Risks and safety plans
Describe potential risks when planning repeatable investigations and plan for the safe use of equipment and materials, recording hazards, risks and control measures
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“A hazard can cause harm. Risk concerns possible harm and its likelihood in this task. A control reduces risk. Removing heat avoids a burn hazard here; warnings alone would not remove it. Safety: Continuous adult supervision; no heat, chemicals, glassware or electrical equipment in the work area. Stop: Stop for a spill outside the tray, damaged equipment or adult concern. Do not introduce heating or glass.”
Bring to the table
- Plastic cup, room-temperature water, tray, towel and spoon
- Paper and pencil
- Adult supervisor
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Illustrative review: a spoon drip remained in the tray. Answer: the tray contained that drip, not every possible spill. Water on the floor would trigger stopping, drying and adult review.
Optional challenge. Explain why replacing a kettle removes a hazard rather than merely adding a warning.
What to notice. Keep the approved table, transfer log and control review. Note adult water handling, intervention and any incomplete transfer.
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
A hazard can cause harm. Risk concerns possible harm and its likelihood in this task. A control reduces risk. Removing heat avoids a burn hazard here; warnings alone would not remove it. Safety: Continuous adult supervision; no heat, chemicals, glassware or electrical equipment in the work area. Stop: Stop for a spill outside the tray, damaged equipment or adult concern. Do not introduce heating or glass.
Materials: Plastic cup, room-temperature water, tray, towel and spoon; Paper and pencil; Adult supervisor 1. Question: Can I transfer three spoonfuls from a cup into a tray without water leaving it? Before adding water, make a table Hazard | Possible harm | Control | Responsible person | Stop condition. 2. Plan these rows: spill → slipping → cup inside tray, towel ready, stop to dry → learner/adult; cracked container → cuts → intact plastic only → adult; water near device → electrical harm → devices removed before starting → adult. Add any local hazard the adult finds. 3. Reject this paper-only plan: heat water in a kettle and pour into glass. Write its replacement: room-temperature water and intact plastic. Heating, glass and sharp tools are not authorised; no protective clothing changes that boundary. 4. Adult approves the controls, checks the location and puts a small amount of room-temperature water in the cup. Carry out exactly three spoon transfers inside the tray. Record transfer number and whether water stayed inside. Stop immediately if a control fails. 5. After cleanup, mark controls worked, not needed or needs change, explaining the evidence. Dry surfaces, empty the cup and wash hands. State what another person would need to repeat this method. Done: A pre-test risk table governs three safe transfers and is reviewed against actual events after cleanup. Proof: Keep the approved table, transfer log and control review. Note adult water handling, intervention and any incomplete transfer. Stop: Stop for a spill outside the tray, damaged equipment or adult concern. Do not introduce heating or glass.
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Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
US EPA · Practice link — not the full lesson
Students
Before you open · source notes
Students supports Risks and safety plans. An adult previews and guides; this is a learning page, not a scored quiz.
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Before you openAsk the learner one fact they learned and one question they still have.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public US EPA page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
US EPA. “Students.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Complete a simple risk table for an investigation (hazard, what could happen, how to reduce it), e.g. heating water or using a kettle
- Plan safe use of equipment such as hot plates, glassware or sharp tools, including who handles them and what protective equipment is needed
- Review the plan after the investigation and explain whether the controls worked or need changing
“Before a science project, can your child list what could go wrong — like burns from hot water — and how they'll prevent it?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Scientific Inquiry
- Age range
- Ages 10–12
Standards