Process

Premises management encompasses far more than most people realise. Sure, there are the obvious responsibilities like fire safety planning, repair works and waste management, but a good premises management team looks after so much more.

When you are thinking about process you need to:

• Embed good practice and compliance in all of your processes. Make sure you follow correct procedure and keep accurate records

• Seek out and act on regular feedback from your staff and pupils

• Be preventative, not reactive – basically, if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready, and if you avoid problems, you don’t have to solve them

When it comes to legal requirements and processes for schools, you need to remember that every council in the country has their own local guideline to adhere to. Be sure to check on the website of the council your school belongs to for details.

AS PART OF THIS TOOLKIT, WE’VE PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF THE PROCESSES YOU NEED TO HAVE IN PLACE TO ENSURE SCHOOL PREMISES EXCELLENCE:

ENSURING COMPLIANCE TO STATUTORY REGULATIONS

You should make sure that you comply with the statutory compliance regulations to protect the building fabric, systems and users.

You should also hold information and certification for the major items of fabric, plant and equipment likely to be present in most buildings, including:

• air conditioning systems • asbestos • boilers (and other gas installations and equipment) • fire escape and safety • electrical fixed wiring and equipment • lifts • local exhaust ventilation (LEV) extraction systems (kitchen extract) • water systems

FIRE SAFETY PLANNING

Regular testing and record keeping of the fire alarm panel, fire alarm sounders, fire alarm call points, emergency lights, and door closers, is a requirement.

Review your Fire Risk Assessment periodically and ensure that the checks that you are doing align with your fire risk assessment.

Check all fire escapes are clear, fire doors and operational and undamaged, signage is correct, and fire blankets and extinguishers are all fully functional. WATER SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Toilets, sinks and anything else that needs water must be safely connected, functional and free from bacteria.

Legionella bacteria is commonly found in water and the management of the water system falls upon your school’s responsible person. Legionella bacteria multiply where temperatures are between 20-45°C and nutrients are available. The bacteria are dormant below 20°C and do not survive above 60°C.

The management of water systems should be split into:

1. COLD WATER SYSTEMS: Storage tanks, sinks, basins, showers, drinking water outlets (taps and water fountains). It is important to increase the frequency of outlet flushing and temperature monitoring to maintain water quality within the entire system.

2. HOT WATER SYSTEMS: Calorifiers, directfired water heaters, sinks, basins, showers, TMV’s. Water temperatures must be kept within limits recommended for the control of legionella bacteria in water systems. Regularly check hot water generation for functionality and if required, temperature recording.

LEARNING CONTENT

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste management is not just emptying bins. There needs to be a system in place for safe storage and correct removal of all waste. Good waste management practice should also be based on the implementation of the “waste hierarchy”:

1. ELIMINATE the use of materials in the first place, e.g. issue documents electronically instead 2. REDUCE the amount of materials used, e.g. print double-sided

3. RECOVER

4. REUSE materials, e.g. waste paper made into animal bedding 5. RECYCLE materials, e.g. separate paper, food packaging etc 6. DISPOSE - landfill only if none of the above is possible

EFFECTIVE HOUSEKEEPING

Poor housekeeping practices frequently contribute to incidents. If the sight of paper, debris, clutter and spills is accepted as normal, then other more serious hazards may be taken for granted. So have a clear and concise cleaning regime.

But housekeeping is not just cleanliness. It includes asking all staff to work together to keep work areas neat and orderly, maintaining halls and floors free of slip and trip hazards, and removing of waste materials (e.g., paper, cardboard) and other fire hazards. It also requires paying attention to important details such as the layout of the classroom, clear corridor marking and signage, the adequacy of storage facilities, and general maintenance.

Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation: it is not a one-time or hit-and-miss clean-up done occasionally. Periodic “panic” clean-ups are costly and ineffective in reducing incidents. COMPETENT PERSON

Every school should have an appointed competent / responsible person to help you comply with health and safety law and take all reasonable steps to keep people from harm. This could be more than one person, but they will have the ability to recognise health and safety risks and identify sensible solutions.

A competent person should have:

• a core knowledge of safety • sufficient training • the experience to apply that knowledge correctly • the personal qualities needed to undertake functions effectively

Senior leadership should ensure that this level of competence is retained and provide regular training.

REPAIR WORKS AND ALTERATIONS TO STRUCTURE

For any building or repair projects, you have a crucial influence over how the project is run, including the management of health and safety risks. Here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Define the project Step 2: Set a budget & prioritise goals Step 3: Identify issues and complete a risk assessment Step 4: Define the schedule Step 5: Appoint the suitable contractors and provide suitable welfare facilities Step 6: Periodically review progress Step 7: Close project and identify follow-on actions

ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT

Asbestos is found particularly in older buildings built prior to 2000. This stuff is a killer and needs managing correctly. Make sure you read your Asbestos Management Plan and update it accordingly if you have any building works done.

Remember:

• Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed - avoid ALL unnecessary disturbance. • If unsure, presume that material contains asbestos • The duty to manage does not require asbestos removal • You don’t always need a specialist but when you do, make sure they are qualified and competent

SECURITY AND ACCESS CONTROL

A secure workplace is vital to keep staff, pupils, assets and goods, and data productive and safe.

Best practices for security include having a written plan, conducting regular audits and emphasising the importance of security to all staff. Visitor management and access control can play a key role in security.

Key Points:

• Don’t give out keys (or access codes, etc.) to more staff than strictly needed • Don’t relying on the very fallible “first in, last out” plan for securing your school, assign access security as a fixed responsibility to specific individuals • Develop and document a thorough and consistent plan for opening and closing your school, making

sure this includes checking potential hiding spots like cupboards and bathrooms etc • If you are using physical keys, make sure you get a locksmith to ensure a copy is numbered and the assignment of keys to individuals is recorded • If you use a keypad panel, change the code periodically • Check your key registry regularly by having staff present the keys assigned to them

PEST CONTROL

Effective pest control supports the provision of a safe and healthy school, making it a welcoming and attractive environment. It also offers protection of your school’s reputation.

As well as the threat of spreading diseases, pest infestations have a negative impact on quality of life in general. Schools who regard pest control as a peripheral matter or an unnecessary expense are taking a risk. The most effective method to ensure protection and compliance is to introduce a maintenance cycle programme, with regular, seasonal, targeted pest control activities, to offer value and peace of mind to all staff, pupils and visitors.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Us humans have become reliant on finding a way to tap into the energy supplies buried deep in our earth. Fossil fuels burn, providing energy for us to obtain resources and power for our modern-day life.

All organisations have a responsibility for how they use this energy and how to make its use sustainable. An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) identifies the key environmental issues faced by an organisation and provides strategies and plans for managing them effectively. It also defines the legal requirements for each individual activity, and identifies the regulatory permits and licences required to be maintained.

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES

Substances or products that are mixtures of substances - cleaning products for example - could cause harm to staff, pupils, contractors and other visitors.

COSHH is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. You can prevent or reduce exposure to any hazardous substances at your school by:

• finding out what the health hazards are • deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment) • providing control measures to reduce harm to health • making sure control measures are used • keeping all control measures in good working order • providing information, instruction and training for staff and others • providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases • planning for emergencies INSURANCE

It is estimated that 75% of commercial buildings are underinsured. Be sure that you have checked that ALL activities at your school are covered in your insurance policy.

When doing so, consider the following:

1. Maintenance and repair standards are high 2. High-risk activities are monitored and documented 3. Interruption costs are reviewed periodically 4. Estimated asset replacement costs are reviewed periodically 5. Risk improvement strategy is documented 6. Change of use – particularly if your school’s being used for community activities 7. Fire and security protection is always operational 8. Common and special hazards are risk assessed

MAINTAINING DISABILITIES PROVISION

You may need to make sure that all physical features of your school accommodate those with a disability. If the physical feature puts disabled staff, pupils or visitors at a disadvantage, you must adjust it to remove or reduce the impact of the physical barrier. These alterations are known as reasonable adjustments.

Reasonable adjustments include adapting steps for ramps, widening doorways, relocating switches & handles, putting in place audio-visual fire alarms and providing accessible toilet facilities. Regular routine checking that alert systems, such as the accessible toilet alarm, are operational is also a requirement.

UTILITY MANAGEMENT

No school can work without power, heat and water, right? Yet many schools have unnecessary utility wastage or costs. Any money spent on utilities can significantly affect your school’s budgeting and is one of the areas where savings can be made through good planning and management.

If utility costs increase in the future as predicted, savings could also increase. You should always proactively measure and manage all utilities consumption. If you can, monitor and agree targets for utility consumption so that you have measurable targets for cost effective saving measures. Review utility purchasing and tariffs regularly against actual consumption and take advantage of any financial incentives to become more energy efficient.

Understanding how your energy is used and identifying opportunities for efficiencies will enable sustainable cost reductions. FUNCTIONING SAFETY SYSTEMS

Regular inspections are an important part of the overall occupational health and safety program. Workplace inspections help prevent injuries and illnesses by identifying and recording hazards for corrective action.

Risk assessments, signage, hazard awareness, or any system used to keep people safe should be regularly monitored, kept updated and functional.