School Bus Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Seat belts and seating allocation — Provide working belts on fitted vehicles, brief correct fit every term, seat younger pupils forward, allocate known needs to supervised rows, and halt movement until unsecured pupils are belted or appropriately positioned per policy.
• Child left on vehicle after route — Require a front-to-back sweep at every end-point, verify with a tamper-evident child-check tag at the rear exit, reconcile the manifest with school attendance, and escalate any mismatch to control before securing the bus or releasing the driver.
• Boarding and alighting at stops — Stop close to the kerb on level ground, open doors only when fully braked, deploy steps/ramps as needed, board from front to back, dismiss front to rear, and keep the bus stationary until the roadway and mirrors are confirmed clear.
• Communication and tracking failure — Equip drivers with hands-free radio/phone for stops only, maintain a control room contact, carry paper registers and route cards, and default to the nearest safe stop and muster if comms fail, resuming only when contact is re-established.
• Roadside waiting and kerbside behaviour — Mark safe waiting points set back from the kerb, require single-file approaches, ban running and ball play, brief “let the bus stop first,” and appoint stop monitors so groups remain controlled until the door is opened.