Local responsibilities and appointments

Heads of Schools/Functions are supported by Health and Safety Co-ordinator(s) (HSC) to co-ordinate local health and safety arrangements and support the Head and other managers/supervisors. HSCs for the higher hazard schools and the medium hazard schools (IoE, SACD and SBE) are members of Technical Services staff who work on behalf of the Head of School. HSCs for the lower hazard Schools/Functions are members of staff who fulfil the role in a part time capacity and in addition to their substantive duties.

Health and Safety Co-ordinators (HSCs) are typically responsible for:

• advising the Head of Unit on health and safety matters
• ensuring that staff and students are suitably informed, instructed and trained
• carrying out workplace inspections to ensure that a high standard of 'housekeeping' and safety standards are maintained
• checking that risk assessments and safe systems of work have been developed and are effective in reducing risk
• investigating incidents and near misses that occur within their area and checking that remedial action is taken where appropriate
• liaison with the Building Manager/ Building Support Officer to ensure that Fire Wardens, Evacuation Officers and first aiders are appointed and trained
• keeping local records such as staff training records, maintenance records for departmental equipment etc
• promoting high standards of health and safety within the area.

The name of your local HSC can be found by looking at the list below.

Building Support

Building Support Officers are appointed to be the first point of contact between Estates and the building. Their primary responsibility from a health and safety perspective is to co-ordinate fire safety management and first aid arrangements within the building.

Other Local Appointments

Schools which use sources of ionising radiation must appoint a School Radiation Protection Supervisor (SRPS), and those which use lasers must appoint a School Laser Supervisor (SLS).

Details of appointees and their duties can be found in the downloadable documents listed below. The names of your local contacts should be available to staff and students e.g. via the Health & Safety Code, local noticeboards, shared drives, School web site etc.

School Radiation Protection Supervisors (SRPSs)

School Laser Supervisors (SLSs)

Duties of a School Laser Supervisor

Health and Safety Codes and Committees

School/Function/Unit managements should develop their own Health & Safety Codes to provide local health and safety information to staff and, where appropriate, students.

Download a template for an HS Code Template July 2016. Schools/Functions/Units should use this if they wish to revise their own local code/policies.

Higher hazard areas (e.g. Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Estates, etc) operate their own Health and Safety Committees.

Guidance on the health and safety records that should be kept in each area or unit, by the H&S Coordinator, is given in Safety Note 29 - Health and Safety Record Keeping.

Further information on local Health and Safety committees can be found here Safety Note 79 Local Health and Safety Committees.

JM, November 2022