Identifying activities and people
The prevention map must include classes, meetings with families, preparation, cleaning, maintenance and activities outside the classroom. It also records contracted work and temporary changes, such as construction work or relocations.
HSE recommends distinguishing routine, low-risk activities from those requiring specific controls. The risk assessment must help inform concrete decisions, rather than applying the same checklist to every space.
Organisation and psychosocial risks
Work demands, the accumulation of responsibilities, role conflicts and available support can affect health. OSHwiki identifies organisation as a central element in preventing stress in education.
Psychosocial risk assessment requires listening to people and leading to action. An individual wellbeing activity does not replace reviewing workloads, deadlines, coordination or resources when these conditions are behind the problem.
Relationships, interactions and situations involving violence
Interactions with students and other people may include conflict. Prevention must define how a threat is reported, who intervenes and what support is offered, without normalising aggression as an inevitable part of the job.
The conditions in which these interactions take place, schedules and isolated work also matter. The procedure must be known and practicable, including the possibility of asking for help without facing retaliation.
Laboratories, workshops and supporting tasks
The equipment, products and processes in a workshop or laboratory require specific assessment and trained people. The presence of students does not eliminate occupational risks for those supervising, preparing materials or cleaning afterwards.
Kitchens, sports facilities and maintenance may need their own measures. It is useful to identify who controls each space and how faults or changes are reported, to prevent an activity from continuing under conditions that have not been reviewed.
Coordinating changes and checking results
Construction work, external services and special activities require coordination. A change in the use of a classroom may affect circulation, evacuation, installations or workloads. It must be reviewed before the change becomes established.
Staff participation makes it possible to check whether measures work at different times. Follow-up must address incidents and difficulties in use, as well as retaining evidence of training, maintenance and actions taken.
Hypothetical example: reorganising a teaching workshop
An establishment reorganises a workshop to introduce new equipment. Before using it, the team reviews the layout, access to safeguards, preparation of practical sessions and cleaning. It consults teaching and maintenance staff.
After implementation, it checks that tasks can be carried out with the resources provided. HSE and EU-OSHA references provide technical guidance; the establishment must also apply the employment and education regulations relevant to its jurisdiction.
