Safety Organisation

The Safety Executive Group (SEG) is responsible for providing active and visible leadership for the University’s safety management system and safety culture. It reports directly to Council and is supported by:

• the Safety Network, an extensive community of practice comprising professional advisers and other safety role-holders
• the Consultative Committee for Health and Safety (CCHS)

These three groups work closely together to provide leadership, strategic oversight and direction. SEG has approved several Guidance Notes, which have been formally adopted into Health & Safety Policy.

View the SEG Guidance Notes

Membership

SEG has two co-chairs – Gill Aitken, The Registrar, and Martin Maiden, Professor of Molecular Epidemiology, Biology. Watch Martin’s vlogs on the values of the EveryDaySafe programme.

Its membership also includes senior leaders of the University’s safety, assurance and finance functions, divisional registrars and academic representatives. The full list of members is published on the University's governance website. There, you will also find the upcoming SEG meeting dates.

Five themes

SEG’s remit covers five themes:

• People
• Research
• Education
• Implementation of policies
• Estate and environment

Its membership will also include senior leaders in these areas and it will work in partnership with related committees that have an interest in safety-related matters.

The Safety Network is a professional network as part of the University’s Professional Services Together approach to connecting colleagues and improving collaboration. It comprises around 500 professional safety advisers, plus other managers and staff across the University who undertake safety or safety-related activities. For example, those in facilities management, human resources, insurance and compliance, who undertake specific safety duties, or sit on relevant committees, working or advisory groups. Its purpose is to provide advice and support to all areas of the University.

This is an example of the Communities of Practice at Oxford model developed as part of Professional Services Together.

It's co-ordinated by the Safety Office with key roles for the area and divisional safety officers, and the Estates Services compliance team. Network members are expected to actively and positively support the continuous improvement of the safety management system and culture. Examples include:

• providing competent advice in their division or department
• involvement in developing and communicating safety policy, guidance and tools
• helping to develop and deliver safety training
• assessing local performance and producing reports

They are kept informed by the Safety Network Newsletter, which is distributed every six weeks. Email everydaysafe@admin.ox.ac.uk if you would like to join the mailing list.

The Safety Network Conference, which first ran in March 2024, also provides an opportunity for members to meet, share experiences and gain information and support. Resources from both the 2024 and 2025 editions have been made available.

SEG Guidance Note 03 sets out what the Safety Network is and how it functions in greater detail.

The Safety Network Steering Group (SNSG) comprises senior management representatives from all divisions and from insurance, assurance, compliance and the Safety Office.

Its membership and revised remit is currently being formalised but is intended to focus on practical communication and implementation of the decisions and actions approved by SEG across the University.

SNSG meets before and after every SEG meeting. For queries about SNSG please contact:

• Andy Bryson, GLAM Divisional Safety Officer, in relation to Social Sciences, Humanities, GLAM or UAS
• Holly Bratcher, MPLS Divisional Safety Officer, in relation to MSD or MPLS
• everydaysafe@admin.ox.ac.uk

View the SNSG membership

The Divisional Safety Partnership group sits at the heart of the Safety Network, as recognised by SEG Guidance Note 03. Consisting of around 60 members, these are either full-time safety officers or individuals who regularly undertake safety-related activities as part of their wider role.

Members are expected to contribute and take an active role (such as propose agenda items, activities, reports) within the Network, given their competency and time spent on safety-related matters. Their responsibilities include sharing relevant information with their respective area or departments, coordinating and presenting information from their respective areas or departments, participating in working groups and EveryDaySafe workstreams and be the first point of contact for the Safety Network Steering Group (SNSG) to assign work.

They should also promote good practice in safety management and culture, provide competent safety advice in support of an action-oriented approach, develop and communicate the requirements of safety policy, and develop guidance, tools and other sources of information to support policies and the EveryDaySafe programme.

A significant amount of the work undertaken by the Network is conducted by the Divisional Safety Partnership, principally because of their safety competence or influence over the University’s safety management. The Network is structured to achieve the best possible outcome, by engaging the right person at the right time.

The group meets in-person several times a year to:

• receive updates from SEG and EveryDaySafe programme workstreams and about developments in new policies, training, communications and any additional system changes
• share learnings and successes, feedback and insights
• ask for suggestions and advice from colleagues

For more information contact your respective area or divisional safety officer.

The Consultative Committee for Health & Safety (CCHS) has four important priorities:

• Consultation – managing processes for obtaining feedback on proposed changes to the health and safety arrangements for trade unions and other stakeholders
• Communications – considering communications issues and ensuring that communications support for the safety management system is relevant and effective
• Culture – similarly considering how to influence and achieve an improved safety culture across the University
• Open channel – supporting the SEG by providing feedback on any of these issues

Contact Steven Fairhurst Jones, CCHS Secretary, for general queries. To raise issues you would like CCHS to consider, contact your relevant representative. You can find the full membership on the University’s governance website.

View SEG GN02 for more information.

Divisions, departments and teams (and units) are levels 3-5 of the safety management system. Each level will operate slightly differently but there are nominated leads and management structures responsible for appropriate levels of safety management. For example:

• Division – divisional health and safety plan
• Department – local priorities
• Team/unit – risk assessments

There are two important flows of information between them – and between the divisions and the SEG:

• Decisions being made by SEG that impact on departments and need action
• Assurance reporting from departments (including teams and units) – that means information about whether risk controls are in place, effective and being used. An example of this would be slips, trips and falls

The Safety Network Steering Group acts as a key connection between the different divisional activities.