Safety Management for Heads of Management Unit

As a large and complex organisation the activities of the University have the potential to affect many people.  It is the aim or the University to ensure that no-one is harmed as a result of any of its activities.  As part of its commitment to health and safety the University has prepared a formal statement of its policy on Safety, Health and Wellbeing.  This can be accessed below.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Safety management arrangements

It is is essential that the University has suitable managerial systems and arrangements in place to control the risks associated with the many diverse activities carried on under its control. All individuals who work within the University whether as staff students, visitors or contractors have a responsibility for their own safety and for that of others and must conduct themselves appropriately.  However, those who lead management units have an additional resposibility to ensure that they establish and maintain effective safety management systems within the unit they control.  Typically this duty will fall mainly (although not exclusively) on those who have day-to-day control of operational units such as Colleges, Schools, Research Institutes and the various University Services. 

To assist those with such roles SEPS have produced the guidance document below.  This outlines the key elements of a typical framework for safety management within a University management unit.  We would anticipate that this guidance will most frequently be applied at School/Research Institute/Service level.  However, where risks are similar across several areas and common management arragements can be followed, it may be more efficient to operate the systems described at College level.  Conversly, units that are small but have unique and specialised risks may require a robust safety management that is specific to their own unit. These decisions should normally be taken on a local basis although SEPS will provide advice on this if required. The guidance provided is fairly standard safety management advice but does not preclude alternative arrangements being adopted provided these are equally effective in achieving safe and legal working arrangements. 

Please click on the the link below to access the guidance document.

Introduction to Safety Management for Heads of Management Unit v1.5