You must carry out COSHH assessments
As the employer in your school, you must make "suitable and sufficient" assessments of the risks created by hazardous substances.
This is set out in legislation (amended in 2003 and 2004).
Keep a record
If you have 5 or more employees, you need to record:
- The significant findings of the risk assessments as soon as practicable
- The steps you've taken to prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances
See section 2 of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on managing risks and risk assessments at work.
Review your assessments regularly
Plus, review an assessment immediately if:
- You have reason to suspect that a current risk assessment is no longer valid
- There's been a significant change in the work that the risk assessment relates to
- Any regular monitoring you carry out of exposure to hazardous substances suggests that a review is necessary
You can use it for most day-to-day