Work placement
Students and staff are sometimes required to undertake a period of work placement within another institution, commercial sector employer or other organisation as part of their course of study or employment with the University. Such activities are extremely valuable but can expose the participants to risks that are not under the direct control of the UniversityofGlasgow. Despite this the University retains a significant amount of legal and moral responsible for the safety of its students or employees during such work. Different arrangements may apply depending on how the placement is organised.
The safety of the individual during a work placement is dependant on the standards operated within the organisation in which they are working and although many organisations will operate to extremely high standards of safety, some may not. To ensure that staff and students working within third party organisations are adequately protected, those supervising or authorising the placement must make sure that mechanisms are in place for approval of placement providers, for monitoring of safety during placements and for obtaining feedback from participants.
These arrangements will vary widely depending on the nature of the placement and the organisation involved and whether the placement is University arranged or “self-found”. In all cases it is important that those involved are provided with sufficient information and training to allow them to recognise when standards are reasonable and to know when they are not and to understand how they should respond to this. The Universities Safety and Health Association has produced some guidance on how to manage this type of activity.
Guidance on Health and Safety of Placements for HE Students (2018) USHA/UCEA
Student placements should be covered by an appropriate risk assessment which can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.
Student Work Placement Risk Assessment Template (rev. Feb 2022)
Insurance
You will also need to follow the important guidance on student placements on the Finance Office Insurance and Risk website.