CalmComplianceRisk Assessment template
Public health incident risk assessment
- Version
- v1
- Updated
- 1 October 2026
- Audience
- Maintained and academy primary and secondary schools in England, including those assessing infection or other public health incident risks.
- Jurisdiction
- england
Activity assessed
Assessment and control of infection and other public health incident risks, documenting consideration of elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and PPE in that order. Applicability and selected controls should be determined for the specific incident, activity, persons affected and setting.
Assess each hazard and its controls against your site before use. Template ratings require local review.
Hazards and controls
Transmission of an infectious agent during teaching, learning, care, supervision, movement, social interaction or other school activities.
- Existing controls
- Record only controls that are already in place and evidenced for the specific school, activity and incident. No site-specific existing controls are supplied in this reusable register.
- Proposed controls
- Consider controls in the following order and record the measures selected and the reasons: (1) Elimination: stop or defer an activity that is not essential where risks are attached; (2) Substitution: replace the activity with another that reduces the risk, checking that the replacement does not introduce new hazards; (3) Engineering controls: consider design measures that help control or mitigate the risk; (4) Administrative controls: consider procedures and arrangements to improve safety, including where relevant communications, signage, scheduling, separation or other operating arrangements; and (5) PPE: where PPE remains necessary after consideration of higher-priority controls, select and use it in line with applicable UK Health Security Agency guidance. Keep each measure conditional on the assessed incident, activity and setting.
Local assessment and additional controls
Exposure associated with a person who may be infectious, including during attendance, contact with others, or provision of care or support.
- Existing controls
- Record the arrangements currently available for identifying, reporting and managing potential exposure or illness, without assuming that any particular arrangement has been adopted or completed. No site-specific existing controls are supplied in this reusable register.
- Proposed controls
- Assess whether the relevant activity can be eliminated or deferred; consider substitution by a lower-risk activity or method; consider engineering measures that help control or mitigate exposure; consider administrative procedures for reporting, communication, attendance, supervision, reducing contact and responding to the incident; and consider PPE only where it is selected after higher-priority controls have been considered and where its use is applicable. Document the basis for each selected or rejected control and any new hazards introduced by substitution.
Local assessment and additional controls
Spread of infection through an activity, event, gathering, shared space or arrangement that is not essential or can be changed.
- Existing controls
- Record current arrangements for the activity or event, including any controls already implemented and evidence of their operation. Do not treat the existence of a policy or procedure as evidence that a control is in operation unless this has been established for the relevant setting.
- Proposed controls
- First consider whether the activity, event or gathering can be stopped, postponed or otherwise eliminated where it is not essential. If it remains necessary, consider a substitute activity or arrangement that reduces risk and assess any new hazards. Then consider engineering measures, followed by administrative procedures such as revised scheduling, communication, signage or movement arrangements where relevant. Consider PPE only after the preceding options have been assessed and only where applicable to the selected activity and risk.
Local assessment and additional controls
Exposure arising from response, cleaning, care, handling, waste, equipment or other tasks undertaken during or after a public health incident.
- Existing controls
- Record task-specific controls already in place, including arrangements relevant to staff, pupils, visitors and contractors where applicable. No assumptions are made about available equipment, facilities, training, procedures or PPE.
- Proposed controls
- Assess whether the response task can be eliminated or deferred; consider substitution with a lower-risk task or method while checking for new hazards; consider engineering controls that help control or mitigate exposure; consider administrative procedures for task allocation, access, communication, supervision and safe working arrangements; and consider PPE where it is selected after higher-priority controls have been considered and where applicable. Specify the task, persons potentially exposed, control owner and review point in the completed register.
Local assessment and additional controls
Failure to identify, document or review suitable controls for an infection or other public health incident, including reliance on a single or easiest measure.
- Existing controls
- Record the current assessment, consultation, review and escalation arrangements, if any, and identify what evidence supports their operation. No completed assessment, consultation, review or adoption is asserted by this reusable resource.
- Proposed controls
- For each identified risk, document consideration of elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and PPE in that order rather than selecting only the easiest measure. Record which controls are proposed, which are not applicable, what information or evidence is needed, who is responsible for further action, and when the assessment should be reviewed. Keep applicability conditional on the specific incident and school circumstances.
Local assessment and additional controls