Environmental Cleanup Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Communication and emergency response — Agree a simple comms plan with a whistle or radio signal, designate a first-aid lead with kit and phone, set a muster point, brief location details for emergency services, and stop work immediately if instructions are not clearly understood.
• Sun exposure and heat illness — Provide shaded breaks, schedule water stops, apply broad-spectrum sunscreen with consent, rotate tasks to reduce continuous exposure, and move groups to shade when heat stress signs appear so participation remains safe in sunny conditions.
• 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.
• Chemical containers and unknowns — Treat unlabelled liquids, pressurised cans, asbestos fragments or chemical drums as no-touch, mark a perimeter, notify the site owner or council for specialist removal, and re-task pupils away from the item while recording the location precisely.
• Insects, wildlife and bites — Identify likely nests or habitats, avoid disturbance, use repellent where appropriate, provide tick removers and first aid for stings, and instruct pupils to report wildlife rather than attempt handling so encounters stay respectful and safe.