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Unit 3 M1&D1 DISTINCTION
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This is my completed Merit 1 and Distinction 1 for Unit 3, health, safety & security. I am doing the level 3 course. I received a distinction for this work.
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Millie Blossom HoultonUnit 3: Health, Safety & Security
Scenario: Staff members at Sunbeam Primary school are wanting to take 15 children
for a picnic at the local park. The Health and Safety officer has asked you to carry out a
risk assessment for this trip and produce a copy of this.
What is a risk assessment?
Employers must do a risk assessment in order to identify risks, and potential hazards
which may cause injury and harm within the workplace. Employers are required by law to
do this, so that they are protecting their employees and others from harm. The
assessment must identify any possible hazards, how likely it is that someone will be
injured and how serious the injury may be. The risk assessment should also show what
action must be took in order to eliminate the hazard and control the risk when necessary
to ensure that people are kept safe.
Who is responsible for carrying out risk assessments?
A risk assessment should be carried out and checked regularly to ensure that the work
setting is safe for everybody and contains minimal risks. A risk assessment will help to
look at the potential hazards within the setting and will identify ways which these
hazards can be controlled or eliminated completely. This reduces the risk and potential
harm to people and property.
When is a risk assessment carried out?
A risk assessment should be filled out if a service user has complex and different needs
which may cause them to be more easily at risk. For example, this could be an adult or
child in a wheelchair. They should also be completed if there is new equipment brought
into the setting, or new staff have joined the setting and need to be made aware of
school procedures. They should be regularly checked and renewed if an accident
happens in the work setting or it has been six months since the last assessment was
carried out.
M2: Assess the hazards identified in the health & social care setting.
Hazard 1: Food
1. Explain each hazard you have identified and how each hazard can cause
various types of harm. Assess how dangerous it could be.
Whilst on the school trip with students, food is a hazard because it can have the
potential to cause serious harm to the children. This is because if food is not stored at
the correct temperature students may suffer from food poisoning. Symptoms of food
poisoning may include students feeling dizzy, nauseous and suffering from diarrhoea,
all of which will result in the students needing to take time off school hindering their
intellectual development. Likewise, food should be considered a hazard on the trip
because many students may have allergies meaning that it would be unsafe for them
to consume certain foods. An allergic reaction may cause students to suffer from
coughing feeling hot and flustered and swelling. In more serious cases severe
allergies would have the potential to hospitalise students and may result in death. Is
food is not cut into appropriate size chunks all the field is too large for the students to
consume then this would become a choking hazard. This hazard may cause students
to suffer from breathing difficulties and would cause fear and panic amongst the
students. Whilst on the trip food could be a hazard because teaching staff may
become distracted and not always cheque that the food is a correct temperature for
students to consume. This could mean that staff may choose to take hot food on the
trip, and without checking the temperature first they may give this the child to
consume. If the food is too hot, then this would result in the child burning themselves
and this may cause blistering and swelling to the students making the rest of the trip
uncomfortable and unpleasant.
2. The hazard rating: why have you given this rating? Why that consequence
score? Why that likelihood score? (before control).
On my risk assessment for the trip I gave the hazard of food a hazard rating of 20,
this meaning that the hazard is a high risk to students on the trip. I decided to give
this hazard a consequence score of five, as children with severe allergies or children
who receive food at unsuitable temperatures for consumption could be at risk of
, Millie Blossom Houlton
Unit 3: Health, Safety & Security
severe injury or death. Blistering and swelling around the mouth would be severe
injury for students and extremely uncomfortable. Likewise, if a child was to have a
serious allergic reaction, then this could cause the airways to become blocked and
this could also result in death for the student. I chose to give this hazard a likelihood
score of four, this meaning that it is likely an event like this would occur during the
trip. I decided this because it is likely that the students would take a picnic on this trip
and a child is most likely to have an allergy. Therefore, if the students go on this
school trip and other parents have not been made aware that a student has an
allergy, then this could result in students for example taking notes on the trip not
knowing that another student has a severe peanut allergy. By taking this food on the
trip it would be inevitable the student with an allergy would come into contact with a
product containing nuts and this could have severe consequences on their health and
wellbeing. Similar to this , the students may be a high risk of food poisoning on the
trip, I think this because the students would need to take their food in a cool bag and
if the food is not consumed within a suitable amount of time then this would make
the food unsafe to eat.
3. The short-term harm which the hazard can cause, including PIES.
For this hazard I will use the example of a child having an allergic reaction due to
food being a hazard.
P: When a student has an allergic reaction to food, physically they may suffer from
sweating and a high temperature. They may possibly find themselves suffering from
an itchy rash, which would cause irritation to the skin and annoyance for the student.
When consuming an item, they are allergic to the student may find that their lips
become swollen and their eyes and areas of the face may also become swollen and
inflamed. After consuming a food which they are allergic to the student may find that
their airways become blocked and they become short of breath and their chest
becomes tight. This may result in the student wheezing and coughing when trying to
breath normally.
I: On the trip a student may have an allergic reaction due to them being unaware
that they cannot consume this product. In this case, the student would learn that they
should not try to eat this food in the future as it will cause them harm and could
result in them needing emergency medical attention. If the student has a severe
medical reaction, this may result in them needing to take time off school and missing
lessons for a prolonged period will hinder the child’s intellectual development and will
cause them to fall behind in school.
E: Emotionally, when having an allergic reaction, the student may feel like they have
embarrassed themselves in front of their classmates. During an allergic reaction,
students may feel an increased amount of stress, panic and fear in more severe
reactions. They may also feel a large amount of discomfort if their airways become
blocked or their faces become swollen. during an allergic reaction, some students
may also be in disbelief of the severity of the event, especially if they were unaware
that they had an allergy. This may cause the student to feel like they must be more
cautious with what they are eating, consequently, making them feel like they cannot
be as carefree as they once were.
S: If a child was to have a severe allergic reaction this would mean that they would
be unable to attend school, resulting in them not being able to interact with their
friends every day at school. If a student has friends who are not very understanding,
then this could result in them suffering from bullying and embarrassment if other
students spread rumours of the events of the trip. This bullying could lead to the
student being affected isolating themselves and feeling alone. Having an allergic
reaction will make a student more careful around their friends and less carefree, as
they may feel like they have to constantly be conscious of what food they are
consuming and what they are around. This would also result in the student learning
not to share food with friends, and this could be unusual if this is something which the
friendship group usually do.
4. The long-term harm the hazard can cause.
One long term effect of this hazard could be that the student may also feel like they
must be conscious of what they are eating, and this may result in the starting to carry
an epi-pen around with them. This meaning that if they were to have an allergic
, Millie Blossom Houlton
Unit 3: Health, Safety & Security
reaction, they would be more likely to be able to help themselves. Likewise, if this
incident has caused the student to need a lot of time off school, then they may need
to catch up with schoolwork in order to avoid seriously falling behind. The need to
catch up with all of this work may cause a student to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
5. Ways to reduce the hazard: explain how this would reduce the hazard?
One control for this hazard is ensuring that all staff follow the Food Safety Act. This
act suggests that all food must be fit for human consumption and stored and
prepared safely. This reduces the risk because staff will be made aware that they
need to store food at the correct temperature by taking a cool bag, otherwise this
could cause illness. Staff should also ensure that food is not too hot to consume, as
this could burn the students and cause swelling, soreness and pain. This will make
the staff more conscious of ensuring that the food is kept safe for the students and
will not put them at risk. To aid this, staff should also ensure that any food taken on
the trip is cut into appropriately sized pieces for the students consume, without
causing a choking hazard. Another control for this hazard is sending medical forms
home and asking parents to note their own child’s allergies. This will help to reduce
the risk of this hazard because when the school receives these forms back, they will
be able to evaluate any allergies which each student has. When making a note of
these allergies they will be able to contact parents and ask them not to put anything
in their students’ lunches which could cause an allergic reaction to other pupils. The
school will also be able to understand what snacks they can and cannot take for the
students on the trip, helping to reduce the risk of any students suffering from an
allergic reaction. When on the trip, to try and reduce the risk of the hazard of food,
teachers should also explain to students the dangers of sharing food because of
allergies and they should also encourage students to sit down in order to prevent
them from falling over and possibly choking whilst eating.
6. Once the hazard is reduced what is the new hazard rating?
After these controls my hazard rating now is ten and a medium risk.
Hazard 2: Strangers
1. Explain each hazard you have identified and how each hazard can cause
various types of harm. Assess how dangerous it could be.
When on the school trip, strangers in the park would be a hazard as the young
students would not fully understand the dangers of interacting with people who they
do not know. Strangers could be a hazard as they may approach the children in the
park and manipulate them or convince them to go home with them or the strangers
may expose themselves indecently. This may result in the students being abducted
or kidnapped whilst on the trip and this could cause them to suffer physically injures
such as bruising or broken bones, but also emotional trauma. Whilst on the trip large
groups of youths may be a hazard to the students. These types of strangers may be
unaware that smaller children are around them, and this could cause the children to
become exposed to inappropriate content, and explicit language. This would be a bad
thing for students to learn as they may begin to believe that this negative behaviour
is normal. Large gangs of older children may also take advantage of the children on
the trip and belittle the students or manipulate and bully them into doing things that
they do not want to or find frightening. Older children may also smoke around the
students, and this may make them feel uncomfortable or unwell.
2. The hazard rating: why have you given this rating? Why that consequence
score? Why that likelihood score? (before control).
On my risk assessment for the trip I gave the hazard of strangers a hazard rating of
20, this meaning that the hazard is a high risk to students on the trip. I decided to
give this hazard a consequence score of four, because if children are manipulated by
strangers and abducted or harmed then this could result in the students suffering
from a severe health crisis. Students may be touched inappropriately making them
feel uncomfortable or manipulated and bullied into doing something which they do
not want to. Likewise, if a child was to be abducted or kidnapped by a stranger, then
this could cause the students to suffer from broken bones, bruises and scratches,
causing them to feel traumatised. I chose to give this hazard a likelihood score of
five, this meaning that it is almost certain that the students will meet strangers whilst
, Millie Blossom Houlton
Unit 3: Health, Safety & Security
on the trip. I decided this because whilst on the trip, students will not be the only
people using the park. Therefore, if the students go on this school trip and their
parents have not made them aware of the dangers of interacting with strangers, then
they may choose to interact with them, and this could put them at a severe risk of
harm and injuries.
3. The short-term harm which the hazard can cause, including PIES.
P: In the short-term, if a student is a victim of an abduction then they may physically
suffer from bruises and broken bones. Incidents which may occur in broken ribs, due
to a student being grabbed or pushed (either being abducted or bullied by older
children) could cause students to feel strong pains in their chest area, when they
breath in. Students may suffer from swelling and soreness or tenderness around their
injured body parts. If students are punched in the rib cage, or are pushed onto a hard
surface, then they may suffer from breathing difficulties. These difficulties may result
in the student feeling short of breath, wheezing or feeling a need to cough. If a
student is pushed to the ground by an older group of children, this could also result in
them suffering from grazes and cuts, which could become sore and infected if they’re
not cleaned correctly.
I: On the trip a student may be seriously injured by a stranger, if they are unaware of
the dangers which they may cause. If a case was to occur where a student is
abducted, then this may result in them suffering from severe injuries and broken
bones, which will mean the student will have to rest for an extensive amount of time.
If the student is severely injured or traumatised by this incident, this may result in
them needing to take time off school and missing lessons for a prolonged period of
time will hinder the child’s intellectual development and will cause them to fall behind
in school, potentially causing their grades to drop. If the children are exposed to older
children who are swearing, then this may cause the students to believe that using
this language is acceptable, and this may cause them to swear more often, which
would be inappropriate.
E: Emotionally, when the students encounter strangers, they may feel intimidated or
pressured into acting a way which is unnatural for them. They may feel manipulated
by older groups of students, and this may cause them to feel belittled or worthless.
During an encounter with dangerous strangers or groups of teenagers using explicit
language, students may feel an increased amount of stress, panic and fear as they
may feel a lack of control in the situation and may not be aware of how the strangers
will behave. They may also feel a large amount of discomfort if the stranger is forcing
them to do something which they do not want to do or is showing them something
inappropriate.
S: If a child was to have an encounter with a dangerous stranger, this would mean
that they may feel self-conscious and unable to communicate with other people in
future. This encounter may prevent the students from wanting to go on another
school trip, if they are approached by an intimidating stranger. This may make them
feel like they cannot freely communicate with people anymore, and if a student has
been abducted or abused by a stranger, then this may make them feel like they
cannot trust strangers. This may cause the student to socially isolate themselves,
making it hard for them to make new friends and maintain positive, supportive
friendships. When returning to school after an experience of kidnap/abduction the
student may feel like they are alone and have no one who they can interact with at
school, making them feel lonely. severe allergic reaction this would mean that they
would be unable to attend school, resulting in them not being able to interact with
their friends every day at school. If a student has friends who are not very
understanding, then this could result in them suffering from bullying and
embarrassment if other students spread rumours of the events of the trip. This
bullying could lead to the student feeling depressed and not wanting to attempt to
form new connections and friendships.
4. The long-term harm the hazard can cause.
If an incident like this was to occur on the trip then in the long-term, this would make
students fearful and conscious when going out and this may prevent them from going
on further trips in the future, limiting their intellectual development and real-life
experiences. They may also suffer from depression, if they choose to socially isolation
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