CalmComplianceRisk Assessment template
School Mobile Work Equipment Safety Risk Assessment
- Version
- v1
- Updated
- 1 October 2026
- Audience
- Primary and secondary schools in England, including maintained schools and academies, excluding independent schools. Suitable for persons responsible for premises, estates, grounds, maintenance and work equipment safety.
- Jurisdiction
- england
Activity assessed
Provision, selection, use, supervision, inspection, maintenance and defect management for mobile work equipment controlled by the school, including equipment carrying employees, self-propelled equipment and equipment with powered attachments. Apply conditionally only where such equipment is provided or controlled by the school.
Assess each hazard and its controls against your site before use. Template ratings require local review.
Hazards and controls
Mobile work equipment is provided or controlled without confirming whether it is suitable for the intended task, environment, users or any persons who may be carried. This entry is applicable only where the school provides or controls mobile work equipment.
- Existing controls
- Record the equipment, intended use, users, persons carried where applicable, operating environment and any controls currently in place. Do not record controls as existing unless verified.
- Proposed controls
- Identify all relevant school-provided or school-controlled mobile work equipment and its intended uses. Confirm suitability for the task and environment before use. Define who may operate or work with the equipment, including any arrangements for carrying employees. Restrict use where suitability has not been established.
Local assessment and additional controls
An employee is carried on mobile work equipment that is not suitable for carrying employees, or is carried in a way that creates a risk of falling, being struck or being otherwise injured. Applicable only where employees are carried.
- Existing controls
- Record whether employees are carried, the equipment and carrying arrangement used, and any verified controls relating to suitable seating, boarding, alighting, securing occupants and safe use.
- Proposed controls
- Where employees are carried, confirm that the equipment is suitable for that purpose and that the carrying arrangement prevents foreseeable falls and other injury risks. Define permitted carrying positions and occupancy, and prohibit carrying where suitability or safe arrangements cannot be confirmed.
Local assessment and additional controls
Mobile work equipment rolls over during travel, manoeuvring, loading, unloading or operation, exposing operators or persons being carried to crushing, ejection or other injury. Applicable only where relevant mobile work equipment is provided or controlled.
- Existing controls
- Record equipment-specific measures currently in place to minimise rollover risks, together with relevant operating limitations, route or ground conditions and inspection arrangements, if verified.
- Proposed controls
- Assess and minimise rollover risks for each relevant item and intended use. Consider stability, terrain, slopes, edges, loads, attachments, speed, manoeuvring and operating conditions. Define safe operating limits and stop-use conditions where rollover risks cannot be adequately controlled.
Local assessment and additional controls
An operator or person being carried falls from, is ejected from or is crushed by mobile work equipment during loss of stability or rollover. Applicable where persons operate or are carried on relevant equipment.
- Existing controls
- Record verified occupant protection arrangements, including any suitable restraint and rollover protection system, and identify any equipment for which these arrangements are absent, unsuitable or unverified.
- Proposed controls
- Provide suitable protection for persons who may be exposed to a fall or rollover, including protection against crushing. Where appropriate to the equipment and use, provide and maintain a suitable restraint and rollover protection system. Ensure users understand and follow the equipment-specific protection arrangements.
Local assessment and additional controls
Self-propelled mobile work equipment moves in an uncontrolled or unsafe manner because its controls, operating arrangements or stopping systems are unsuitable or not used safely. Applicable only to self-propelled equipment.
- Existing controls
- Record the equipment-specific controls, operator arrangements, pre-use checks, supervision and safe operating procedures that are currently verified.
- Proposed controls
- Ensure self-propelled equipment can be controlled safely throughout its intended use. Define start, stop, manoeuvring and parking arrangements, including controls for pedestrians and other persons who may be in the operating area. Prevent use where safe control cannot be confirmed.
Local assessment and additional controls
Self-propelled mobile work equipment cannot be stopped or held safely because braking devices are absent, defective, unsuitable or not maintained. Applicable only to self-propelled equipment.
- Existing controls
- Record the braking devices, checks, maintenance arrangements and defect status that have been verified for each relevant item. Do not infer serviceability from the existence of a brake control.
- Proposed controls
- Ensure suitable braking devices are available and effective for the equipment and operating conditions. Include braking in pre-use and periodic inspection arrangements, maintain or repair defects through a defined process, and prevent use where braking performance is not safe.
Local assessment and additional controls
The driver or operator has inadequate vision, or the equipment has insufficient lighting where lighting is necessary, resulting in collision, contact or loss of control. Applicable to self-propelled equipment and to operating conditions where visibility or lighting is relevant.
- Existing controls
- Record verified arrangements for driver vision, visibility around the equipment, lighting, route management and separation from other persons or vehicles.
- Proposed controls
- Ensure the operator has adequate driver vision for the intended task and operating environment. Provide lighting where necessary and maintain it in working order. Identify and control blind spots, restricted visibility, low-light operation and interactions with pedestrians or other vehicles.
Local assessment and additional controls
A person becomes entangled, struck or otherwise injured by a drive shaft powering an attachment connected to mobile work equipment. Applicable only where mobile work equipment has drive shafts that power accessories or attachments.
- Existing controls
- Record the relevant equipment and attachments, existing guards, inspection and maintenance arrangements, and any verified isolation or access controls.
- Proposed controls
- Provide adequate guards and other measures to prevent access to or contact with drive shafts that power attached accessories. Inspect guards and associated components, maintain them in effective condition, and prevent operation if guarding is missing, damaged or unsuitable.
Local assessment and additional controls
A defect affecting carrying suitability, stability, occupant protection, restraints, rollover protection, braking, driver vision, lighting, control or drive-shaft guarding is not identified, reported or acted upon before further use.
- Existing controls
- Record the current defect-reporting, inspection, isolation, repair, return-to-service and record-keeping arrangements, but only as verified for the relevant equipment.
- Proposed controls
- Define equipment-specific checks and a process for reporting and assessing defects. Stop use, isolate or otherwise prevent access to equipment where a defect could make operation unsafe. Ensure competent persons assess and rectify defects, verify safe return to service, and retain equipment-specific defect and repair records.
Local assessment and additional controls