Managing the risk of trees on school grounds

Trees may pose a risk to students and staff on schools ground – here’s how best to manage that risk

Between five and six people are killed by falling trees and branches every year. This, alongside the recent fining of Newcastle City Council after the tragic death of Ella Henderson following the collapse of a willow tree at Gosforth Park First School on September 25, 2020, has re-incentivised schools to make sure they are efficiently managing the risks that trees on school grounds pose so another incident such as this will not happen again. 

There are a number of things schools should do to make sure the trees on school grounds don’t pose a health and safety threat.

• Conduct regular inspections – regular inspections will make sure any danger signs are caught early and managed appropriately. 

• Maintain your trees and plants – if they are being regularly maintained it is less likely they will become a health and safety issues in the future. 

• Remove trees or plants a soon as necessary – if a tree poses too great a risk to be saved it may be necessary to remove it entirely. It is essential this is done quickly, as soon as the risk is identified. 

• Education – educate the children on the dangers of trees – as well as the joys – and ensure they know not approach trees that could be a health and safety threat – and why.

• Carry out a regular tree risk assessment for your school estate – this will help you to ensure you have a plan in place to ensure trees don’t pose a risk to your staff and students, as well as providing an outline a plan for any worst-case scenarios – follow these three steps:

• Make an assessment of the hazards

The tree hazard assessment must be undertaken by a competent person. It is the responsibility of this person to identify the tree location, ensure that hazards are assessed to the best of their ability and are recorded accurately.

• Make an assessment of the risks

For educational sites, the risk is always considered high; therefore, risk assessments should be carried out every one-to-two years. This should consist of a rapid but careful inspection for clear defects (especially in the crown and around the base of the tree).All trees that are deemed to pose a high or medium risk must be recorded with the identified trees plotted on a site plan. Trees that appear to be sound during formal inspection require no documented record of their condition. 

• Propose remedial action

Only a competent person may prescribe remedial actions; proposals and priorities must be recorded so that a competent specialist can clearly understand what is required of them. These remedial actions will be based upon an assessment of the hazards and the risks posed by the tree.