The EveryDaySafe programme

Find out how the University is changing how safety is led, managed and organised as part of the EveryDaySafe programme

In November 2021, Council approved a series of recommendations following a comprehensive review of health and safety during 2020-2021. A programme to implement these – EveryDaySafe – started to take shape in early 2022.

An early priority was the creation of new structures of safety organisation. These are critical because they provide leadership at the highest level and enable further change to happen.

Along with divisions, departments, and finally teams and units, these groups form a new five-level safety management system.
 

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:

These three groups work closely together to provide leadership, strategic oversight and direction.

Membership

SEG has two co-chairs – Gill Aitken, The Registrar, and Martin Maiden, Professor of Molecular Epidemiology, Biology. Read Martin’s blog about his ambitions for the EveryDaySafe programme.

Its membership also includes senior leaders of the University’s safety, assurance and finance functions, divisional registrars and academic representatives.

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.

You can see more details on the University’s governance website.

SEG Guidance Notes

SEG is considering and approving a series of Guidance Notes to support the transition into new arrangements following the Health & Safety Review. Once agreed, these will be formally adopted into a revised Health & Safety Policy.

The following Guidance Notes have been approved:

  • GN04 – Guide to Action-oriented Safety
  • GN05 – Aligned Committees
  • GN08 – High Containment Facilities

View all approved Guidance Notes

The Safety Network is an extensive community of practice comprising professional safety advisers and other safety role-holders. 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 that the People and Organisational Development team are developing as part of the Professional Services Together initiative launched by the Registrar in March 2022.

It is co-ordinated by the Safety Office with key roles for the Area and Divisional Safety Officers, and the Estates Services compliance team. 

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

You can find more information about CCHS on the University’s governance website.

Divisions, departments and teams (and units) are levels 3-5 of the safety management system.  Each level operates 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
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Contact us

  everydaysafe@admin.ox.ac.uk

 

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