What aspects of the law should I be aware of?

This means most farms will already have a comprehensive health and safety policy and risk assessment in place. These are often based on exemplars/guidance/building tools from the National Farmers Union or the Farm Safety Foundation.  

However, it's likely that anyone taking a work experience placement will be younger, usually between 14 and 18 years old, and the legal requirements here must be understood. 

The law concerning those under 18 

A young person is anyone under the age of 18 and a child is anyone who has yet to reach the official minimum school leaving age. Pupils will reach the minimum school leaving age during the school year in which they turn 16. 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises that employers taking on a young person for work experience have the main responsibility for their health and safety. You must always check the student/young person knows how to raise health and safety concerns. 

The HSE has more advice for employers taking on young people at work.

Under health and safety law, work experience students are your employees, just like any other young person you employ. As such, you should provide them with health and safety training, and our Essential Skills: foundations of farm safety online course can help with this. Find out more information on becoming a TIAH member to access this online course.

There are few work activities a student cannot do because of health and safety law. The two things you must have in place are a comprehensive risk assessment and insurance, but both are more easily organised than you might think! You may also need DBS checks to be in place.