School Library Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Trailing leads and device charging — Use floor boxes, cable trays and charging trolleys, supervise charging, forbid personal leads across walkways or escape routes, and position temporary cables under robust covers with high-contrast edges that are removed immediately after use.
• Overcrowding and congestion — Set room capacities from exits and floor area, keep aisles clear to at least 1.2 m, stagger class visits, run one-way flows at peaks, and station staff at doors to pause entry when thresholds are reached and to maintain clear egress routes.
• Events and group activities — Complete event-specific checks, link chairs in rows, maintain aisles, verify PA and emergency lighting, brief egress routes, manage capacities at doors, and position stewards to guide arrivals and resolve bottlenecks.
• Windows, glazing and restrictors — Keep furniture away from sills, retain child-safe restrictors and test them termly, ensure safety glazing or film is fitted and marked for visibility, and manage blind cords with tension devices or cordless designs.
• Shelving stability and toppling — Bolt stacks to walls or floor, label shelf load limits, keep heavy items on lower levels, fit anti-tip brackets on mobile units, inspect for wobble each term, and forbid climbing or using shelves as ladders or seatbacks.