3 Organisation
The
Health & Safety Executive states
that: “Organisations
need to manage health and safety with the same degree of expertise and to the
same standards as other core business activities, if they are effectively to
control risks and prevent harm to people. [They] need to define the responsibilities and relationships which
promote a positive health and safety culture, and secure the implementation and
continued development of the health and safety policy. Structures and processes are needed which:
establish and maintain management control; promote co-operation between
individuals, safety representatives and groups so that health and safety
becomes a collaborative effort; ensure the communication of necessary
information throughout the organisation; and secure the competence of
employees.
Visible and active support, strong leadership and
commitment of senior managers and directors are fundamental to the success of
health and safety management.”
- i. Health, safety
and welfare are managed through the university’s management. There is
consultation between management and staff and student representatives at both
university and local level.
3.1 Management structure
- i. Ultimate
accountability lies with the Vice Chancellor who has delegated responsibility
for the management of the health, safety and welfare strategy to the Deputy
Vice Chancellor (Resources) and responsibility for the design, development and
implementation of the management system to the Health and Safety department.
- ii. Members of the Corporate Management
Team, corporate managers, and heads of department are expected to lead by
example. Each level of management is responsible for resolving problems that
those reporting to them are unable to resolve.
- iii. Members of the Corporate Management Team and corporate managers must put
in place within their areas effective management in line with policy and
standards.
- iv. Staff who manage or supervise people, classes,
activities or areas must ensure the effective implementation of policy,
standards and procedures within their area of responsibility. This includes ensuring that all those
affected by their activities are provided with appropriate information,
training and supervision.
- v. Staff whilst working on behalf of the university must take reasonable
care for the health and safety of themselves and other people who may be
affected by what they do or fail to do. In particular they must comply with policy, standards, procedures,
guidance and instructions, co-operate with staff who supervise people and
activities to enable them to carry out their responsibilities, make proper use
of the health and safety facilities provided, and neither misuse nor interfere
with anything provided in the interest of health, safety and welfare.
- vi. Staff must report if they consider a particular activity puts them or
others in imminent danger of serious injury or ill health: see Part 2.
- vii. Competent advice on legislation and analysis of
performance on health, safety, welfare, and environmental issues, fire
precautions and emergency planning is provided or organised by the Health and
Safety department.
- viii. The Health and Safety department has authority from
the Vice Chancellor to stop activities that they assess place people in
imminent danger of serious harm and to report directly to the Vice Chancellor
if they deem that there are serious failures in health and safety management
and performance.
3.2 Staff and student representation
- i. Staff
and students are represented by safety representatives whose roles are to
represent their members both individually and collectively on health, safety
and welfare issues. The unions that
currently have official safety representatives working in partnership with the
university are:
- NATFHE,
representing all academic staff
- UNISON,
representing all non-academic staff
- The Students
Union, representing all students.
- ii. As well as these official safety representatives, the university
encourages staff and students to nominate local representatives to local safety
committees set up by corporate managers.
- iii. The university recognises the vital
role of safety representatives. Managers
to whom these representatives report are required to ensure that these
representatives have appropriate time and resource to fulfil their role.
- iv. Safety representatives are not accountable for health and safety
provision. Their role as representatives
includes investigating accidents, participating in safety inspections,
representing the views and concerns of staff and students, and being consulted
about the provision of information and training, the implications of risk
assessments, accidents, inspections, and the introduction of measures and new
technologies. The Head of Health &
Safety will liaise with safety representatives and ensure that they are kept
informed and involved.
3.3 Communication and consultation
- i. The university has arrangements for communication and consultation on
health, safety and welfare issues between management and staff and student
representatives via its health and safety committees. The objective is to encourage discussion,
understanding and consensus between the various communities within the
university about health, safety and welfare issues and their resolution.
- ii. The most senior committee is the Health & Safety Committee chaired
by the Dean of Quality Assurance. Its
membership comprises staff and student representatives from the official unions
and management nominees. Its composition
and terms of reference are detailed in Part 2. This committee may instigate sub-committees: these are detailed in Part
2.
- iii. Corporate managers will establish
local forum at which staff can be consulted on health, safety and welfare
issues pertaining to their specific areas. Guidance for these local forums is set out in Part 2.
- iv. Staff who supervise people, classes, activities or
areas must ensure there is regular and timely dialogue on health, safety and
welfare issues with those affected by their work.
3.4 Provision of
information
- i. The purpose of
this handbook and related material is to provide information to staff about the
university’s policy standards and procedures. It is compiled and maintained by the Health and Safety department who
must ensure that recent revisions are brought to the attention of staff and
that the university’s health, safety & welfare policy statement, lists of
current first aiders and fire wardens, and details of emergency procedures are
displayed at appropriate locations in each building.
- ii. The University Secretary must ensure
that the current Employers Liability certificate is included in Part 2 and
displayed at appropriate locations in each building.
- iii. The statutory poster "Health and Safety Law -
What You Should Know" is included in Part 2 of this handbook and is issued
to all staff on joining the organisation by the Personnel Department.
- iv. The Health & Safety Committee recommends how
information about health, safety and welfare issues is best made available to
staff and students.
- v. Heads of
department must ensure that staff, students, visitors, and contractors are
given information on any risks that they face and on the necessary preventative
and protective control measures.
3.5 Co-operation with other
organisations
- i. Corporate
managers and heads of department must ensure that arrangements with other
organisations address significant foreseeable health and safety risks. These arrangements should be based on the
findings of risk assessments, include specification of standards, exchange of
information, and be subject to monitoring and review.
- ii. Corporate managers and heads of department must
ensure that organisations and individuals such as contractors and visiting
lecturers who carry out work on behalf of the university take reasonable care
for the health and safety of themselves and other people who may be affected by
what they do or fail to do and comply with the university’s code procedures and
with all specific instructions issued to them. Engineering and building contractors are required to agree to abide by
the university’s code of practice for contractors: see Part 2. Guidance for assessing the competence and
performance of suppliers and contractors is provided in Part 2.
- iii. Health, safety and welfare issues
between the Students Union and the university are resolved between the
President of the Students Union and the Head of Health & Safety.
- iv. The Health and Safety department maintains links with
enforcement agencies and emergency services.
