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Written by admin
June 19th, 2014
Health and Safety Articles
rts
“What are my duties when it comes to hiring work experience students?” asks one employer. “What insurance do we need?” questions a second. “Where are my keys?” queries a third ( try looking down the side of the sofa).
Understanding health and safety duties when hiring work experience students can indeed leave many employers scratching their heads.
Only recently did a fabric store inform a mother that her daughter could not take a work placement as the presence of scissors would have invalidated their insurance.
The Health and Safety Executive quickly dismissed this assertion, assuring employers that existing public liability insurance would offer enough protection.
To help you understand your duties, then, we thought it would handy to deploy a dehumidifier of information to draw away the smokescreen of myths encircling work experience students.
Under health and safety law, work experience students are classed as your employees. This simply means that you treat them no differently to other young people in your employ.
No need to. It just so happens that your existing employers’ liability insurance policy will cover work placements provided your insurer is a member of the Association of British Insurers. If this is the case then there is no need for you to take out any additional insurance when taking on work experience students.
Keep any additional work in proportion to the environment:
For placements carrying higher-risks such as construction, agriculture and manufacturing you will need to:
Take the time to explain to the parents/carers of the students what the significant risks are and what you have done to control them. Likewise, when you induct students, ensure they understand the risks and how they are controlled.
More information about managing risks is available in Health and Safety Made Simple.
Written by admin
June 19th, 2014
Health and Safety Articles
rts
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