Environmental Cleanup Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Steep banks, walls and edges — Define stand-off distances at the top and base of banks, forbid sitting or climbing on edges, station adults at chokepoints, and reassign tasks away from unstable walls or culverts where erosion, crumbling or hidden voids are observed.
• 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.
• Weather and lightning exposure — Review the forecast, require layers, sun hats or waterproofs as needed, shorten sessions in heat or wind, shelter during showers, and postpone entirely when lightning or weather warnings are issued so learning continues only in tolerable conditions.
• Supervision ratios and young volunteers — Set ratios by terrain and proximity to water or roads, place adults at boundaries and chokepoints, buddy pupils, and pause activities when visibility or control diminishes so engagement remains purposeful and safe for mixed ages.
• Needles and biohazard waste — Stop work and call the designated adult if needles or suspected biohazards are found, use approved sharps boxes and tongs only, never recap or handle by hand, and report to the authority for collection if outside trained staff capability.