Follow these principles
  4. Appoint a competent person, manage contractors and train your staff
  5. Have a policy, statutory risk assessments and incident recording and reporting in place
  6. Manage asbestos, fire safety and other estate-related responsibilities
  7. Ensure first aid provision across your trust
  8. Use the DfE's good estates management guidance

Your trust is responsible for keeping staff, pupils and visitors safe

As the employer, you have health and safety duties. Maintenance of your estate plays an important part in complying with these. 

Your duties towards your staff, pupils and visitors include to:

  • Put arrangements in place to manage the risks to these groups
  • Make sure staff are aware of the risks and the measures in place to manage them
  • Make sure staff have the relevant information and training to manage risks on a day-to-day basis, including access to competent health and safety advice where needed
  • Check that the control measures have been implemented and remain appropriate and effective 

Make sure any health and safety policies are clear and focus on real risks, and don’t encourage unnecessary paperwork.

But you remain legally accountable for them. So you'll want to monitor these delegated responsibilities and make sure the