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Health & Safety Policy Part 2: University Health & Safety Structure
University Health & Safety Committee
The University Health & Safety Committee is the main consultative vehicle for consideration of health and safety matters within the University. Some issues will, when considered appropriate, be processed through Executive for further consideration. However, the principal objective in the determination of the Health & Safety Committee’s membership and its terms of reference is to maximise its competence to act within its sphere of jurisdiction. It is the expressed intention that the University Health & Safety Committee will be the final arbiter in the vast majority of issues which it considers.
Terms of Reference
Purpose: The purpose of the Committee is:
To provide a forum through which members of the committee may raise general matters relating to the health, safety and welfare of employees, students and visitors to the University.
To encourage co-operation between the University and campus trade unions in order to improve the health and safety of staff at work.
To advise on the development of policies, procedures and regulations which will safeguard the health and safety, welfare and well-being of staff, students and visitors to the University, and to monitor their implementation.
Functions
To keep the University’s Health and Safety Policy under review and recommend amendments to the Board of Governors.
To monitor the implementation of the University’s overall Health and Safety Policy and the implementation of individual Faculty/School/Unit Health and Safety Policies and advise the Vice Chancellor and Board of Governors as appropriate.
To develop, approve and review health and safety policies and procedures to meet the needs of the University.
To assist the Head of Health, Safety & Environmental Services in auditing, inspection and investigation where required.
To examine (i) safety audit reports, (ii) accident and notifiable diseases statistics, (iii) occupational ill health statistics and trends, and (iv) any other relevant reports and statistics, so that reports can be made to management on safe and healthy conditions and practices, together with recommendations for action.
To make recommendations to University management on health, safety, well-being and welfare at work matters.
Receive, consider and advise on reports and information provided by inspectors of the enforcing authorities appointed under Health and Safety legislation.
To consider reports from the Head of Health, Safety and Environmental Services Health and Safety Focus Group and Faculty/Service Health and Safety Advisors.
To consider reports from the Occupational Health Service on the implementation of appropriate health surveillance procedures and other relevant matters of occupational health.
To consider formal reports submitted by trade union representatives.
To receive Faculty/Service ‘Action Plans’ on an annual basis and to monitor implementation.
To review the programme of health and safety training and the effectiveness of the safety content of employee training.
To monitor and review the adequacy of safety and health communication and publicity in the workplace.
To receive official information, legislation and regulations concerning health and safety issues and advise on how the University should best respond.
To actively promote an improvement in the health and safety of the working environment through the sharing of best practice.
To monitor fire related incidents and fire drills and ensure that follow-up action is implemented.
To prepare an Annual Report for the Board of Governors.
Attendance at Meetings
Members of the committee must agree named deputies with the Chair, who are appropriately briefed and are able to attend meetings on their behalf if required.
Faculties/Services must be represented by their committee member, or their named deputy, at every meeting.
Business Protocol
To meet three times per year.
Items are to be submitted for an agenda two weeks prior to a meeting (to include a short descriptor and are subject to the Chair’s approval for inclusion).
An agenda will be circulated one week prior to a meeting.
The agenda and minutes will be posted on the HSEU website.
The Committee may also invite other appropriate staff of the University, as necessary, to attend their meetings or part of their meetings.
Membership
| Management Representatives (appointed by the Vice Chancellor) | Chair (nominated by the Vice Chancellor) | 1 |
| Deans | 1 | |
| Directors | 1 | |
| Faculty and Schools | Faculty Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Dean | 6 |
| Estates | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Information Services | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Commercial Services | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Sales and Student Recruitment | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Student Office | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Personnel | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Finance | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Vice Chancellor’s Office | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Enterprise and Commercial Development | Health and Safety Advisor appointed by the Director | 1 |
| Trades’ Union Safety Representatives | UCU | 2 |
| UNISON | 2 | |
| Student Members | Nominated by the Students’ Union | 2 |
| In attendance (Ex Officio) | Director of Estates | 1 |
| Head of Personnel | 1 | |
| Head of Health, Safety & Environmental Services (Secretary) | 1 |
Health & Safety Focus Group
Terms of Reference
To act as an advisory Group reporting directly to the University Health & Safety Committee.
To consider and provide guidance where appropriate on the implementation of recommendations/guidance received from enforcement agencies eg HSE, Environmental Health, Fire Service.
To develop and keep under review, a quality framework for the management of health and safety within the University.
To review and revise University health and safety policies and procedures.
To facilitate the dissemination of good practice within the University.
To consider policy or procedural issues referred to the Group by the Health & Safety Committee.
To meet three times per year or more dependent upon the volume of business.
To invite other appropriate staff of the University, as necessary, to attend their meetings or part of their meetings.
To develop and establish methods of accountability for health and safety matters within the University.
To advise the University community, at all levels, of their health and safety responsibilities.
Membership
| Chair (nominated by the Group) | |
| Head of Health, Safety & Environmental Services (also to act as Secretary) | 1 |
| Faculty of Computing Engineering &Technology | 1 |
| Faculty of Health | 1 |
| Faculty of Sciences | 1 |
| Faculty of Arts, Media & Design | 1 |
| Estates Department | 1 |
| Business School | 1 |
Faculties/Services Health & Safety Groups
All Faculties/Schools/Services must establish a Health and Safety Group to enable effective health and safety management and communication within a department. The form of such a Group will be dependent on the size and complexity of the department that it serves. In very small departments the purpose of the Group may be met by including health and safety as an agenda item at departmental meetings but in larger departments the Group will be a stand alone Group.
Regardless of its size the Group has the aim of:
1 Enabling consultation on health and safety issues to be made. 2 Providing a forum for workplace health and safety issues to be aired and resolved. 3 Monitoring health and safety performance of the location and department, and; 4 Setting action plans and targets.
Terms of Reference
Identify the requirements and determine the timescale of any actions necessary for the implementation of health and safety within the Faculty/School and to monitor the progress of such actions.
Liaise with the Head of Health, Safety & Environmental Services on health and safety issues and, in particular, to co-operate in the execution of health and safety ‘Audits’ and to report on the Audit to the Faculty/School Management Team and Health and Safety Committee.
Co-ordinate health and safety requirements which may be common to all areas of the Faculty/School.
Co-operate with health and safety agencies and receive reports and identify actions which may be necessary.
Monitor the incident of accidents within the Faculty/School through the receipt of regular reports and advise the Faculty/School Management Team and Health & Safety Committee on the development of prevention strategies as appropriate.
Regularly review the Faculty/School health and safety codes of practice in conjunction with the Head of Health, Safety & Environmental Services and Faculty/School Health & Safety Advisor.
Identify health and safety training needs and put in place a planned programme which will ensure that staff receive such training as is appropriate.
To review health and safety training needs on an annual basis and advise the Deans and Faculty/School Management Team on the resources required to implement such training.
Develop/prepare an annual health and safety ‘action plan’ for submission to the Health & Safety Committee upon request.
Meet at least three times per year.
Discharge such other responsibilities as may be determined by the Faculty/School Management Team.
The composition of the Faculty/School Health and Safety Group will be determined by the Faculty/School Management Team but must include the Head of Health, Safety & Environmental Services. The Health and Safety Group will formally report to the Faculty/School Management Team and salient features of health and safety activity will also be reported to the University Health & Safety Committee.
The role of the Faculty/Service Management Team is principally to oversee the effectiveness with which Faculty/School management executes the University Health and Safety Policy and codes of safe working practice.
Trade Unions
Trade Unions have nominated health and safety representatives whose functions are set out in the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977.
These functions include:
Investigating potential hazards and dangerous occurrences and examining the causes of accidents.
Investigating complaints made by staff they represent and making representations on their behalf on matters affecting their health, safety and welfare.
Receiving information from enforcing authorities.
Attending the University health & Safety Committee in accordance with its constitution.
To carry out formal inspections of the University in accordance with arrangements agreed with the University’s Head of Health, Safety & Environmental Services.
In cases where issues cannot be resolved through the relevant Faculty Dean or Director of Service the University’s Health, Safety & Environmental Advisor should be consulted.
