The Department of Physics Safety Policy

A printable copy of this document is here.

The Department of Physics considers that high standards of health and safety are of importance in enabling it to achieve its objectives. Compliance with the legal requirements is the minimum standard that is acceptable.

The Department is committed to planning, implementing and reviewing its health and safety arrangements in order to achieve continual improvement in performance, the aim being to promote best practice in all areas of health, safety and the environment. This Policy and the arrangements in force extend to staff, students and all those having access to the Department, or visiting the premises and facilities.

The maintenance of safe and healthy working conditions requires the active co-operation of everyone in the Department, each of whom has a duty to take care of his or her own safety and that of others. Every person has a duty to bring situations that they believe to be dangerous, or shortcomings in the safety arrangements, to the attention of the Safety Officer.

The following people have been appointed to assist in the management of safety in the Department:

The University statement and policy on general health and safety matters is here

Everyone in the Department has a duty to co-operate in the attainment of safe working conditions by making use of the training opportunities, participating actively in risk assessment and in following appropriate procedures in their work.

The Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974

This Act of Parliament prescribed statutory duties of care between employers and employees, and to those who may be affected by their work activities - for example members of the public and contractors. The Act, and the Regulations that have followed it, seek to set standards to be achieved, rather than setting out prescriptive rules. This is an important aspect to the legislation, as it allows science and technology to advance into new areas, with new potential dangers, provided that it is done in a responsible manner. The difficulty is in understanding what level of rigour and safety is expected. The onus is on employers to assess the risks presented by both their routine and their innovative activities, and to control them adequately.

Organisation for Safety

Departmental Safety and Environment Committee

The Department has a committee to oversee the department's policy on health, safety and environmental matters.

Committee Meetings will be held four times per year, organised by the Department Safety Officer. Additional meetings may be called if there is a requirement. The Committee will consider any relevant safety or environmental matter brought to its attention from inside or outside the Department and make recommendations to the relevant staff. Minutes from the meetings shall be circulated to committee members, heads of groups, workshops and classes, and a copy placed on the 'phy-only' part of the website. A copy shall also be sent to the University Safety Division. Access to the committee is the right of all persons working within the department. Safety and environmental matters that individuals wish to raise may be discussed with their safety representative or directly with the Safety Officer.

Terms of reference of the Committee

The purposes of the Safety and Environment Committee shall be:-

1. To stimulate the interest of all members of the department in matters relating to the health and safety of all Departmental staff and students.
2. To create an active safety culture and to encourage the participation of all persons working within the department.
3. To formulate departmental policy on health and safety matters.
4. To investigate breaches of health and safety guidelines.
5. Make arrangements for regular safety inspections and audits in the Department.
6. To investigate and review accidents/incidents/near misses and recommend action to avoid a recurrence.

Composition of the Departmental Safety and Environment Committee

The composition of the Departmental Safety and Environment Committee shall be:-

Head of Department (Chairman), or nominee
Departmental Safety Officer (Secretary)

The current membership is here and the recent minutes of the committee are available here.

An individual may represent more than one of the above roles simultaneously, so long as no conflict of interest occurs. Representatives finding themselves unable to attend a meeting should attempt to find a suitable person to deputise for them.

Others may be invited on a temporary or permanent basis, in the light of developments. In addition, members of the Safety Committee may call on the services of the staff of the University Safety Division.

Responsibilities of The Head of Department

In discharging his/her responsibilities, the Head of Department is responsible for:

1. Formulating a statement about safety policy, procedures and rules relating to hazards in the Department;
2. Setting up a Departmental Safety and Environment Committee;
3. Ensuring that the duties relating to safety in the Department are generally understood;
4. Ensuring that Departmental teaching and research are conducted in a safe fashion so as to avoid unnecessary hazards and to control risks to reduce the level of risk to acceptable levels;
5. Keeping fabric, equipment and services in a safe condition and ensuring that proper steps are taken to remedy defects;
6. Ensuring that regular safety inspections are made in the Department.
7. Appointing a Departmental Safety Officer, Fire Safety Manager, Radiation Protection Supervisor, Laser Safety Officer and Biological Safety Officer.

Day to day implementation of the Departmental Safety policy has been delegated by the Head of Department to the Departmental Safety Officer, other safety advisers, Heads of Research Groups and their senior Staff. Matters affecting safety must be given a high priority and any delay must be reported to the Departmental Safety Officer.

Responsibilities of the Departmental Safety Officer

The Department Safety Officer is responsible for:

1. Management of health and safety within the laboratory, reporting to the Head of Department;
2. Management of the Department Health and Safety Committee;
3. Providing Quarterly reports to the Head of Department;
4. Working with safety representatives to develop best practice in all areas;
5. Day-to-day liaison with the University Safety Division;
6. Maintaining a comprehensive overview of current research and all relevant safety legislation, and providing appropriate advice;
7. Organising safety training for staff and students;
8. Liaising and/or advising on first aid, fire, security, building safety, occupational health issues and environmental policy;
9. Assisting members of the laboratory to carry out risk assessments and ensuring their implementation;
10. Preparing reports on health and safety for external bodies;
11. Defining and implementing audit procedures to ensure that safety issues are being dealt with according to legislation in a reliable, sympathetic and timely manner.

Responsibilities of Persons With a Supervisory Role

Everyone having a supervisory role in the University, at whatever level, is expected as far as is reasonably practicable, to ensure that the risk assessments for their area and activities are adequate. He or she should satisfy him/herself that risks are controlled to the level demanded by the law, the University or Department Codes of Practice. He/she should ensure that all who work in the area or with the equipment understand the hazards and their consequences, the risks, and what measures they should take to reduce those risks to the level demanded by the University or Department Codes of Practice and the law. Supervisors are also responsible for ensuring that the safe operating procedures defined by the risk assessments are actually followed.

Where machinery and equipment are used the person in charge of that section is responsible for ensuring that only authorised persons are allowed to operate the machinery and equipment and that supervision is provided, commensurate with the experience of the operator.

Visitors to the Department Undertaking Experimental Work

It is the responsibility of the visitor's supervisor or contact to ensure:-

1. That the visitor attends the Department Induction meeting,
2. That the visitor is appraised of the fire arrangements
3. That, if the visitor is to be in the Department to undertake experimental work, he/she is given the results of any existing risk assessments, advised of the control measures and systems of work, and informed of any residual risks known to the supervisor.
4. That the equipment that is to be used by the visitor is maintained in a safe condition, and that the visitor is competent to use it safely.
5. That the visitor is provided with any personal protective equipment that is needed, and shown how to use it.
6. That the visitor uses the protective equipment correctly, and maintains it in efficient working order.
7. That the supervisor or contact ensures that the visitor conducts his/her business in a safe manner in compliance with any University, department or local rules (and this may include assisting a visiting Academic to undertake his/her risk assessments, where they are unfamiliar with the technique).

It shall be a condition of entry that all visitors working in the department shall comply with the rules of the department, and those of the University. In particular, visitors should attend Safety Training Courses appropriate to their work.

Responsibilities of The Individual

Day to day safety in the Department is primarily an individual's personal responsibility and this is complemented by the duty imposed on academic staff and technicians in charge of sections/ laboratories to take reasonable care of persons under their supervision. The line Manager, Departmental Safety Officer, members of the Safety Committee and/or the University Safety Division should be consulted if advice is required.

All employees have a statutory duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work. They are required to co-operate with their employer to enable the employer to comply with his statutory duties. Students have a common law duty to take care of themselves and others. The Department provides safety training, and staff and students should all attend the core presentations, supplemented by the specialist presentations relevant to their work.

It is illegal intentionally or recklessly to interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare, and this would include over-riding interlocks on equipment, removing insulating covers from electrical apparatus, removing earth wires, etc.

Visitors working in the Department do so with the permission of the Head of Department and on condition that they follow Departmental safety procedures, as laid down in this manual, and any Safety Notes provided by the Head of their Research Group, or person delegated by him/her. They, too, should attend the Safety Courses provided in the Department. The Head of Department reserves the right to withdraw some or all Departmental facilities to visitors who fail to comply fully with Departmental and University safety rules.

The Council of the Senate of the University recognise that in matters of safety, common sense and a sense of responsibility are of fundamental importance, and that it will often be necessary in matters of safety for reasonable reliance to be placed on the behaviour of others. Any member of the Department is entitled to query the activities of another with regard to the safety aspects of the task.

Staff connected with the safety of both undergraduate and postgraduate students should take into account their relative inexperience at their particular stage of training. That inexperience is likely to encompass all areas - knowledge of their legal responsibilities, their ability to identify hazards, their ability to design and undertake successful and safe experiments, their ability accurately to assess risk and their knowledge of the safety technology available to them. It is the responsibility of the staff to make them aware, and to educate them in all these areas, as appropriate to the work being carried out, and in a depth that is appropriate to the stage they have reached in their education.

Distribution of Information

The Department Statement of Policy, the University Statement of Policy and documents covering emergency and safety procedures, will be distributed within the Department, together with any amendments that may be made from time to time.

1. The Rayleigh Library holds a collection of Health and Safety information reference material (section O3)
2. The departmental safety committee includes individuals who have expertise in specific areas relating to Health and Safety and have documentation specific to their area of expertise.
3. Where appropriate, groups have prepared safe working practice documents that supplement the University and Departmental policy documents. It is suggested that the group safety representative should be responsible for the distribution of group documentation.
4. Minutes of the Safety and Environment Committee meetings, and the Quarterly Reports compiled by the Department Safety Officer are circulated to heads of groups and sections for action/discussion/feedback.
5. The Department has safety pages on its website, on which are Codes of Practice, emergency arrangements and advice. The minutes of the Committee meetings are posted to the site onto pages that are only visible within the Cavendish Laboratory.

This page was last updated on 16th September 2010

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