We have just signed up for risk assess for our high school or about 550 students. I run 7 labs with 3 prep areas. I have scanned the pdf briefly that they send out but I want your tips or tricks for something that I hope will change the way pracs are done in this school.
Is there a way to create an automatic cut-off for entering a prac request a certain time before the prac is scheduled? eg. 48 hours before prac.
I came in this morning to someone putting a paper copy in for a dissection prac for lesson 1 this morning in..... people are so silly
Not that I know, I ask that all be in by end of P1 for the following day. chemical pracs 48 hrs or more, and dissection come and speak to me first. doesn't always work. I only have 1 staff member that works under the 48 hours all the rest are fantastic.
If they could build in a 48 hour cut off that would be great.
I asked the Riskassess people about this as I, too, was getting frustrated some time ago with late prac orders. They weren't able to implement anything from their end. However, as the pracs are time stamped when the teacher lodges them, you have an easy case when refusing to put their prac together.
Most of the problems you will have will be with how the teachers use Riskassess. From my aspect, everything is straight forward. If the teachers have missed signing the document, they've ordered something not suitable for their year group, etc, I usually send an email to the teacher to have them fix it up or clarify.
I am in two minds about whether to print off the order or not. I hate wasting paper but if there is a printed copy it is easy to mark it off as you get it out. It is also a reminder to the teacher of what they ordered. My current HT likes to keep a hard copy of the RA, so I'm just going with the flow.
I do really like being able to see the schedule of what's happening that day. Always a good feeling when everything is already to go. Can be a big determining factor as to how my day is going to be, as it can quickly go pear-shaped with late orders.
Do people use risk assess for everything? I have that teacher, who unfortunately is the HOD, who won't do them unless she thinks they are totally necessary.Ie she will walk in and grab stuff, or send me an email, that may or may not get lost in the dozens of emails that fly around here daily. I want this, or that. IE anything other than hazardous chemicals because she " doesn't have to"?
We use it for all our prac requests regardless of whether a risk assessment is required. Keeps everything in order, you can't miss an email and if the teachers bother to look they can see what everyone else is up to.
That's what I keep telling her. It takes no longer to send a risk assess, in fact it takes much less time as I'VE written most of them already! Nothing gets lost, everyone can see who has ordered what when, and who ordered it first!
That's right. They can easily go in and copy a previous RA. Quicker than coming and seeing me or sending an email. BTW - I never write RAs for teachers, only ones I do are for my own tasks.
I have heard of labtechs writing the Risk Assessments for teachers, and one who was recently instructed to do so! I thought that that was a teacher's responsibility! Does anyone know where the regulations are as to that?
Pay me bigger bucks and I will take on that responsibility - BECAUSE I think that we may find that the person who writes the RA is the person who is liable if anything is not correct or goes wrong in the prac.. this needs some checking
Teachers have to write them because they are assessing the risk to the students in their class. This might change depending if the class is a top class or a bottom class.
Just had a newish teacher walk in, she had done an RA for the prac she wanted next lesson, which Didn't have chemicals in this case. But she had no idea what she was doing. "I guess I better read the test book" she then realised she actually wanted another prac , but had copied someone else's RA.
I don't have any tips or tricks. But it has happened on the odd occasion where the RA hasn't popped up on the main page so I don't see it until I open up that day's bookings - which can be annoying if it's a big task.
The lodgement times for pracs is great as you can see who has booked what in when and have evidence to say that someone got in first.
The teachers do the majority of RAs. I have done/rewritten RAs for pracs to make it clearer for myself (and others) to gather and set up. This is the case for pracs which are kind of made up/created and I have to test it first and then write it to fit a class. Then the teacher amends/signs it for their booking.
I don't make changes to the teacher's risk assessment but if they have left off items - particularly minor equipment - then I add it using 'add review notes' so the next time someone wants to use the RA they can add these things in the right place.
AnnNos wrote:I don't make changes to the teacher's risk assessment but if they have left off items - particularly minor equipment - then I add it using 'add review notes' so the next time someone wants to use the RA they can add these things in the right place.
That's a much better idea than what I was doing adding to "add prep note" I wonder how many would actually notice next time round though, I don't think mine read the risks that come up. As for who's allowed to use what I just don't give it to them, swap for something they are allowed to use and get them to adjust the risk assessment.
I just love it makes everything so much more organised.
she then realised she actually wanted another prac , but had copied someone else's RA. 
