1. General Statement of Safety Policy

The Council, Senate and Vice-Chancellor consider the health and safety of the employees and students of the University of Southampton to be of paramount importance, and are committed to continual improvement in standards of health and safety.

To this end, University managers are required to assess their activities for risks to health and safety, and to put in place appropriate procedures and systems for the reduction of risks to an acceptable level, thereby ensuring the health and safety at work of staff, including young persons in training, students and other persons, such as members of the public, who might be affected by their activities.

The University requires all its employees, students, young persons in training and other persons, wherever University activities are taking place, to work safely and with due consideration for others, and provides training and supervision as necessary to enable them to do so.

Safety and occupational health are important management responsibilities, and support, training and advisory services to assist managers in the implementation of this policy are provided. Advice on implementation of the policy is published in a series of safety guidance documents, which are available through departments and the University Safety Office.

The Vice-Chancellor oversees and monitors the implementation of the policy, and ensures it is reviewed and updated as necessary.

The Strategic Plan includes a commitment to implement the policy. Monitoring implementation of the policy will be undertaken by the Safety Management Group, which will conduct an annual review.

To reinforce its importance, details of the University's safety performance will be incorporated in an annual report to Council.

2. Personal Responsibilities and Committment

This policy can only be successfully implemented if there is total commitment from all staff and students.

The job of seeing that the policy works in practice, and is adhered to, is the responsibility of all members of the University: Vice-Chancellor, Deans, Secretary and Registrar, Head of Academic Support Services, Heads of Departments and Schools, supervisors, staff and students. To emphasise this, it is intended that every manager's appraisal will include an assessment of hisor her implementation of the policy and the health and safety record of their workforce and, where appropriate, their students.In recognition of the Health and Safety Commissions's guidance on Directors' responsibilities for health and safety, members of Policy and Resources Committee and Council will be informed in writing of their health and safety responsibilities at the beginning of each session.

It is particularly important that individual members of the University do not forget their own personal safety responsibility. Safety should be regarded as an integral part of all their activities; it is a condition of employment or student registration, and is required by law. Everybody has a part to play in the safe running of the University. This means individuals being responsible for working safely as instructed and trained, and for ensuring that whatever they do does not put their safety or health, or the safety or health of others, at risk. Failure to comply with this policy can result in disciplinary action being taken.

Anyone who has doubts as to how to carry out their duties safely should seek help or advice from their manager or Head of Department or School.

3. Organisation

3.1 Managerial Responsibilities

The personal responsibilities of the various levels of management for safety and occupational health follow the normal line
management of the University, as shown below:

It is a fundamental requirement that managers at all levels undergo appropriate training in the safety related aspects of their duties. Additionally, all those with safety related duties should receive appropriate training. In particular, any member of staff or student who is required to carry out risk assessments must be trained to do so. All members of staff should receive health and safety induction training. Those who work with display screen equipment and who carry out manual handling tasks should receive basic training in the health and safety aspects of such work.

The Vice-Chancellor: establishes the health and safety policy for the University, publicises it and reports on safety performance annually to the Policy and Resources Committee and to the University Council. The Vice-Chancellor has responsibility for implementing and monitoring the policy, principally through the Deans, the Secretary and Registrar and the Director of Academic Support Services. He keeps the policy under review, sets safety objectives, where appropriate, and ensures that the policy is implemented with the resources made available for this and all other management functions.

Deans, Secretary and Registrar and Director of Academic Support Services: are responsible and accountable, through the management chain reporting to them, for the implementation and monitoring of this policy. In particular, they have responsibility for ensuring that suitable organisations and arrangements exist within the Faculties, the Administration and the Academic Support Services, respectively, for the effective implementation and monitoring of the policy, and these should be written down and published. They are required to be briefed by a representative of the Safety Office upon taking office, and to receive an annual briefing by a representative of the Safety Office. They are required to monitor health and safety performance by receiving reports from their staff and by undertaking safety tours each year. They should use staff appraisal to assess the health and safety performance of their staff and take active steps to improve performance where necessary. They report to the Vice-Chancellor on matters of health and safety performance, and in particular will report at the earliest opportunity details of major or significant health or safety incidents resulting from their activities. At the end of each academic year, they will formally report to the Vice-Chancellor on the implementation of safety policy. The report will include an Action Plan setting out howhealth and safety performance will be improved in the following year.

Heads of Departments, Schools and Service Groups: are responsible and accountable through the management chain reporting to them for the implementation and monitoring of this policy. In particular they establish the organisation and arrangements for implementing and monitoring the policy within their department or school, which should be written down and published within the department or school, and ensure that all their staff and students are aware of their own responsibilities in terms of health and safety.

Heads of Departments and Schools report to their Dean, to the Secretary and Registrar, or to the Director of Academic Support Services, as appropriate, details of any incidents involving fatality, major injury or significant damage within their area of control. They will likewise report annually to their respective Deans, to the Secretary and Registrar, or to the Director of Academic Support Services, on implementation of the University Safety Policy. The report will include an Action Plan setting out how health and safety performance will be improved in the following year.

They are expected to lead by example and in particular to ensure that the work activities they control are properly planned and resourced, that adequate assessments of risks are undertaken, and that the personnel involved are adequately instructed, trained and supervised.

To assist in this, they are required to make use of the assistance and advice available from specialist advisers, including at least one meeting per annum with a representative of the Safety Office and themselves to attend training in safety matters.

They are expected to identify occupational health needs related to the activities of their department, and arrange for appropriate preventive measures to be taken. They are required to monitor health and safety performance by receiving reports of accidents and other incidents, reports of departmental safety inspections and by accompanying at least one departmental safety inspection per annum. They should use staff appraisal to assess the health and safety performance of their staff and take active steps to improve performance where necessary. They are required to manage health and safety in the same way that they manage other aspects of their activities.

Staff in supervisory positions: are responsible for implementing University and departmental policy within their area of responsibility. They are expected to lead by example and in particular to ensure that the work activities they control are properly planned and resourced, that adequate assessments of risks are undertaken, and that the personnel involved are adequately instructed, trained and supervised. To assist in this, they are required to make use of the assistance and advice available from specialist advisers and themselves to attend training in safety matters. They are expected to identify occupational health needs related to the activities under their control.

Staff and Students: have a duty to co-operate to enable the University to comply with the law and to ensure that the workplace is safe for everyone.

They must consider safety in all of their activities and use the control measures identified by risk assessments. In particular, they must take all reasonable steps to ensure their own health and safety and also that of anybody else who may be affected by their actions. Staff and students who are not prepared to work safely are a danger to themselves and their colleagues and are a liability to the University.

During the course of their work, if any member of the University becomes aware of any hazard, or any situation arises which they have not been trained to deal with, they should inform their manager or supervisor so that appropriate corrective action can be taken.

Academic Visitors and Emeritus Professors: are required to work in accordance with the University Safety Policy, Departmental Safety Policies and risk assessments made of activities. The competence of Visitors and Emeritus Professors to work safely must be verified by those appointing them, and appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision must be provided to enable them to work safely.

3.2 Safety Management Group

The Safety Management Group has been established to oversee the provision and implementation of the University Safety Policy on behalf of the University Management Group. It does this by promulgating health and safety policies and accompanying guidance, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Safety Policy, reviewing the effectiveness of existing policies, and recommending appropriate action where standards are not being met.

3.3 Support and Advisory Services

The University provides support and advisory services for safety and occupational health to assist managers and other persons with responsibility under the policy.

University Safety Office

The role of the University Safety Office is to advise and assist staff and students, to enable them to ensure that the University's activities are undertaken safely, in accordance with University policy and in compliance with legal requirements. It does this by providing a general advisory service, for which a safety library is maintained, and specialist services in the following areas: radiation protection; laser safety; installation, testing and maintenance of portable fire fighting equipment; occupational hygiene monitoring; the provision of personal protective equipment; assistance in the provision of safety training. The Safety Office issues guidance on compliance with the University Safety Policy and on specific hazards. Details are given on the Safety Office Web pages at http://www.hr.soton.ac.uk/safety/asp/safety_policy.asp. The University Safety Office carries out independent investigations of reportable accidents; undertakes monitoring of departmental safety performance; auditing of University safety performance; and, where necessary, informs the Vice-Chancellor and other senior officers of the University of any significant shortcomings. It maintains liaison with the Health and Safety Executive and other enforcement authorities. The University Safety Office oversees and monitors the provision of the occupational health service, and administers the first-aid arrangements for the University. The occupational health service provides advice and assistance on all occupationally related health matters, and medical surveillance where required by statutory provisions.

Training

In conjunction with management, the University Training and Development Unit provides employees with proper training for the work they are required to do. The Training and Development Unit liaises closely with the University Safety Office to ensure that the appropriate health and safety content is incorporated into training programmes.

Consultation

The University consults widely on safety and occupational health matters. There is continuing dialogue between Management, Trade Union Safety Representatives and individual employees. The main forum for consultation on safety and occupational health matters between the University and the campus trade unions is the Consultative Committee on Safety and Occupational Health. In addition, departmental or area safety committees may be established for consultation at departmental level. A genetic modification safety committee has been established to advise on work with genetically modified organisms.

Departmental Safety Officers

Departmental Safety Officers may be appointed in departments. Where such appointments are made, their major role will be to assist departmental managers by co-ordinating safety related activities and monitoring departmental safety performance.

4. Audit

Audits are conducted by the Safety Office to review the health and safety performance of departments. Audits take place as part of the University's Strategic Performance Review (SPR) programme. Both the SPR Committee and the Safety Management Group consider the outcome of audits.