SiteKiln gives you plain-English information, not legal or safeguarding advice. If you're unsure about DBS requirements or safeguarding duties for a specific site, check with the client or main contractor before starting work.
# Working Near Schools, Hospitals and Occupied Spaces
Working in or near live schools and hospitals is a different game. You're on someone else's turf, with children, patients, and regulators watching, so the rules step up a level.
1. DBS checks, when you actually need one
You don't automatically need a DBS check just because you walk into a school or hospital. But the threshold is lower than most people think.
When a DBS check is likely required
If you're on site regularly and could have contact with children or vulnerable adults, you may be classed as doing "regulated activity" and need an Enhanced DBS check.
The typical test used by schools and NHS bodies:
- 3 or more visits in a 30-day period during term time (schools) or while the facility is operational (hospitals) = "frequent" presence
- Frequent presence + potential for unsupervised contact = Enhanced DBS with barred list check
- Frequent presence but always supervised = Enhanced DBS without barred list check (at the client's discretion)
When you probably don't need one
- One-off visit · a single boiler repair during school holidays, fully supervised, signing in and out. Most schools rely on supervision and visitor procedures for this.
- Work in a completely segregated area · behind hoarding, separate access, no contact with the building's occupants at all
DBS fee levels (current government rates)
| Check level | Government fee | Typical total with admin (via umbrella body) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | ~£21.50 | £25-£30 |
| Standard | ~£21.50 | £30-£40 |
| Enhanced | ~£49.50 | £60-£80 |
| Enhanced with barred list | ~£49.50 | £60-£80 |
You cannot apply for Standard or Enhanced DBS as an individual. It must go through an employer or a registered umbrella body (some trade associations and industry bodies offer this service).
Basic DBS can be applied for by anyone, it shows unspent convictions only and is often used where a full enhanced check isn't justified.
DBS Update Service
If you work on multiple school or hospital sites, consider joining the DBS Update Service (£13/year). It keeps your DBS certificate current, employers can check your status instantly online instead of you needing a new application every time.
Register at: gov.uk/dbs-update-service
2. Safeguarding rules main contractors will impose
On schools and hospitals, Tier 1 contractors and big facilities management (FM) firms will usually go stricter than the legal minimum · because they're protecting their client relationship and their reputation.
Expect these as standard
Mandatory DBS checks for anyone on site regularly, even if the legal position is borderline, most main contractors won't take the risk.
Site-specific safeguarding induction covering:
- No contact with pupils or patients
- Never be alone with a child or vulnerable adult · if you find yourself in that situation, leave the area and report it
- Report any safeguarding concerns to the site manager or the school/hospital's Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
- No physical contact, no personal conversations, no offering sweets/gifts (yes, they actually put this in writing)
Access and identification rules:
- Sign in and out at reception or the site office · every visit, without exception
- Wear photo ID and contractor badge at all times (visible, not stuffed in a pocket)
- Stick to agreed routes · don't wander through the school or hospital
- Stay out of restricted areas unless escorted
Phone and camera rules:
- No phones out where children or patients can be seen (even checking your messages)
- No photographs of pupils, patients, or their personal information · ever
- Job photos should only show the work area with no identifiable people
Some school contractor codes are very blunt: avoid all contact with children; never be left alone with them; don't initiate conversations; if a child approaches you, politely redirect them to a member of staff.
You might think it's over the top. If you want that work, you follow their safeguarding playbook without complaint.
3. NHS sites, security, access, and infection control
Hospitals are treated as secure clinical workplaces. The rules are tighter than anywhere else you'll work.
Access control
- Sign in at the estates department or security · not just reception
- Escorted access in some areas · you may not be allowed to walk unaccompanied to your work area
- Fob and swipe card access · plant rooms, service corridors, risers may all be locked
- No access to theatres, critical care, paediatrics, maternity, or pharmacy without explicit clearance from the ward/department manager and estates
Infection prevention and control (IPC)
NHS estates teams enforce local IPC rules based on national guidance. Expect:
- Hand hygiene · gel in, gel out, every time you enter or leave a clinical area
- PPE · the clinical kind (masks, gloves, aprons) may be required in addition to your normal construction PPE
- Clean and dirty routes · you may be told to use specific corridors to avoid cross-contamination
- Dust and noise control: drilling, chasing, and demolition in or near clinical areas may require full containment (dust screens, negative pressure, HEPA filtration) or be restricted to out-of-hours only
- Waste · your construction waste must be kept completely separate from clinical waste. Do not use clinical waste bins.
IPC risk assessments
For any intrusive work (drilling into walls, lifting ceiling tiles, breaking out floors), the NHS estates team will usually require a job-specific IPC risk assessment before you start. This assesses:
- Dust generation and containment
- Noise impact on patients
- Disruption to water/power supply to clinical areas
- Risk of Legionella (especially in water system work)
- Risk of Aspergillus (airborne fungal spores released by demolition · serious risk to immunocompromised patients)
If you turn up and treat it like a normal domestic refurb, you'll be off site before lunchtime. NHS estates teams need you to act like part of a clinical environment, not just a builder.
4. Working in occupied schools, term-time rules
Term-time work inside or near classrooms comes with the tightest controls.
Segregation and routes
- Separate contractor access where possible · back gate, service corridor, direct external access to the work area
- Fenced or hoarded work zones · physically separating you from pupils
- No cutting through playgrounds or corridors when pupils are moving between lessons · unless specifically agreed and supervised by school staff
- Materials and skips positioned away from pupil routes and play areas
Noise and timing
- Noisy work (drilling, breaking out, cutting) usually banned during lessons and exams · you'll be pushed to early mornings (before 8am), evenings (after 4pm), or school holidays
- Heavy deliveries kept outside drop-off (8:00-9:00) and pick-up (2:30-3:30) times · both for safety and because parents will complain
- External plant (generators, compressors) positioned and silenced to minimise classroom disruption
Conduct
- Stay in contractor zones · do not enter classrooms, staffrooms, or pupil areas
- No phones or cameras where pupils can be seen
- Follow staff instructions during lockdowns, fire drills, or evacuations · you're part of the building's occupant count while you're there
- Language and behaviour · you're in a school. Standards are higher than a normal site.
Many schools have written "Contractors in Schools" guidance that you must read and sign before starting work. It typically includes a code of conduct and confirmation that DBS checks are completed where required.
5. Asbestos in older public buildings
Lots of older schools and hospitals still contain asbestos, ceiling tiles, pipe lagging, floor tiles, textured coatings, boiler rooms, duct linings.
The duty to manage asbestos
Under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the dutyholder (usually the employer or building owner, local authority, academy trust, NHS trust) must:
- Have an asbestos survey and register for the building
- Keep it up to date and assess the risk
- Share relevant information with anyone who may disturb asbestos-containing materials: that means you
Before you start any invasive work
Drilling, chasing, stripping out, lifting tiles, removing ceilings, breaking through walls, any work that could disturb building fabric:
- Ask for the asbestos register and confirm your specific work areas have been checked
- Verify the information is for your area, not just the building generally
- If there's no clear information for your work area, push back · the right answer is "no work until it's surveyed and safe", not "we'll be quick and careful"
- If the building was built or refurbished before 2000, assume asbestos may be present until proven otherwise
If you ignore this and disturb asbestos-containing materials in a school or hospital, expect HSE investigation, union involvement, potential prosecution, and the worst day of your career.
See our guide: Asbestos on Domestic Refurbs (in the Building Regulations section) for more detail on identification and what to do if you suspect ACMs.
6. Fire safety in occupied buildings
Schools, hospitals, and offices rely on live fire strategies · escape routes, compartmentation, detection systems, and alarm zones that are active 24/7.
Your work must not
- Block or lock escape routes · corridors, stairwells, fire exits. Even temporarily. Even "just while we carry this through."
- Compromise fire doors · propping open fire doors, removing self-closers, damaging smoke seals or intumescent strips
- Break through compartment walls or ceilings without temporary fire-stopping and proper reinstatement · a hole through a compartment wall can allow smoke and fire to spread to occupied areas
- Disable fire detection or alarms without a formal agreement with the fire alarm engineer and the building's Responsible Person · if you keep setting off the alarm, they'll manage it. Don't tape over detectors yourself.
Expect on every occupied-building job
- Hot works permits · welding, cutting, brazing, anything producing heat or sparks
- Fire watches · someone staying for 60 minutes after hot works to check for smouldering
- Daily checks · your kit isn't blocking corridors, exits, or fire equipment
- Liaison with the Responsible Person · before you start any work that penetrates the structure or could affect fire compartmentation
See our guide: Fire Safety in Occupied Buildings (4.27) for the full detail.
7. What Tier 1s and FM firms will want before you step on site
On a school, hospital, or live public building, the main contractor or FM firm will usually require, as minimum, before you're allowed through the gate:
Company paperwork
- RAMS that specifically mention: occupied premises, safeguarding, infection control (for NHS), fire safety, asbestos awareness, and noise/dust control
- Insurance certificates · PL, EL, and possibly PI depending on the work
- Method statements for any intrusive or noisy work, including proposed working hours
People checks
- Names of everyone attending · submitted in advance, not on arrival
- Evidence of DBS checks where required · Enhanced DBS certificates or Update Service confirmation
- CSCS cards for all operatives (standard on any managed site)
- Confirmation everyone will attend the site-specific induction · no induction, no entry
Site rules acceptance
- Signed contractor code of conduct · no contact with pupils/patients, staying in authorised areas, ID worn at all times
- Sign-in/out at every visit
- Compliance with any additional site-specific requirements · noise hours, access routes, IPC protocols, dust containment
If you want repeat work with Tier 1s on schools and hospitals, treat these requirements as standard kit · part of your working documents · not annoying paperwork.
8. DBS application, how it works in practice
Basic DBS
- You can apply online yourself at gov.uk/request-copy-criminal-record
- Shows unspent convictions only
- Good for lower-risk situations where a full enhanced check isn't required
Standard and Enhanced DBS
- Must be requested by an employer or a registered umbrella body (some trade bodies offer this)
- You cannot apply as an individual
Process:
- Employer or umbrella body decides the check level (Standard, Enhanced, Enhanced with barred list) based on the role
- You complete an online form with your ID details and addresses for the last 5 years
- They verify your ID documents (passport, driving licence, utility bills)
- DBS processes the application · typically 2-8 weeks depending on complexity
- Certificate is sent to you · the employer sees the result through their system or asks to see your original certificate
DBS Update Service
If you work on multiple sensitive sites:
- Register at gov.uk/dbs-update-service within 30 days of your certificate being issued
- Costs £13/year
- Employers can check your status instantly online · no new application needed each time
- You maintain one current certificate across all employers
What to do next
- If you're pricing school or hospital work: factor in DBS checks, extended inductions, restricted working hours, and potential containment costs for dust and noise
- Get DBS checks done in advance · don't wait until the job starts. Enhanced DBS can take 2-8 weeks.
- Join the DBS Update Service if you expect to work on multiple sensitive sites · £13/year, saves weeks of re-application
- Read the client's contractor code of conduct before your first day · not on the first day
- Ask for the asbestos register before any invasive work in buildings constructed before 2000
Sources
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 · legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/47
- Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Part 5 (DBS provisions) · legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/part/5
- Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 · legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/632
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 · legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541
- DfE, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) · gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education
- NHS England, Health Building Note 00-09: Infection Control in the Built Environment · england.nhs.uk
- DBS, Eligibility Guidance · gov.uk/government/collections/dbs-eligibility-guidance
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37
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