Estate Health and Safety Responsibilities Policy

1. Scope and applicability

This policy is intended for adoption by maintained and academy schools in England. Its role allocation must reflect the school's employer or responsible body and must not be applied as though all school types have the same employer.

For a community or voluntary-controlled maintained school, the responsible employer will generally be [employer or responsible body]. For a foundation or voluntary-aided school, the responsible employer will generally be [employer or responsible body]. For an academy, the responsible employer will generally be [employer or responsible body].

2. Employer responsibility

The employer must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees and must conduct the undertaking in a way that does not expose non-employees to risks to their health and safety.

The employer remains legally responsible for these health and safety duties. Those duties cannot be delegated. Management of specific functions may be delegated, but delegation does not release the employer from its legal duty.

3. Estate health and safety functions

The responsible employer or body must define and designate responsibility for estate-related health and safety, including responsibility for statutory compliance and the engagement of competent persons.

The functions delegated under this policy are [delegated estate functions]. Delegation concerns the management of those functions only; it does not transfer the employer's legal responsibility.

The designated competent-person arrangement is [competent person arrangement]. The arrangement must support the employer in carrying out the relevant estate health and safety functions.

4. Safe provision, maintenance and working arrangements

The employer's estate health and safety responsibilities include the safe provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work associated with them.

The employer must provide information, instruction, training and supervision needed to ensure the health and safety at work of employees.

The employer must maintain a safe place of work, including safe access and a safe working environment.

5. Escalation and monitoring

Where a delegated function requires escalation to the employer or responsible body, the escalation route is [estate health and safety escalation route].

Delegated functions must be subject to monitoring. The monitoring arrangement is [delegated function monitoring arrangement]. Monitoring does not alter the employer's continuing legal responsibility.

6. Role allocation

The role responsible for maintaining the allocation of employer, delegated-function and competent-person responsibilities is [estate health and safety accountable role].

The named arrangements must identify the responsible employer or body, delegated functions, competent-person engagement, escalation route and monitoring arrangements before this policy is applied at the school.