GUIDANCE

Offering work experience placements is one of the best ways to introduce young people to pest management. It helps our industry attract new talent, provides students with valuable skills, and enables businesses to identify potential recruits early.

But when you’re inviting a young person into your workplace, there are specific legal and safety considerations you need to be aware of.

This guide explains how to plan, manage and deliver a safe and compliant work experience placement in the UK pest management sector.

Speed read

• Work experience placements help young people discover pest management and give businesses a chance to spot future talent
• Carry out a risk assessment that considers their age, inexperience and maturity, and always provide close supervision
• If they’ll shadow a single technician one-on-one, that technician should hold a relevant DBS check
• Organisational safeguarding policies may require review
• Plan each day in advance with safe, age-appropriate activities and clear learning goals
• Check insurance, vehicle cover (for passengers too), and site access rules before confirming the placement
• Comply with any conditions and criteria laid down by a school or college
• The rules are not different for family and friends
• BPCA members can get free HR, safeguarding and health and safety advice from BPCA Quest.

Who can take part?

Work experience placements are typically offered to school pupils aged 14-16, or students aged 16-18 on further education or vocational courses. You can also provide placements to university students or adult learners; however, some of the requirements below specifically apply to individuals under 18.

Legal framework

When hosting a young person, you’ll need to consider several areas of UK law:

Legal area	Key responsibilities for host employers
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974	You must protect the health, safety and welfare of everyone at work, including temporary and young workers.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999	You’re required to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment that takes account of a young person’s age, maturity, and lack of experience.
Working Time Regulations 1998	Young people have different limits on working hours and rest breaks.
Children and Young Persons Act 1933	Applies to under-16s — sets out rules on the type of work they can do and limits working hours during term time.
Safeguarding laws and DBS checks	You may need to ensure supervisors have undergone Disclosure and Barring Service checks, depending on the length and nature of the placement.

Risk assessment and safety planning

Before a young person starts, review your risk assessment with their age and experience in mind. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) expects you to:

• Identify any hazards a young person might be more vulnerable to (for example, machinery, manual handling, chemicals, or lone working)
• Consider their lack of experience and physical capacity - some tasks suitable for adults might not be appropriate for someone under 18
• Provide additional supervision and training, particularly during the first few days
• Share your risk assessment with the school, college or training provider organising the placement.

Remember, you don’t usually need a brand-new assessment - update your existing one.

If your company is a BPCA member, you can access free health and safety guidance through BPCA Quest. Quest advisors can help you complete or review your risk assessment and confirm what’s suitable for a young person.

Supervision and training

A young person should always have a designated supervisor who understands both the work and the safeguarding responsibilities.

Make sure they:

• Are trained and competent in their role
• Know how to explain safe systems of work clearly
• Are approachable and encourage questions
• Keep an eye out for any unsafe behaviours or signs that the young person isn’t comfortable with a task.

If the young person will be shadowing a single technician one-on-one, that technician should have an enhanced DBS check in place before the placement begins.

Start every placement with a site induction covering:

• Why we manage public health pests (diseases, destruction and misery)
• Emergency procedures (fire exits, first aid, etc)
• PPE and hygiene requirements
• Manual handling and basic safety procedures
• What dignity and respect in the workplace look like
• Who to go to with questions or concerns.

Encourage the young person to observe, assist and learn rather than take on full technician duties. They can accompany trained technicians on visits, but should not be left unsupervised or allowed to use pesticides or control devices.

Having a plan

Before a young person steps onto site, it’s important to have a clear plan for their placement. This helps you, your team and the student know what to expect, ensures tasks are appropriate, and demonstrates good management to schools, parents and insurers.

You don’t need a complicated document, just a simple outline that answers:

What will they be doing each day?
Who will they be shadowing or supervised by?
What learning objectives do you want them to achieve?
Where will they be based - office, customer sites, or a mix?

Are there any restricted tasks or areas (for example, working at height or handling pesticides)?

It’s best to create a short daily plan that balances observation, discussion and safe, hands-on learning. Share this plan with the school or parent before the placement begins.

Here’s an example for a two-day placement with a pest management company:

Day	Activity	Details and learning outcomes
Day 1: Introduction and office induction	Morning	Welcome and safety induction Tour of the office, workshop and vehicle bay Introduction to PPE, COSHH basics, and safe working procedures  Discuss the types of pests you manage and the role of a pest control technician.
	Afternoon	Shadow a senior technician on local domestic or commercial site visits (non-treatment) Observe client interactions, reporting, and risk assessment processes Discuss the importance of communication and professionalism Debrief back at the office.
Day 2: Field observation and reporting	Morning	Accompany technician on low-risk routine inspections (eg proofing checks, follow-up visits) Observe monitoring systems, reporting tools and how records are completed.
	Afternoon	Back at the office: complete a mock pest inspection report using example data Reflect on what they’ve learned and discuss next steps or career routes in pest management Present a short summary to their supervisor.

Keep the activities structured but flexible. The goal is to give the young person a meaningful insight into the industry, not to fill every minute. Always build in time for questions, reflection and feedback.

Activities that are not usually appropriate for work experience

For safety and safeguarding reasons, the following activities are not normally suitable for a young person on work experience:

• Entering attics, lofts or confined spaces
• Working at height, including on ladders or scaffolds
• Being present during chemical treatments, spraying or fumigation
• Being left alone with a client or customer
• The use of power tools
• Handling or applying biocides.

These restrictions protect both the student and your business. The focus of the placement should always be on learning and observation.

Working with schools and local authorities

Work closely with the school or college organising the placement and follow their procedures, even if they feel like “hoops to jump through”. They’re responsible for the student’s overall welfare during the placement and will have their own forms and risk assessment requirements. They will also require you to communicate with them and the student through a preferred system, such as Unifrog. This can mean easier, step-by-step administration for you, and they also provide excellent guidance, but this doesn’t negate the need for you to ensure you’ve covered everything you need to.

You may also want to contact your local education department (within your local authority) for advice before agreeing to host a student. They can confirm whether your arrangements meet local safeguarding expectations.

Expect the school or college supervisor to want to visit the business too and meet with the student on-site. Your feedback is invaluable.

Make sure everyone is on the same page

Before the placement begins, it’s worth being completely open about what pest management involves. What feels obvious to us isn’t always obvious to a parent, a teacher or a young person.

Be clear from the start that this is a public health profession and, as part of the placement, the young person may see things like dead rodents, insects or other wildlife. They won’t be carrying out treatments themselves, but they may observe the realities of the job while shadowing a technician.

A simple conversation upfront avoids surprises later on. Make sure the school, the parents and the young person understand what the placement involves and are genuinely comfortable with it. If anyone has concerns, it’s better to address them early or adapt the plan than to deal with issues halfway through the week.

Set expectations around confidentiality

As part of the induction, take a moment to explain the importance of confidentiality. Young people may not realise that what they see on a client’s site (whether it’s a domestic property or a large commercial facility) is private.

Make it clear that anything observed during the placement stays between the pest management company and the client. It shouldn’t become playground chat, social media content or something shared outside the placement. This protects your clients and reinforces the professionalism of our industry.

You should also remind the young person that their phone stays in the van during site visits. They must not take photographs or videos on site under any circumstances, and they shouldn’t speak about specific clients after the placement has ended.

A bit of clarity at the start goes a long way toward avoiding misunderstandings later on and helps the young person understand the standards expected of a professional pest technician.

Working hours and breaks

The rules differ slightly between age groups:

• Under 16s can work a maximum of 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week, with at least a 30-minute break after 4.5 hours of work
• 16–17-year-olds can’t normally work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week, and are entitled to a 30-minute break if working more than 4.5 hours
• They must have two days off each week and cannot work between 10 pm and 6 am (with limited exceptions).

Work experience should focus on learning, not productivity. The quality of the experience matters more than the quantity of hours.

Insurance and site access

You must have employers’ liability insurance in place. Most policies automatically cover work experience students, but it’s worth checking with your insurer.

Confirm that your insurance covers a young person travelling as a passenger in your work vehicle.

Also check that any client sites you plan to visit allow under-18s on site. Some warehouses and industrial facilities prohibit it. If they don’t, plan alternative shadowing activities in suitable environments.

Schools and colleges will often request a copy of your insurance certificate and may require evidence that it includes coverage for placements.

Consent and safeguarding

Before starting, you’ll need:

• Written consent from the young person’s parent or guardian (if under 18)
• Emergency contact details and disclosure of any medical or accessibility needs
• Confirmation of any allergies or health considerations relevant to pest control work (eg asthma, animal allergies, etc).

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Ensure that all staff are briefed on how to behave appropriately and that the young person knows who to contact if they have any concerns.

Above all, you must protect the welfare of any young people, just as you would that of any employee.

But the rules for friends and family are different, right?

Nope! The same standards apply to everyone. Even if the young person is your own child, a relative, or the son or daughter of a long-standing customer, you must still follow the full work experience procedures.

That means carrying out the risk assessment, agreeing the placement with their school or college, checking insurance, planning suitable activities and making sure supervision and safeguarding arrangements are in place.

It can feel more informal when you know the young person well, but the legal duties are exactly the same. In fact, if something went wrong and you were already aware of their abilities, limitations or vulnerabilities, the consequences could be even more serious.

It’s still a workplace, and you must protect their welfare just as you would any other young person or employee.

What a good placement looks like

A successful work experience placement will:

• Offer real insight into the pest management profession
• Include a range of activities - shadowing technicians, learning about reporting systems, PPE, and safe use of equipment
• Provide clear learning objectives agreed with the school or college
• End with feedback and a certificate of participation.

If possible, allow them to meet your wider team, visit your office, and learn about various career paths in pest management, from technician roles to business management and environmental health.

Need help?

If you’re unsure about any aspect of taking on a young person, BPCA members can contact BPCA Quest for free, confidential advice. They can support you with:

• Risk assessments and policy templates
• HR and legal guidance
• Safeguarding and DBS advice
• Health and safety management systems. 

Visit bpca.org.uk/quest or call 0116 274 9191.

Appendix: Work experience placement checklist

Before you offer a placement:

• Check the young person’s age and confirm suitability with their school or college
• Contact your insurer to make sure your employers’ liability and vehicle passenger cover includes under-18s
• Check that client sites (such as warehouses) allow under-18s to attend
• Review and update your risk assessment to reflect age, maturity and inexperience
• Choose a competent supervisor and make sure they understand their safeguarding duties
• If the young person will shadow a single technician one-on-one, ensure that the supervising technician has a relevant DBS check
• Agree the placement plan and daily activities with the school or college
• Get written parental consent (if under 18) and collect emergency contacts and any medical details
• Provide the school or college with your insurance certificate and safety documentation.

Before they start:

• Prepare a site induction covering PPE, emergency procedures and safe working practices
• Make sure they know who to speak to with any questions or concerns
• Double-check that activities are safe and exclude tasks like working at height, entering lofts or confined spaces, or being present during chemical treatments
• Ensure the young person, the school, and the parents understand that they might encounter dead rodents, insects or other wildlife.

During the placement:

• Set expectations around confidentiality
• Supervise closely and encourage questions
• Keep in touch with the school or college
• Review progress daily and adjust activities if needed.

After the placement:

• Provide feedback to the young person and their school or college
• Give them a certificate or letter of participation
• Review how it went and record lessons learned for next time.

This guidance was produced with the support of BPCA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.