Health and Safety management responsibilities FAQs

The divisional safety committee must be chaired by the head of division. Heads of department have specific responsibility for health and safety in their departments. The head of division should therefore consider how heads of department are represented on the committee.

The divisional registrar (as the division’s Safety Executive Group member), the division’s Safety Network Steering Group member and the divisional safety officer/s should also be members. Divisions may also want to consider wider representation aligned with the high risks in the division. Where members are already meeting, for example in a divisional board meeting, the divisional safety committee could form a section of the agenda.

Delineation of responsibilities should be set out to ensure clarity over who is responsible for various aspects of health and safety management in shared spaces. Examples of aspects to be considered include:

• responsibility for control of specific areas including communal areas
• responsibility for producing the building risk assessment (ensuring there is a way of capturing impact of occupier activity risks)
• fire protection arrangements, who undertakes the fire risk assessment (ensuring there's a way of capturing impact of occupier activity risks), maintenance of the fire protection equipment and management of an evacuation
• who undertakes workplace inspections for different areas
• access and induction arrangements
• out of hours policy
• arrangements for visitors and contractors
• building maintenance and equipment maintenance arrangements
• arrangements for electrical testing
• first aid provision
• management of asbestos and legionella
• emergency arrangements

Arrangements should also be set out for how various parties cooperate and coordinate these arrangements. For example, through a building committee. Where there is an overall landlord, their policies and procedures, where applicable, will need to be followed by all occupants.

The policy which outlines arrangements for the functioning of departmental safety advisory committees can be found on the Safety Office website. This will be revised and updated over the next year.

Departmental safety advisory committee policy statement

Inspections and audits form an important part of health and safety assurance. They are both proactive ways to review health and safety performance. Inspections primarily focus on physical workplace observation, whereas audits focus on systems and processes.

An assurance framework is being developed to provide further guidance in this area.

Guidance on out of hours and lone working can be found in Section 8 of policy statement S5/08 Risk Assessment. Further guidance will be developed over the next year.

There have been no changes to the departmental safety officer policy, however, this will be revised to incorporate delivery of the Head of Department Briefing Pack. This pack can be found with the Management Responsibilities policy statement, along with guidance for departmental safety officers and divisional safety officers on how to deliver it.

Further guidance on the role of the divisional and area safety officer is being developed. Many divisional and area safety officers have been involved in this work which will be finalised over the next year. A training and competency framework for these roles is also being developed.

Safety Executive Group members, together with heads of division, will receive specialist health and safety training in 2025.

There is a new briefing pack that can be used by departmental safety officers, with divisional safety officers, to brief heads of department. Find further information for leaders, including links to this pack, on the Safety Office website.

People and Organisational Development (POD) provide training for new heads of department (and equivalent). They run the Collegiate University Leaders Induction Programme (CULIP) which includes elements of health and safety responsibilities.

There is an existing eLearning module for managers and supervisors. Alternatively, training can be provided locally by the departmental or divisional/area safety officer. Work is underway to provide a new eLearning module that is bespoke to the University. This will be available during Hilary Term 2025.

Find further information on training and competency requirements for supervisors and line managers on the Safety Office website.

Departmental safety officers are required to undertake core training, including the University Departmental Safety Officer training course. Additional training depends on the risk profile of the department in accordance with the training and competency framework for DSOs.

The Health and Safety Basics eLearning course is available for all staff to complete and should be incorporated into departmental inductions. It's also available for students where applicable. Find a complete list of the training provided by the Safety Office, and read further information on health and safety induction training.