Stress risk assessment
A stress risk assessment is a careful examination of what in a workplace could cause staff to suffer from work-related stress, so that you can weigh up whether you have done enough, or should do more to prevent harm.
Advice and guidance about health and safety at work including information on issues around personal health and safety plus advice on key workplace issues.
You can also browse the A-Z of our advice and guidance including all our advice on health and safety, or take a look at the top five questions asked by members to our Advice Line.
Key issues
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Advice
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Advice 
Violence in schools
Advice about violence issues in schools, in particular how this should be tackled by employers.
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Advice 
Voice care for teachers
Advice for teachers on voice care, including spotting problems, simple preventative measures and information on how and when to seek appropriate specialist help
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Advice 
Tackling stress
Excessive workload and working hours are continually cited by teachers as one of the main causes of their workplace stress.
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Advice 
Work and suicide
If someone is threatening imminent suicide call 999 and stay with them until the emergency services arrive.
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Advice 
Mental health conditions in the education profession
Excessive workload is a key cause of mental health problems among teachers and education professionals.
Workplace issues
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Advice 
Who is responsible for health and safety?
Who is responsible for the management of health and safety in schools and colleges and the respective roles of the employer, governing body, head teacher and other staff of the school.
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Advice
Work Equipment
Employers must seek to ensure, again ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’, that non-employees are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
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Advice 
Accidents and injuries at school
Advice on what to do when reporting accidents and injuries which happen in schools.
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Advice 
Health and safety for supply teachers
Health and safety issues for supply teachers, including those employed directly by local authorities, schools and academy trusts and those employed via supply agencies.
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Advice 
Slips, trips and falls
How to reduce the incidence of accidents and injuries in schools due to slips, trips and falls.
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Advice 
Hygiene control in schools
Advice on the appropriate hygiene procedures for schools which will help to prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis A, B and C, and conditions such as dysentery.
All health & safety advice by topic tag
Can't find what you're looking for above? Browse all our health & safety content, ordered by topic tag. As pages can have more than one topic tag, they can also appear more than once in the list below.
- A model health and safety policy for academy trusts, where no such policy is in place or where the existing policy is considered to be inadequate.
Advice on what to do when reporting accidents and injuries which happen in schools.
A guide to what anaphylaxis is, and how to support pupils at risk
NEU guidance on the law and practical advice on electrical safety in schools
Advice on the procedures for dealing with emergencies in schools.
Advice on the requirements for first aid provision in schools
- Advice on the health and safety issues relating to lifting and handling that school staff face while at work
How to reduce the incidence of accidents and injuries in schools due to slips, trips and falls.
Advice on dealing with asbestos problems in schools, including the law on asbestos removal and management in schools.
This is a guide to using the data which has been made available via the DfE Asbestos Management Assurance Process (AMAP). It aims to assist local officers in extracting information about asbestos in schools in their area, and in seeking to fill in some of the gaps.
- At least 86 per cent of schools contain asbestos, all of it old and much of it deteriorating. Unless your school was wholly built after 1999, it is extremely likely that it contains asbestos.
- This model policy sets out how employer will seek to prevent workplace violence in its schools, and the procedures that will be followed if a violent incident occurs.
Advice about violence issues in schools, in particular how this should be tackled by employers.
- This model policy sets out how employer will seek to prevent workplace violence in its schools, and the procedures that will be followed if a violent incident occurs.
Advice about violence issues in schools, in particular how this should be tackled by employers.
- This advice focuses on the potential of mobile phone photography to lead to bullying and harassment of others within the school community.
How to deal with cases of harassment and bullying of NEU members.
It is essential that health and safety in schools should be gender sensitive and appropriate.
The purpose of this guidance is to suggest practical ways in which the school and college environment can be improved for women who are going through the menopause.
- Every year, many schools are damaged or destroyed by fires, affecting the education of thousands of pupils, and causing millions of pounds worth of damage. The impact of fires is significantly reduced by fitting sprinklers in schools.
Advice on what to do when reporting accidents and injuries which happen in schools.
Advice for teachers and support staff on the administration of medicines
A guide to what anaphylaxis is, and how to support pupils at risk
Information and guidance for school staff to support the uninterrupted education of children with diabetes.
NEU guidance on the law and practical advice on electrical safety in schools
Advice on the procedures for dealing with emergencies in schools.
Advice on the requirements for first aid provision in schools
How to reduce the incidence of accidents and injuries in schools due to slips, trips and falls.
- NEU leadership members are key to supporting women going through the menopause in the workplace. As a leader, you’re not alone. Collaboration between leaders, governors, workplace reps, health and safety reps and a staff support network can go a long way towards creating a supportive environment for women experiencing menopause symptoms at work.
As a school leader, it is important to ensure that your school is a great place to work, with a happy and healthy workforce and low levels of sick leave.
- As teachers and school staff often work on their own, there are some key health and safety issues that employers must consider.
- NEU advice on risks of lone working and what can be done to counter them.
- It is common for teachers to offer private tuition to students. Before doing so, there are several important issues to consider, such as legal and insurance protection and health and safety issues.
Advice for teachers and support staff on the administration of medicines
A guide to what anaphylaxis is, and how to support pupils at risk
Information and guidance for school staff to support the uninterrupted education of children with diabetes.
- Advice on the appropriate hygiene procedures for schools which will help to prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis A, B and C, and conditions such as dysentery.
- General advice about how to manage cases of infectious illness in schools, including when children should be absent.
- The symptoms, treatments and preventative measures that should be taken in schools to avoid outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease.
- This briefing gives information about tuberculosis (TB) and steps to be taken when cases arise in schools among students or teachers.
- NEU leadership members are key to supporting women going through the menopause in the workplace. As a leader, you’re not alone. Collaboration between leaders, governors, workplace reps, health and safety reps and a staff support network can go a long way towards creating a supportive environment for women experiencing menopause symptoms at work.
- The menopause is an occupational health issue for women educators, as well as being an equality issue. It is important that schools and colleges are suitable workplaces for menopausal women. The purpose of this guide and checklist for reps is to signpost you to advice, and to support you in improving workplace conditions for menopausal women.
The purpose of this guidance is to suggest practical ways in which the school and college environment can be improved for women who are going through the menopause.
Excessive workload is a key cause of mental health problems among teachers and education professionals. This advice explains what to do if you are struggling with mental health and outlines the different ways you can get support.
As a school leader, it is important to ensure that your school is a great place to work, with a happy and healthy workforce and low levels of sick leave.
It is important to understand the extent of governing body’s responsibilities for managing health, safety and welfare of teachers and ways in which the NEU and governors can work together to safeguard the mental health of teachers.
- This advice explains the ‘resilience’ approach, why it does not lead to meaningful improvements for employees and how safety reps should instead seek to tackle work related stress in their school or college.
- A stress risk assessment is a careful examination of what in a workplace could cause staff to suffer from work-related stress, so that you can weigh up whether you have done enough, or should do more to prevent harm.
Excessive workload and working hours are continually cited by teachers as one of the main causes of their workplace stress. This advice explains how to tackle stress at a local level in your workplace.
This advice contains advice about health and safety matters which both newly qualified and student teachers should be aware of when entering the profession.
Advice on the main health, safety, welfare and legal factors surrounding animals in schools.
Advice about health and safety on school trips, including legal rights and obligations.
- Information for school staff who transport children in their own car on the law and regulations regarding child car seats and seatbelts.
- Advice for teachers and school staff who teach swimming or supervise swimming, including qualifications, training and safety.
- The basic framework of health and safety law for sixth form colleges
- The menopause is an occupational health issue for women educators, as well as being an equality issue. It is important that schools and colleges are suitable workplaces for menopausal women. The purpose of this guide and checklist for reps is to signpost you to advice, and to support you in improving workplace conditions for menopausal women.
Advice on dealing with asbestos problems in schools, including the law on asbestos removal and management in schools.
Guidance on maximum class and room sizes
The issues around ergonomics in classrooms and good practices for school staff.
- Advice on what employers need to do to protect staff from the problems caused by wood dust and MDF dust.
- At least 86 per cent of schools contain asbestos, all of it old and much of it deteriorating. Unless your school was wholly built after 1999, it is extremely likely that it contains asbestos.
- Supporting NEU members in schools which suffer particularly badly in times of extreme heat.
Hot summers bring regular queries about the maximum temperatures under which staff and pupils should be expected to work in schools.
- Advice on the appropriate hygiene procedures for schools which will help to prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis A, B and C, and conditions such as dysentery.
- The symptoms, treatments and preventative measures that should be taken in schools to avoid outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease.
- Mould is a health and safety issue as it can cause a variety of health problems.
This advice sets out advice and guidance on playground supervision to allow children to play safely.
- Frequently asked questions in relation to staff car parking on school premises. It includes information on provision of school car parks, charges for car parking, car park safety and malicious damage to cars.
Advice on legal requirements and good practice for construction work in schools and a stage-by-stage guide to the role of safety representatives.
A quick guide on what to do in severe winter conditions or adverse weather.
Advice for teachers on voice care, including spotting problems, simple preventative measures and information on how and when to seek appropriate specialist help
- The basic framework of health and safety law for sixth form colleges
Excessive workload is a key cause of mental health problems among teachers and education professionals. This advice explains what to do if you are struggling with mental health and outlines the different ways you can get support.
- A stress risk assessment is a careful examination of what in a workplace could cause staff to suffer from work-related stress, so that you can weigh up whether you have done enough, or should do more to prevent harm.
Excessive workload and working hours are continually cited by teachers as one of the main causes of their workplace stress. This advice explains how to tackle stress at a local level in your workplace.
Health and safety issues for supply teachers, including those employed directly by local authorities, schools and academy trusts and those employed via supply agencies. Supply teachers have to adapt quickly to changing surroundings but will not be as familiar with schools’ policies and security arrangements as the permanent teaching staff.
- NEU advice on risks of lone working and what can be done to counter them.
Precautions to be taken to avoid discomfort and possible damage to the eye when using data projectors
This advice contains advice about health and safety matters which both newly qualified and student teachers should be aware of when entering the profession.
- NEU leadership members are key to supporting women going through the menopause in the workplace. As a leader, you’re not alone. Collaboration between leaders, governors, workplace reps, health and safety reps and a staff support network can go a long way towards creating a supportive environment for women experiencing menopause symptoms at work.
- The menopause is an occupational health issue for women educators, as well as being an equality issue. It is important that schools and colleges are suitable workplaces for menopausal women. The purpose of this guide and checklist for reps is to signpost you to advice, and to support you in improving workplace conditions for menopausal women.
It is essential that health and safety in schools should be gender sensitive and appropriate.
The purpose of this guidance is to suggest practical ways in which the school and college environment can be improved for women who are going through the menopause.
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