Management Information Sheet

Last year a science teacher in a Norfolk High School carried out a practical - Igniting floating bubbles filled with gas - which resulted in three year 11 pupils suffering burns to their forearms as a result of a sink full of bubbles becoming inadvertently ignited.

The HSE investigated the incident and gave the opinion that there were significant deficiencies in management processes. The inspector therefore required the school to develop and implement an action plan to improve its management of science; and expressed serious concerns about strategic health and safety management in the school.

Shortcomings in how the demonstration was conducted included:

- Carrying out the activity without reference to the model (supplementary) CLEAPSS risk assessment which identifies the need for:

	Demonstration only
	Creation of bubbles in an enclosed container rather than use of an open sink;
	It also states the practical should not be conducted at all if a school uses LPG supply rather than mains gas

- Site specific risk assessments were not carried out to identify if the demonstration was suitable for the school's circumstances

Shortcomings in strategic management included:

- Limited awareness and implementation of health and safety management arrangements required for a school science department as detailed in CLEAPSS resources and the Secondary Science Health and Safety Code of Practice

- A robust induction process was not in place for new staff.

Learning Points

Serious incidents in school science are rare and the safety record in Norfolk schools is generally good. However, there were several significant learning points from this incident.

1. Heads of Science must ensure that the CLEAPSS supplementary risk assessment is consulted and followed if carrying out this activity. Heads of Science should not ban or stop doing the demonstration because of this incident unless it is deemed unsafe due to local circumstances.
2. Heads of Science must check CLEAPSS model risk assessments and record significant findings and any modifications that are needed to meet local circumstances on documents that are in daily use - lesson plans, worksheets and schemes of work, including published schemes. It is preferable that this is coordinated from a single source accessible to all staff. The CLEAPSS documents 'Making and Recording Risk Assessments in Schools Science' (PS90) and 'Managing Risk Assessment in Science' (L196) detail how this can be done.
3. Heads of Science should actively monitor safe practice in their department and should not rely exclusively on senior technicians to coordinate the provision of risk assessment information, hazcards etc to teaching staff. See 'Monitoring the Implementation of Science Safety Policies' (PS30).
4. The Science Health and Safety Code of Practice has been reviewed in light of this incident and now highlights key CLEAPPS documentation that Heads of Science must use to manage safety effectively. The Code now includes a Risk Assessment Checklist for Science so that general control measures for laboratories are captured in one place. This replaces the General Workplace Inspection Checklist.
   
   Heads of Science and their staff must ensure that they are familiar with and working to this Code of Practice.
   
   
Headteachers and Health and Safety Coordinators must establish that Heads of Science (and Heads of other Departments working to Health and Safety Codes of Practice) are properly reviewing implementation of these Codes. Annual reviews of Records of Procedural Arrangements should not be completed just as a form filling exercise but should be used proactively to ensure risks are being actively managed.
6. Headteachers and Heads of Science should ensure that suitable induction procedures are in place - see Health and Safety Induction and Training of Science Teachers (CLEAPSS document G238) and Induction and Training of Science Technicians (DL234).