Environmental Cleanup Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Water bodies, tides and wading — Check depth, flow and tide times, keep learners back from edges, prohibit wading for pupils, provide throw lines for adults, and suspend work in high water, strong currents or swell so near-water litter can still be tackled from safe ground.
• Contaminated soils and legacy hazards — Avoid digging in suspect soils near old buildings or roads, use litter pickers only, wear gloves, prohibit hand-to-mouth actions, and require thorough handwashing before eating so engagement can continue without soil contact where contamination is possible.
• Waste segregation and lawful disposal — Sort recyclables, general waste and hazardous finds into marked containers, record any sharps or chemical referrals, and deliver bagged waste to agreed pickup points or licensed facilities so the cleanup meets legal and environmental standards.
• Traffic interfaces and roadside work — Establish a traffic management plan with high-visibility clothing, safe walking lines, marshals at crossings, and cones or signage where permitted, and restrict pupils to footways or verges while adults manage any carriageway interfaces.
• Slips, trips and unstable ground — Walk the area to mark holes, roots and loose rocks, require sturdy footwear, set slower pacing in mud or wet grass, avoid steep cambers for younger groups, and cordon any particularly unstable zones that cannot be made safe on the day.