Safety Arrangements
The following arrangements are made as an appendix to the Departments Statement of Safety Policy, located here. They describe the procedures for particular departmental activities and identified hazards.
- Accident/Incident reporting
- After hours and lone working
- Asbestos
- Audits and inspections
- Building maintenance and Refurbishment
- Chemical Agents
- Cleaning
- Cooperation between organisations
- Disabilities
- Display screen equipment
- Electrical equipment safety and faulty equipment
- Fire safety
- First aid
- Housekeeping and tidiness
- Induction arrangements
- Lone Working (see After hours and Lone working)
- Manual handling
- Office Work
- Pregnant workers
- Purchasing arrangements
- Record keeping
- Risk assessments
- Safety Committee
- Safety Footwear
- Safety Officer duties
- Safety Policy display
- Smoking, eating and drinking
- Students
- Supervision
- Training
- Violence
- Visitors and members of the public
- Waste disposal
- Working at heights
- Workshops
ACCIDENT/INCIDENT REPORTING:
It is the responsibility of Managers and Supervisors to ensure that all accidents and incidents arising from departmental activities are reported to UCL Safety Services using the standard Accident/Incident Report Form. The UCL form is designed to enable individuals (staff, students, visitors, etc.) to notify as soon as possible the significant details of any accident, near-miss incident or loss of and/or damage to equipment.
It is important that all incidents and near-miss accidents are reported so that problems can be identified and controls put in place. Accident Report Forms can be obtained from the Safety Officer or printed directly from the UCL Safety Services website.
The form may be completed by any individual involved in an incident which has occurred on UCL premises or off-site on UCL business. These forms are usually completed by one of the following:
- the person who has had an accident, or
- by a witness of an incident, or
- by the supervisor of an injured person
Reports should be sent with as little delay as possible to:
Safety Services, Brook House, Torrington Place.
The form should be countersigned by someone in authority in the department as a formal record that an accident or incident has taken place.. A copy should be given to Ian Sturtevant, the Safety Officer and the injured person (where applicable).
While space is provided for adding detail on the incident, this must not delay people from sending in the completed report. The purpose of the form is to enable staff to report accidents and incidents with the minimum of delay - providing sufficient information to record an occurrence (people, date, time, place, etc.) and to prompt further investigation if necessary.
The Head of Department has considered the requirement for After Hours or Lone Working, which must be balanced with the safety of individuals concerned. Therefore the following arrangements are made for these groups of people.
Normal working hours are from 08:00 to 19:00, Monday to Friday. During these hours there are first aiders on the premises. This enables a rapid response in the event that something goes wrong.
Laboratories and workshops are out of bounds to taught students unless they are supervised. Only authorised persons are allowed in plant and machinery rooms.
Out of Hours
For people wishing to work outside normal working hours, the following are requirements:
A person may work alone in an office, on paperwork, without special permission of any kind.
All those working out of hours are expected to have a good working knowledge of the Safety Arrangements for the Department, since they may be the first to discover something that requires action.
The risk assessment for any work other than office work must have taken account of the increased risk of working out of hours. ONLY those with the requisite skills may work out-of-hours. ONLY those who have secured the agreement of their Research Group may work out of hours.
No-one may work alone in a laboratory area - there must always be someone within calling distance who would know what to do in the event of an emergency.
Work on high risk experiments is FORBIDDEN.
People intending to work out of hours should be aware that the heating and ventilation systems are switched off outside working hours. This will have a bearing on the significance of releases of gases, etc. Requests for supplementary heating must be lodged with the Office Manager who will authorise the limited use of convector heaters where justified. Under no circumstances may privately owned heaters be used. Their use could seriously jeopardise the University's Insurance position.
Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students on Taught Courses
During term time, the Departmental building is open from 8am to 7pm weekdays, with no access at weekends. Those wishing to have access to the main areas of the Chadwick Building for the extended hours of 07:00 22:00 Monday Friday they need to confirm via the form in Sharepoint here that they have a good working knowledge of the Safety Arrangements listed here.
If a student is the only occupant of a lab, they should move to one where there are other people. The designated person will remind them of this on their hourly room-checks.
Emergency assistance is available by calling extension 222 from any internal phone, day or night.
No one should work entirely alone when involved in after hours working. Ideally, people should coordinate with colleagues in their area if they plan to work late.
On some UCL sites, areas of known asbestos have been identified by the Estates & Facilities Division. The following must be reported to the Safety Officer or Ian Sturtevant:
- any damage to identified asbestos areas
- the discovery of damaged or exposed asbestos.
Asbestos problems on UCL sites must be reported to Estates & Facilities Division on Ext. 41229 (Ian Oram).
The Department must arrange for regular safety audits and inspections to be carried out and for the outcome to be recorded.
The inspection monitors the implementation and compliance with the Departments safety arrangements. Recommended inspection forms are available from the UCL Safety Services website.
An annual inspection will be carried out by the Safety Officer.
BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND REFURBISHMENT
UCL MAINTENANCE EMERGENCIES EXT: 41234 (8.30 to 5.30)
Building faults should be reported to Tristan Robinson on x32695, or by emailing tristan.robinson@ucl.ac.uk. Building and maintenance problems which are not emergencies must be reported to the Estates & Facilities Division - Maintenance Section, using the appropriate maintenance requisition form.
Departments must ensure that a Project Manager is appointed to liaise with contractors when building works are in progress. Safety problems, which are created by building work in progress, must be reported to the Project Manager who will contact Estates & Facilities Division or appropriate organisation. In the absence of the Project Manager, safety problems must be reported to the Safety Officer.The Department follows the recommendations of the UCL Safety Officer regarding chemical agents and hazardous substances. (See "Working with Substances" Draft Approved Code of Practice, located here).
The Department has elected to restrict activities to involve only substances that fall under Category1:
Category 1: Substances in category 1 may be accessed by the majority of staff groups e.g. cleaning products, photocopier toner etc.
All purchases of this kind are made by Warren Gaynor, Lee Phillips, Cerine Yudin or Richard Sharp, who are aware of these arrangements and the control which they must exercise.
Persons not named in the above paragraph are not authorised to purchase these substances. Any extraordinary purchase that may be necessary will be subject to an individual risk assessment.
All staff are required to observe any precautionary advice given by the supplier or shown on the packaging of the product.
Staff must report cleaning problems to a Tristan Robinson. All staff have a responsibility to keep their work area reasonably clean and free from the build-up of waste. Office and domestic waste must be disposed of using the clear plastic bags provided. Where appropriate.
COOPERATION BETWEEN ORGANISATIONS
Staff working in other organisations are required to comply with the arrangements for safe working set by their Managers. The Manager or supervisor is responsible for ensuring that staff are aware of, and comply with, any required safe working arrangements set by the other organisation.
The Safety Officer must be notified as soon as possible if a disabled person is or will be employed within the department. This also applies to research or postgraduate students. An Emergency Egress Risk Assessment should be made as soon as possible in respect of the individual.
Undergraduate students will normally notify the University during the admissions process, and Admissions Tutors must make an initial risk assessment in consultation with the Disability Coordinator before an offer is made to the student. More guidance regarding students is provided by Safety Services.
The department must make reasonable adjustments to the disabled students timetable/programme to ensure that they have suitable access to lecture theatres, seminar rooms, study areas and tutorial staff. If practicable, arrangements should be made to have a "buddy" or "buddies" to accompany them classes, and for such persons to be prepared to assist the disabled student in the event of an emergency.
For members of staff, consideration should be taken when assigning a desk within the building. For example, if the disabled person has restricted mobility, they should not be assigned desk space on the upper floors. If this cannot be avoided, they should be located near to a suitable Fire Refuge or Safe Haven.
The managerial and practical arrangements that result from the Risk Assessment are documented in a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan which is signed off by the Head of Department and the individual.
Disabled Fire Refuges
Fire Refuges are located at the basement level near the North staircase and on the 2nd floor outside room 203. These have dedicated communications link.
DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT (DSE)
Any member of staff who habitually uses DSE as a significant part of their normal work is considered to be a DSE user.
Assessment of workstations
All existing workstations are to be assessed with the objective of reducing risks to health and safety as far as possible. Priority will be given to users who have expressed concern or dissatisfaction with their workstations and to high intensity users such as administrative staff.
Departmental records are to be kept of each assessment using the standard form available from Safety Services. The records should identify the assessor, the workstation and the user along with any deficiencies, action proposed and action taken. The department currently has eight trained assessors.
Users must comply with safety control measures introduced by the DSE assessor, and managers and supervisors must cooperate with the recommendations set out. Such control may involve attending training courses, changes in working practices or changes in office layout.
Provision of information and training
All staff and students should be provided with information to enable them to use workstations in a safe manner. This should include safe posture, workstation organisation and the risks associated with self taught typing. Further information will be available from the departmental Safety Officer (Ian Sturtevant). Information posters are also displayed in student computer laboratories and on the departmental safety notice board.
Eye Tests
Eye tests are available for designated users and can be arranged through the departmental Safety Officer. New, full time staff should be sent for an eye test as soon as practicable after they start work in the department.
Intervention
Early intervention is essential for the successful management of musculo-skeletal disorders. All symptoms thought to be related to DSE work should be reported within the department and to Occupational Health. For minor aches and pains, reassessment of the workstation and working technique should be sufficient. For more severe symptoms, DSE work should cease until there is a major reduction in symptoms. All problems identified in the reassessment must be put right before the user returns to DSE work, and the work should be reintroduced gradually.
Treatment will be under the direction of the individual's GP but will be monitored by the Occupational Health Service.
Equipment
DSE equipment and office furniture must allow users to perform their tasks with minimal risks to injury or eyestrain. Faulty computer equipment such as monitors or mice must be reported to the Mike Dunderdale for replacement or repair. Faulty furniture must be reported to tristan Robinson x 32695.
Specialist equipment such as ergonomic chairs and keyboards can be provided to staff and research students after a complete workstation assesment. Users should not bring their own equipment without first consulting the Safety Officer.
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT SAFETY and FAULTY EQUIPMENT
The Technical Support Group will arrange for an annual visual inspection and maintenance of electrical equipment.
New electrical equipment should be subject to a visual inspection before use, to include plug, wires and the condition of the equipment. All new equipment should be CE or BS (kite marked) standard.
Faulty Electrical Equipment
Each member of staff is responsible for visual inspection of the plugs and cables of the electrical equipment, which they use routinely:
- All faults must be reported to the Technical Support Group who will arrange for repairs (if possible) or replacement.
- Confirmed or suspected safety related defects must be labeled "DEFECTIVE DO NOT USE".
The broken/faulty equipment must be taken out of use until repaired or replaced. Repairs must be dealt with by a competent person, an approved contractor or the manufacturer.
At all times, staff should ensure that:
- fire doors are not be wedged open;
- corridors are kept clear and not used for storage of rubbish, furniture or equipment.
As part of UCL Fire Emergency Plan to comply with the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1999 (as amended) Heads of Departments are to ensure that sufficient numbers of staff are appointed as Fire Evacuation Marshals (FEMs) and that those nominated FEMs receive formal initial and regular fresher training at intervals not exceeding 30 months.
The primary duties of FEMs are:
to take appropriate action if a fire occurs, i.e. raise the alarm
to take appropriate action on hearing the fire alarm; and assist in maintaining a 'fire safe' environment for staff, students and visitors in their department.
A list of Fire Marshal's and the areas they cover can be found here.
Arrangements for departmental provision of First Aid are made here.
HOUSEKEEPING and TIDINESS
All staff are responsible for the general cleanliness of their office(s) and work area and for keeping the circulation area free from obvious health and safety hazards, e.g. rubbish accumulation, food, spills, storage, etc.
Problems that cannot be rectified by staff must be reported to the Tristan Robinson or Ian Sturtevant.
All new staff must be enrolled to a mandatory Safety Induction Briefing which is organised by UCL Safety Services. As part of the induction process, new staff must be made aware of:
- emergency procedures,
- location of fire exits and extinguishers,
- relevant safety information relevant to their work.
Places on the mandatory Safety Induction Briefing will be booked for new staff and research students as part of the Departmental induction process.
Taught students will attend a briefing at the start of term which covers Safety arrangements including First Aid, Fire and DSE use.
Managers and Supervisors must arrange for all manual handling tasks to be risk assessed. The assessment should take into account:
- the weight of the object
- the capability of the person carrying the weight
- the distance the object is to be carried.
In all cases staff must try and minimise the amount of manual handling that is necessary and wherever possible, mechanical means should be used. The only members of staff who are trained in manual handling are some members of the Technical Support Group, due to the nature of their job activities. Large, awkward and heavy office equipment should be handled by arrangement with the Porters via Central Services.
Additional advice for manual handling tasks can be found here.
Environmental factors in the office, such as lighting, ventilation and space will normally be considered when undertaking a DSE / Workstation Risk Assessment for an individual user. However, an assessment of the entire office may be more suitable, using the standard office safety inspection form available from Safety Services.
Problems with office furniture such as desks, filing cabinets or chairs, should be reported to Tristan Robinson.
A pregnant worker is identified as either:
- pregnant
- having given birth within the previous six months (including still births after 24 weeks)
- breast feeding.
When a woman informs the College (the employer) in writing that she is a pregnant worker as defined above, the College will arrange for a risk assessment of her work activities and where any risk to the mother or unborn child is identified, control that risk.
Below is the procedure to be followed if notification is made (items in bold are required of the pregnant worker).
- Notification should be made in writing to HR Division by the pregnant worker.
- Receipt of written notification will be confirmed in writing and copied to the Head of Department. A copy of this confirmation will be sent with a risk assessment form and information relating to maternity benefits to the pregnant worker by the HR Division.
- The risk assessment will be carried out jointly by the pregnant worker, Departmental Safety Officer and Manager/Supervisor. Managers may elect to have independent input from the UCL Safety Services.
- The Departmental Safety will send the risk assessment form to the UCL Safety Services for scrutiny.
- The UCL Safety Services will scrutinise the risk assessment form and where it is thought necessary, seek further information from the Departmental Safety Officer or Head of Department. Health advice may also be sought from the Occupational Health Service. After all concerns have been addressed, the risk assessment form can then be signed by the Supervisor/Manager to declare that there is no significant risk or that the risk has been controlled or that the pregnant worker has been assigned alternative duties.
- Once the risk assessment is completed satisfactorily, the declaration is acknowledged by the pregnant worker.
- The risk assessment is then passed by the EISD Manager to the HR Division for filing on the pregnant worker's personal file.
- The pregnant worker completes and returns the forms for maternity benefits to the HR Division.
See UCL Safety Arrangements for Pregnant Workers.
All substances and equipment must only be purchased:
- by designated staff who are appointed by the Head of Department.
- from approved suppliers.
Purchase orders are kept by the finance administrators.
See also purchasing arrangements for CLEANING AGENTS and DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT.
Safety records are maintained by the Departmental Safety Officer in his office
It is a statutory requirement included in the UCL and Departmental Statement of Safety Policy that risk assessments are undertaken for all activities - including working with substances hazardous to health, display screen equipment and manual handling. It is the responsibility of the Head of Department to implement a system of risk assessment.
A risk assessment should be carried out by a trained, competent person, using guidelines and forms provided by UCL Safety Services. The risk assessment must consider the location of the activity, those involved in the activity and risks arising from the activity.
Safety control measures - including training - must be implemented to protect staff and others against identified risks.
Risk assessments must be recorded, filed and shown to those involved in the activity.
Safety issues will be raised and discussed at the Safety Committee, of which the Safety Officer is a member. This committee provides advice, oversight and coordination of the strategic and operational management of the department's day-to-day operations, health and safety issues, and premises.
Safety footwear (to ISO20345:2004 or equivalent) must be worn by all persons in laboratories. A safe area inside the entrance, marked by yellow and black hazard tape on the floor, is provided for persons who are not wearing safety footwear. They must not venture beyond this area. For special circumstance such as open days etc. control measures for visitors will covered by specific risk assessment. Unscheduled external lab visitors must be asked to read and sign a copy of the unscheduled External lab visitors risk assessment by the supervisor of the visit and must comply with the points contained therein.
SAFETY OFFICER DUTIES
The role of Departmental Safety Officer is act on behalf of the Head of Department in order to:
- ensure that all units comply with the departmental statement of safety policy, arrangements and UCL regulations
- manage the information flow about safety issues to and from the Head of Department and the UCL Safety Services
- advise the Head of Department on measures to be taken
The Head of Department must ensure that staff are aware of the safety policy and are able to consult the policy whenever necessary. The Statement of Safety Policy will be displayed on the Safety noticed board (located on the ground floor corridor outside the main reception, G03) and also on the CEGE Safety Website. The additional arrangements for hazardous activities can also be found there.
All areas of the department are non-smoking areas. Eating and drinking are only permitted in personal offices and common rooms.
Eating and drinking must never take place in the workshop or research labs.
Students are the responsibility of their departmental supervisor. While present in the building, they must comply with the safety policy and arrangements of this document.
The Head of Department must ensure that those supervising departmental activities are competent to do so and that members of staff are aware of the management structure.
Managers and supervisors are required to supervise the work of staff and visitors in their care/control. This will include, but is not limited to, discussion of the work to be done, the materials and methods to be used, health, safety and emergency procedures, waste disposal, etc. Managers must ensure that members of staff are trained and are competent to perform the tasks given.
Supervisors and Managers are responsible for risk assessment of all work activities under their control which should be completed by a competent person.
The Head of Department is responsible for identifying the safety training needs of their staff. On behalf of the Head of Department, the Safety Officer will make arrangements for safety training and refresher courses in order to comply with the safety policy and other regulations. The safety officer will keep records of safety training undertaken.
All staff are instructed NOT TO TAKE ANY RISKS when dealing with potentially violent intruders.
They should report any incident immediately to Security stating name, location and circumstance - UCL Emergency ext: 222
They should also:
- inform the safety officer and Departmental manager of any incident;
- fill in an Accident/Incident Report Form.
VISITORS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
Managers and supervisors must make arrangements for visitors and members of the public. Where appropriate, visitors and members of the public must be made aware of emergency procedures and/or given a copy of appropriate safety arrangements. Unscheduled external lab visitors must be asked to read and sign a copy of the unscheduled External lab visitors risk assessment by the supervisor of the visit and must comply with the points contained therein.
All guests are the responsibility of the member of staff inviting them.
Waste must be disposed of in accordance with College policy (Domestic Services guidance) using colour-coded bags or other designated containers. For further information, please contact UCL Cleaning and Waste Services.
| Domestic and office waste | clear plastic sacks |
| Recycling | green plastic bags or designated boxes |
| Broken glass | put in a cardboard box, seal securely and label clearly - thereafter treat as domestic waste (as appropriate) |
| Clinical waste | yellow plastic bags |
| Clinical waste sharps, etc | yellow plastic medibins or sharps containers |
| waste boxes bulky rubbish electrical equipment computers fridges or freezers | These should only be disposed of after direct agreement with Domestic Services - Ext: 37001. These items must not be stored or left in corridors pending collection. |
Bags must be sealed (knotted or taped, not stapled).
Nobody should be engaged in work above head height for a prolonged period of time. The Head of Department are responsible for the risk assessment of activities involving working at heights.
Ladders, step ladders and kick stalls must be used when working at heights. Two people must be present when a ladder is in use and care must be taken that it is secure at all times.
The working area must be flat and away from the movement of persons and vehicles.
WORKSHOPS
Safety in workshops is the subject of the appropriate Risk Assessments and Codes of Practice. Use of the workshop equipment is restricted to members of the Technical Group and other competent personnel who have had training in the use of the workshop equipment.
- No unauthorised persons are allowed in workshops.
- No one may use the power equipment or portable power tools (Jig saws, Circular saws etc) without a second person being present, except with permission of the Technical Group or the Departmental safety officer.
- No one may use the power equipment without permission of the Technical Group and had previous training in the use of the equipment.
- Workshop must have the necessary safety signs and have appropriate safety equipment (Ear protectors, visors etc) as identified in the risk assessments.
- Personal protective equipment relating to the equipment being used must be worn e.g. safety glasses. / helmets, safety shoes, ear protection and overalls etc.
- If specialist training or certification is needed to work machinery, it must be obtained before use e.g. Abrasive wheels.
- Workshop machinery must be regularly maintained.
- Manual handling tasks must be risk assessed and persons trained in manual handling and equipment provided where necessary.
- Safety guards fitted to machine tools, laboratory apparatus and other potential hazards must never be removed, except in the event of a breakdown or maintenance.
- If the removal of a guard is necessitated, all possible sources of the hazard must first be neutralised (disconnection the power supply, etc).
- Good workshop practice must be exercised e.g. machinery adequately guarded, push sticks used where appropriate etc.
In an emergency: Press any of the emergency stop buttons to halt the power equipment.
