school health & safety codes of practice - Imperial College School of ...

Imperial College London
Faculty of Medicine
School of Public Health
SCHOOL HEALTH & SAFETY
CODES OF PRACTICE
Version VII
January 2012
Version Review Date Author
II 30-Mar-11 SHalder
III 18-Apr-11 SHalder
IV 04-Aug-11 SHalder
V 10-Jan-12 SHalder
VI 16-Apr-12 SHalder
VII 09-Aug-12 SHalder
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Contents
1 INTRODUCTION 3
1.1 Safety Management Responsibilities 3
1.2 Campus Arrangements 3
1.3 School Arrangements 4
2 SCHOOL ARRANGMENTS 4
2.1 Safety Management 4
2.2 Governance 5
3 AT DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL 6
3.1 Organisation 6
3.1.1 Safety Personnel 7
3.2 Arrangements 7
3.2.1 Risk Assessment and Risk control and Monitoring of Risk Control 7
3.2.2 Off Site Work 9
Page
3.2.3 Occupational Health Assessments and Surveillance 10
3.2.4 Communication and consultation arrangements 11
3.2.5 Training and competence assurance procedures 11
3.2.6 Audit, Inspection and Review 12
3.2.7 Out of hours and lone working 13
3.2.8 Fire, Accidents, Emergencies and Contingency Planning 13
3.2.9 New and Expectant Mothers 16
3.2.10 Document Management 16
4 APPENDIXES 18
Appendix 1 - School Safety Structure 18
Appendix 2 - School Health and Safety Committee Membership 10-11 20
Appendix 3 - School Health and Safety Committee - Terms of Reference 21
Appendix 4 - Declaration 24
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1 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the School of Public Health, please read and understand this document, it is
intended to help you to comply with the safety rules of the College and the School. Once you
have read this document, please return the declaration at the end to your line manager or
safety personnel within your department.
Imperial College (as an employer) has a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare
of all its employees, students, visitors and anyone who may be affected by the activities of
the College. In order to achieve compliance with health and safety legislation the College
has developed a number of health and safety policies, which can be found at:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety/policies/
1.1 Safety Management and Responsibilities
The College Health and Safety Structure and Responsibilities Policy:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety/policies/organisationandarrangements
Identifies the health and safety responsibilities of all individuals who have an association with
the College. The responsibilities vary according to the individual’s role (e.g. principal
investigators, staff, students, visitors, contractors etc); and all individuals should be aware of
their own responsibilities with regards to health and safety for e.g.; PI’s/academic
supervisors are expected to ensure that all of their workers receive adequate training to
enable then to fulfil their roles.
Health and safety law is policed by various enforcing authorities including the health and
safety executive and the environment agency. If Imperial’s policies and systems are found to
be inadequate, the College can be taken to court and fined. There are also penalties in law
for individuals who fail to comply with health and safety legislation, and non-compliance with
College policies could result in disciplinary action or dismissal; fines or imprisonment.
Where staff or students do not feel confident that they can carry out a work activity safely
they should seek help and advice (from their line manager or departmental safety
coordinator (DSC) or from the relevant campus safety manager (CSM) or the Safety
Department/Occupational Health rather than compromise their own safety or that of others.
1.2 Campus Arrangements
Following the review of academic and administrative structures which was undertaken by the
Faculty of Medicine at the end of 2009, a new top level health and safety review and
monitoring structure has been introduced. The new structure is based on a Campus support
model – the aim of which is to increase assurance that all activities on a campus where
Faculty of Medicine staff are present are being coordinated and monitored in a consistent
and holistic manner and to ensure that areas of interface (both internally among Faculty
Schools/Institutes/Departments and with Campus partners (including other Faculties, the
NHS, MRC and industry partners) are effectively and safely managed.
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1.3 School Arrangements
Under the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974 and under the College’s Health and
Safety Policies, the Head of School is responsible to the Faculty Principal for the
management of health and safety in the School and for the safety of all staff reporting to him.
To this end, the Head of School has put in place systems to ensure that the Heads of
Departments are aware of their individual responsibilities. This includes the appointment of a
School Health and Safety Committee, which is chaired by a senior member of academic
staff, and meets termly; and the introduction of a uniform School Health and Safety Policy,
the arrangements of which are outlined in this Code of Practice. The School Code of
Practice will be reviewed annually and auditing and inspection shall be carried out by the
Campus Health and Safety Managers on a regular basis.
Within Departments, the Head of Department and line managers are responsible for health
and safety.
2 SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS
2.1 Safety Management
The Head of the School of Public Health expects all members of staff to actively project
safety management across all sites and to bring best practice to all departments.
The Head of School has appointed various safety personnel and provide them with
adequate resources (time, training and finance) and will support any decisions and actions
taken by them. The safety personnel are part of the management structure and a School
safety structure (appendix 1). The Campus Health & Safety Managers (CSM’s), as
appointed by the Faculty of Medicine, will work closely with the Head of School, Deputy
School Manager, School Health and Safety Committee, Heads of Departments, and
Departmental Safety Co-ordinators (DSC’s), as appointed by the Head of Departments.
S/he can advise school staff and students on all aspects of health and safety management
and risk assessments.
In addition, the Head of each Department will appoint safety personnel to reflect all the
hazards within their department. For example if GM, radiation and/or off site work are
undertaken within a department, then the Head of the Department will appoint a GM safety
advisor, radiation protection supervisor, and/or off site work coordinator as appropriate.
It is expected that where a department undertakes work that is relatively low risk in nature
(e.g. in departments where all workers are office based, and the department is not involved
in off-site or laboratory work or other higher risk activities etc) then the department must
appoint a departmental safety coordinator whose primary function would be to act as the
display screen assessor and primary contact on health and safety issues for the department,
a fire warden and if appropriate a first aider.
Where a department is split over several campuses the department must appoint a safety
coordinator, a fire warden and a first aider if appropriate for each campus. It is possible that
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that the same person can fulfil all three roles where small numbers of workers are located;
but deputies should be appointed as appropriate.
The School has established a Health and Safety Committee (appendix 2), which will meet
termly to discuss health and safety issues. The Head of School or a nominated senior
member of academic staff will chair the Committee. Membership should represent the entire
School with a balance of academic (PI’s), lab managers, technical, clerical, students, and
manual workers (if apt) amongst its members; and will be attended by all departmental
safety representatives. The function of the Health and Safety Committee (see Terms of
Reference- appendix 3) is to receive, review and monitor:
� Reports of accidents, near misses, or work related problems.
� Reports from School/Departmental/Campus Safety personnel.
� The results of internal inspections by departmental safety coordinators and any external
audits and inspections carried out by the CSM, or HSE etc.
� Staff training.
� Provisions for Occupational Health issues including First Aid, Display Screen Equipment
and Health Surveillance, etc.
The School Health and Safety Committee should make recommendations to Head of
School on:
� Improvements in School health and safety standards.
� Actions to minimise accidents or near misses or work related ill health.
� Local arrangements for implementing new College statutory requirements or policies.
A fixed agenda (see appendix 2) should be used; minutes should be circulated to all staff
within the School. In addition, health and safety should be a regular agenda item at all
School meetings e.g. executive meetings, any senior staff meetings and research committee
meetings, departmental or laboratory meetings, in addition to the School Health and Safety
Committee meeting.
2.2 Governance
As detailed under the relevant College Policies (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety/policies)
The School is responsible for the governance of the following areas:
� Risk Assessment and Risk control and Monitoring of Risk Control Procedures
� Occupational Heath Assessments and Surveillance
� Communication and Consultation Arrangements
� Training, Competence and Supervision assurance procedures
� Safety performance and measurement and standards
� Workplace safety
� Fire, accidents and emergencies and contingency planning
� Off site working
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� Out of hours and lone working.
� Biological Agents and Genetically-Modified Micro-Organisms
� Genetic Modification
� Carcinogens, Human Toxins and Toxic Chemicals
� Non-Ionising and Ionising Radiation
� New and Expectant Mothers
� Manual Handling
� Local Exhaust Ventilation
� Compressed Gases
� Vaccination
� Health protection of all workers within the School
� Non standard work places.
� Document management
� The School will comply with the 1998 Data Protection Act and College policy regarding
the retention of data.
The following documents will be retained by the School:
� Minutes from the School Health and Safety Committee.
� Safety audit and inspection reports.
� Membership of Committees.
� Letters from enforcing bodies.
� Annual Safety Reports to Safety Council.
� Risk Register.
Audit, inspection and review
� The departmental safety coordinator should inspect the department termly prior to the
School H&S committee meeting, and submit inspection reports to the committee
secretary prior to committee meetings.
� The CSM will also undertake annual inspections and audits of Departments and/or the
School.
� Results of any inspections and audits will be forwarded and discussed with the Head of
the Department and the Head of School as appropriate.
� Findings should be acted upon as soon as reasonably practicable, or immediately if the
risk necessitates it.
3 AT DEPARTMENT LEVEL
3.1 Organisation
The School has six Departments:
� Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
� Department of Primary Care and Public Health
� Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
� Department of Genomics of Common Disease
� Imperial Clinical Trials Unit
� Neuroepidemiology and Ageing Research Unit
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Each Department operates over a specific campus (with the exception of the Clinical Trials
Unit which operates across campuses). It is expected that health and safety will be a
standard item on agendas for routine meetings.
3.1.1 Safety Personnel
The Head of Department will appoint various safety personnel (as detailed in section 2.1.1)
and provide them with adequate resources (time, training and finance) and support decisions
and actions taken by them.
It is expected that where a department undertakes work that is relatively low risk in nature
(e.g. in departments where all workers are office based, and the department is not involved
in off-site or laboratory work or other higher risk activities etc) then the department must
appoint a safety coordinator (whose primary function would be to act as the display screen
assessor and primary contact on health and safety issues), a fire warden; and if appropriate
a first aider.
3.2 Arrangements
Detailed below are the key arrangements that must be established within each of the
departments within the School.
3.2.1 Risk Assessment and Risk Control and Monitoring of Risk Control
A Hazard is something with the potential to cause harm. Examples of hazards include:
pathogenic microorganisms, genetically modified microorganisms (GMOs), radioactive
isotopes, ultraviolet radiation, hazardous substances, liquid nitrogen, dry ice, compressed
gases; and electrical, mechanical and display screen equipment. Some work processes may
prove hazardous in themselves e.g. lifting heavy objects, or repetitive movements (especially
display screen equipment use). Objects that are not inherently hazardous may present a risk
by virtue of their situation e.g. an object stored on the floor may pose a trip hazard.
Risk is the likelihood that a hazard will cause harm and its potential severity. Risk is affected
by the duration and frequency of the hazardous procedure, how the procedure is carried out,
the competence of the worker, and the presence or absence of other control measures.
Health and Safety law places some absolute minimum requirements on reduction of risk in
the work place, for example Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) for certain hazardous
substances. Once this requirement has been met, and in situations where there is no
absolute minimum requirement stipulated by law, risks must still be reduced “as low as
reasonably practicable”.
The first step in reducing risk is to perform a Risk Assessment, this is the process of
identifying the hazards involved in a work procedure, identifying who is placed at risk of
harm from them and what control measures must be implemented in order to reduce the
risk of harm “as low as reasonably practicable”. In addition to those directly involved in the
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work, the assessment must consider all those who may be affected by the work (e.g.
colleagues, cleaning staff and maintenance workers). A written record of the assessment
must be made and all assessments must be reviewed regularly and as made necessary by
changes in circumstances (e.g. when changes in location, procedures or changes in
personnel occur). Risk Assessments are legally required to be ‘suitable and sufficient’, that
is to say the level of risk arising from the work activity should determine the level of detail
required in the assessment.
Principal investigators and line managers are responsible for ensuring that suitable and
sufficient risk assessments are undertaken where necessary and that the control measures
identified are put into practice. The task may be delegated but the responsibility may not.
The individual undertaking the risk assessment must be competent to do so.
No new hazard (e.g. pathogen, GMO, toxic or hazardous substance, compressed gas,
radiation, equipment or machinery etc) may be bought into the School or department without
fist consulting the relevant DSC and/or CSM as appropriate and completion of the necessary
risk assessment prior to the hazard being bought on site. In some circumstances (e.g. for
high risk toxins/pathogens) external approval must be obtained from the relevant enforcing
authority (such as the HSE) prior to the hazard being bought on site and these will need to
be obtained well in advance.
Risk Assessments for high-risk work (e.g. pathogens, genetic modification, off site work,
working at heights etc) must be completed in conjunction with the DSC and then forwarded
to the relevant CSM for review/approval. The CSM will then forward assessments to the
safety dept for final review/approval as appropriate.
The hierarchy of control measures will be understood and practised according to the
following hierarchy:
� Eliminate the hazard.
� Substitute the hazard with something less hazardous.
� Reduce the hazard (the quantity and/or the duration/frequency of exposure).
� Isolate the hazard (e.g. using engineering controls such as sealed containers or fume
hoods).
� Design safe working practices
(and enforce these through information, instruction, training & supervision).
� Use personal protective equipment (PPE) e.g. laboratory coat, disposable gloves
(PPE should always be considered the last line of defence as it protects only the
individual directly involved in the work, not others who may also be present in the
vicinity).
Control measures will be monitored and reviewed. Evidence of servicing, testing and efficacy
are kept by the DSC within the department.
All workers should ensure that they are familiar with the safe working practices applicable to
their work procedures as detailed in the relevant local rules, codes of practice and/or
standard operating procedures, and follow them at all times.
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be identified by risk assessment and issued free
of charge to those requiring it. Such persons will be trained in use, maintenance, and fault
reporting, together with adequate storage and appropriate record keeping.
The risks to staff working on other premises and travelling between premises will be
considered and any control measures taken as appropriate.
3.2.2 Off site working
Staff on fieldwork or any offsite work (such as conference meetings or work at other
academic institutions or similar host organisations) should seek departmental guidance and
should follow:
College offsite working policy:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety/policies/individualpolicies/offsiteworking
When travelling to conferences or other meetings outside of Imperial College, individuals
must leave details of who is travelling, emergency contact telephone numbers at their
destination; and intended dates of return with the departmental nominated person(s), or with
the School (by e-mailing sphtravel@imperial.ac.uk).
If travelling outside of the UK you must check the Occupational Health (OH) Travel Advice
and the Foreign Office web pages for advice on health precautions, recommended
vaccinations and security risks.
If an offsite visit involves collaborative research work then information needs to be obtained
from the host institution on necessary health & safety controls for the work. This action must
be documented on the short Hosted Offsite Activities form available from the safety
department website. College risk assessments would only need to be completed and
documented if the host institution could not provide information on their risk assessments or
if such assessments were identified as being not “suitable and sufficient” for the work. Staff
should see advice from the departmental nominated person or relevant CSM if necessary.
Fieldwork requires a full risk assessment.
Fieldwork risk assessment or Hosted Offsite Activities forms must be reviewed by the
departmental nominated person and relevant CSM. If appropriate the CSM will forward such
forms to the safety dept for final approval, which must be obtained prior to travel.
Individuals must complete health clearance for off-site work with the College OH Service
before travel if:
a. Travelling to tropical countries.
b. Travelling abroad for longer than three months.
c. Involved in fieldwork remote from medical facilities or requiring a high standard of fitness.
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http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/occhealth/guidanceandadvice/traveladviceandvaccination/healthc
learance
3.2.3 Occupational Health Assessment and Surveillance
There is no pre-employment health screening for staff. If health surveillance and screening is
appropriate; the line manager must declare this (by completing the relevant section of the
Employment questionnaire) at the contract request stage for the post. For students (or for
staff if during their employment, their work direction changes and additional OH requirements
are needed) it is their supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that any OH requirements are
identified, and arrangements made to fulfil them in conjunction with the DSC. When
individuals require ongoing monitoring as a result of ongoing exposure to a particular hazard,
they will be made aware of any adverse symptoms associated with this work and should
contact supervisors immediately if any of these symptoms are suspected. Staff and students
should comply with recommendations made by Occupational Health and participate in any
Health Surveillance Programmes indicated.
Health surveillance means putting in place procedures to detect early signs of work-related
ill health among employees exposed to certain health risks, and acting on the results.
The COSHH 2002 regulations require all individuals working with pathogens (hazard group 2
and above microorganisms) to be kept under health surveillance. The purpose is to identify
individuals who may be at increased risk from exposure because of health problems that
may render them more liable to infection or increase their risk of severe disease if exposure
occurred. For most work with pathogens at Imperial College, health surveillance is limited to
simple questionnaires to identify individuals who may be at increased risk of infection.
Health surveillance is also required for individuals working with laboratory animals, insects or
gluteraldehyde (unless exposure can be reliably prevented, e.g. by use of local exhaust
ventilation).
Health surveillance is undertaken by the occupational health department. Supervisors must
ensure that the appropriate form(s) are completed and submitted to OH for all individuals
working with the relevant hazards (including visiting/temporary workers).
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/occhealth/guidanceandadvice/healthsurveillance
Work with the hazards requiring health surveillance must not be allowed to commence until
approval is given by OH. The outcome of an assessment (fit / additional precautions
advised / unfit) will be notified to the supervisor along with the details of any additional
precautions that may be necessary. Details of underlying health problems will not be
disclosed, in line with the normal rules of medical confidentiality.
Individuals must promptly report any incidents which may result in exposure to pathogens or
allergens to the College Occupational Physician, in addition to normal accident reporting
procedures. They must also report any health problem or illness resembling that caused by
the pathogens or allergens to the Occupational Physician.
Whilst continuing to work with hazardous pathogens or GMOs you should inform the College
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Occupational Health Physician of any significant change in your health, including:
- Treatment with steroids or immuno-suppressant drugs
- Development of a health problem that might reduce your resistance to infections
- Development of any chronic skin disease e.g. eczema or psoriasis
- Any illness requiring admission to hospital
- Development of any disability or health problem that may increase your risk of accident
- Any episodes of sudden loss of consciousness
- Pregnancy
3.2.4 Communication and consultation arrangements
Safety communications are primarily by e-mail (e.g. from Campus/Faculty to
School/Departments/groups to individuals). The Laboratory Manager/DSC will keep a record
of safety-related e-mails in a “Safety” e-mail folder. In addition, each Department will have a
safety notice board(s) and all staff will be made aware of its location; safety notices, posters
and warnings will be in place, and checks will be made to ensure that these are up-to-date.
3.2.5 Training Competence and Supervision Assurance Procedures
Staff and students will attend relevant health and safety training at a variety of levels; and
be supervised accordingly.
Local induction training should be delivered on the first day by the departmental safety
coordinator or other departmental nominated person, using the safety department’s Day one
safety induction checklist. The Day one induction checklist and associated guidance notes
are available from the safety department website.
This Code of Practice and any Local rules within the department will be issued at the time
of safety induction and further training needs shall be identified using the
College/Department training needs assessment form as appropriate. In most cases training
needs to take place before the work requiring the training commences.
Training in laboratory techniques and specific hazards such as radiation will be fully
documented. Supervisors are responsible for training workers in the various work methods
and for documenting and retaining records of such training. The training provided needs to
be appropriate to the level of risk involved, and in a format that will be understood. It may be
necessary to ensure that training achieves its desired outcome by having some form of
evaluation process in place. Periodic refresher training may be necessary. A record of all
such training must be maintained.
A range of training courses are organised and run by the College Safety Department. Some
of these are mandatory because of the immediate high-risk nature of the work, or because of
the potential for long-term harm, the College may require it as part of its local policy, or
particular health and safety legislation may require it. Details of training courses can be
found on the Safety Department website. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety/training
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Annual attendance at the fire safety training is mandatory for all members of College.
New laboratory workers must attend the “Biological Safety - foundation training” course.
New group leaders (PI’s) must attend the “Health and Safety Responsibilities for Academic
Supervisors” course.
All academic, research staff postgraduate students must undertake the e-learning “RAFT
(Risk Assessment Foundation Training) course.
Visiting engineers (e.g. providing equipment maintenance) should be given a copy of the 2
page document 'Safety instruction for contractors and other visitors' which provides them
with information on emergency procedures, warning signs and the permit to work system.
Laboratory Managers will be informed of visiting engineers to the lab well in advance to
ensure safety procedures are followed (e.g. user decontamination of equipment).
Visiting workers: Staff will inform the relevant DSC in advance about short-term visiting
workers (under 5 days’ duration) to the Department, including contractors and engineers, so
that safety arrangements can be made. If the visit is longer than 5 days, appropriate (Day
One) induction training should be carried out by the supervisor, DSC, or other nominated
person.
Each Department will keep training records for 10 years, and copies will be available to
individual staff members.
3.2.6 Audit, inspection and review
The DSC will use an inspection checklist to conduct safety inspections prior to the School
Health and Safety Committee meeting. Checklists are available from the Safety Department
at (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety/formsandchecklists/inspectionform). In order to ensure
that actions are undertaken as appropriate as a result of such inspections, the DSC will also
complete the standard “Safety Inspection (Close Out) Form”, and a report of their findings
should be presented to the School Safety committee and a copy sent to the appropriate
CSM.
The designated CSM will conduct periodic inspections and audits of the School and/or
departments. A report should be sent to the Head of School and to the Heads of
Departments as appropriate. Findings should be acted upon as soon as reasonably
practicable, or immediately if the risk necessitates it. This report will be presented to the
School Health and Safety Committee.
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This Code of Practice will be reviewed each year by the School H&S committee and signed
by the Head of School. It should be displayed on the School Safety notice board, and made
available to all Departmental employees.
3.2.7 Out of hours and lone working
The College has a policy and guidance on working alone or outside of normal working hours
available on the safety department website.
The School must set its own working hours, generally between 7am and 7pm from Monday
to Friday. Access outside these times, is considered “out of hours” work, and prior approval
must be obtained from your line manger before undertaking any out of hours work.
Generally, site security will also need to be notified of any workers authorised to undertake
out of hours work, and the nature of the work before any out of hours work is undertaken.
You are more at risk outside normal working hours because there may not be anyone
around to assist you. If for example you injure yourself severely – you could remain
undiscovered for several days; and working alone during normal working hours in a secluded
area such as a basement carries similar risks, so you should always tell someone where you
are going and for how long so that they may raise the alarm if you do not re-appear.
Departments must also have local arrangements for high-risk work out of hours or lone work.
Laboratory work for example may necessitate a “buddy” who is on site and contactable
during any out of hours work.
Certain activities such as dispensing liquid nitrogen, working with radioisotopes or toxic or
carcinogenic chemicals, and working at heights or manual handling must not be undertaken
by anyone working on their own
3.2.8 Fire, Accidents and Emergencies and Contingency Planning
Fire Safety
Keep fire doors shut at all times. Do not obscure the safety viewing panels in doors. Keep
traffic routes and emergency exits clear of obstructions, trip hazards and flammable
materials (e.g. waste) at all times.
Toasters are prohibited from many sites because burnt toast triggers the fire alarms causing
evacuation.
If a fire is discovered and it is too large to tackle with a nearby fire extinguisher – leave the
room, shut the door, evacuate the building and activate the emergency alarm on route. After
leaving the building inform the Fire Officer or other person in charge of the location of the fire
before making your way to the muster point.
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Accidents
Accidents and Near Misses must be reported as soon as possible. The purpose of
reporting such incidents is not to assign blame but rather to minimise the adverse effects to
health and to ensure that changes are made to prevent recurrence.
Accident: Undesired event giving rise to injury, ill health, damage or other loss.
Near Miss: Undesired event or condition where no injury, ill health, damage or other loss
occurs.
Examples of near miss events would include:
� Any non-compliance that could have led to an accident.
� Observation of unsafe conditions such as fire risks or faulty equipment.
� Observation of unsafe acts such as non-authorised personnel entering restricted
areas.
� Falling or flying objects that do not make contact with individuals nor cause any
significant property damage.
� Waste going into the wrong waste stream.
� Failure of any equipment or associated systems that are in place to protect health and
safety.
� Failure identified by statutory testing.
� Failure of building facilities e.g. lift entrapments, lack of water supply, room
temperature problems etc.
Failure to comply with safety rules is in itself a near-miss incident and should be reported.
In response to accidents or near misses a report should be made by the new on line
reporting system SALUS, which is accessible from the safety dept web page
(http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/safety). All incidents with potential for exposure to pathogens
should be notified to occupational health, and. some incidents must be notified to the Health
and Safety Executive by the College, and this will be done by the safety department.
Emergencies
On hearing the emergency alarm, make your work safe and evacuate the building
immediately. Lifts must never be used to evacuate the building, because if the fire causes a
power failure there is a risk of becoming trapped inside the lift. Many stairwells in are
“protected” and offer a high degree of fire resistance and so are the safest evacuation route
in a fire.
There should be no hesitation in evacuating the building if the alarm is heard, do not stop to
collect personal belongings or coats, the building must not be re-entered until the all-clear is
14

given by security personnel. If you know that someone is unable or unwilling to evacuate,
inform security after leaving the building.
Contingency Planning
Fit for Work. Individuals must not present themselves for work if they are not fit to work
safely due to illness, tiredness or the influence of alcohol or drugs, including prescription
drugs that may cause drowsiness. Medical conditions which may place you at increased risk
from work procedures should be notified to the occupational health department.
First aid arrangements will be known to all staff and visitors, and details of these and
emergency contact numbers shall be posted on the safety notice board within each
department
Each Head of Department will appoint appropriate numbers of first aiders and ensure that a
fully-qualified first aider is always available during normal hours at each site to attend an
incident; and that appropriate first aid arrangements are made for staff and students
engaged in fieldwork.
The available first aider may not necessarily be a member of the department, site security
may give first aid assistance on some sites.
Building Maintenance: Defects in the services or the fabric of the building should be
reported to the Estates Division through their website:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/facilitiesmanagement/helpdesk/maintenance or telephone
number +44 (0)20 759 48000
Any works which will incur a cost by the Department must be approved by the head of the
Department.
Welfare and Support: There are a number of welfare and support services available to
members of Imperial College:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/occhealth/contacts/collegesupportservices
Counselling: All College staff and members of their family living with them can get free,
confidential professional, help from Confidential Care, the College's new Employee
Assistance Provider, 24 hours per day, by telephone or via the web. For details visit:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/occhealth/services/eap
Confidential Care helpline and web pages can provide information and advice on a wide
range of work/ life issues including financial and legal problems, consumer and citizen rights,
health concerns, and finding child and elder care.
You can also speak or arrange to meet with a qualified counsellor to talk through personal
problems in complete confidence. Couples counselling is available for staff with relationship
15

problems.
To access Confidential Care services, phone them on 0800 085 4764, or follow the above
link to their web portal to find out about the full range of services they provide and to access
their information and on-line learning resources. You can also access Confidential Care
website from outside the College network at www.well-online.co.uk. If access from outside
College you will need to log in using the User ID “Imperial” and Password “College”.
All contact with Confidential Care is confidential. You need only say that you are from
Imperial College. Calls to 0800 numbers from College extensions are not included in
telephone charges reports. Confidential Care does not feedback identifiable information to
College.
Students may use the Imperial College Student Counselling service:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/counselling Tel. +44 (0)20 7594 9637 (internal extension 49637)
email: counselling@imperial.ac.uk
Or any independent service such as Nightline http://www.nightline.org.uk/
3.2.9 New and Expectant Mothers
The occupational health department have produced guidance on managing health risks for
new and expectant mothers:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/OCCHEALTH/guidanceandadvice/newandexpectantmothersinthe
workplace/
All risk assessments should routinely consider pregnant and breast-feeding individuals and
identify any additional control measures that may be required. All workers should be
informed of any additional risks to such individuals.
Once notified of a pregnancy, line managers should complete a New and Expectant Mothers
Risk Assessment following the guidance on the occupational health website.
A member of staff should inform their Line Manager in writing as soon as possible after
receiving confirmation that they are pregnant. Many people may prefer not to disclose this
information in the early stages, however it may be in your interest to ensure that risk
assessments are reviewed and control measures put in place, especially if you work in an
area where there is a risk of being exposed to ionising radiation, biological hazards or certain
chemical hazards. Individuals can contact the relevant CSM and/or safety dept for advice
and guidance if appropriate.
3.2.10 Document management
Safety-related documents will be actively managed and reviewed by the Laboratory
Manager/DSC/lead academic or PI as appropriate. They will hold copies of all
16

documentation/certificates for statutory calibration and maintenance in their Departments. In
each Department, the RPS will keep all radiation acquisition, use, disposal, dosimetry and
monitoring and monitor calibration records.
Documents and records that will be held in the Departments:
1. Safety management structure diagram listing named individuals and showing how safety
responsibilities are devolved in the Department/School
2. Contact details of all safety reps with the department including departmental safety
coordinator, fire warden and first aiders/life savers etc.
3. Departmental code of practice/local rules, standard operating procedures/guidance
issued by the department and Codes of Practice for CL3 and other work.
4. Names of any individuals working with pathogens at CL3.
5. Any pathogens used for work within the department listed under schedule 5 of the Anti
Terrorism Crime and Security Act.
6. Risk assessments, COSHH, DSE, manual handling, fire risk assessments etc carried
out.
7. Inspection reports both internal and any external inspection and audit reports such as
those undertaken by the CSB or enforcing authorities such as the HSE.
8. Minutes of all committee meetings.
9. Any documents/copies of e-mail correspondence relating to Departmental accident/near
miss/work related ill health reports.
10. Isotope acquisition, use and disposal records if appropriate, monitoring and monitor
calibration certificates.
11. Staff health surveillance and/or screening reports; records of exposure to substances
hazardous to health.
12. Summaries of all GM projects undertaken within the Department.
13. Details of waste routes (for any non-domestic waste produced within the department.
14. Safety training records including induction, local rules, procedures, and training needs
analysis.
15. Statutory test/validation reports for autoclaves, safety cabinets, fume hoods, pressurised
dewars or other pressure vessels or systems; maintenance logs for hazardous
equipment such as centrifuges.
16. Permit to work forms required for service/maintenance access to restructured areas
such as labs.
17. Letters/reports from enforcing bodies (e.g. EA, HSE).
18. Appointment letters for those with safety related roles.
The departmental safety coordinator may or may not hold all of the above, but should know
where they may be obtained if required (e.g. for external audit etc).
17

4 APPENDICES
Appendix 1 - School Safety Structure
Department Site Head of
Department
Clinical Trials Unit SM (VC) Prof Deborah
Ashby
Clinical Trials Unit SM (Nth
Wharf
Rd)
Epidemiology &
Biostatistics
Genomics of
Common Disease
Infectious
Disease
Epidemiology
Prof Deborah
Ashby
SM Prof Paul
Elliott
Hamm Prof Philippe
Froguel
SM Prof Neil
Ferguson
Department
Safety
Coordinator
Lab
Manager
DSE
Assessor
Ruth Peters n/a to be
appointed
Catherine
England
Filipe Teixeira de
Almeida
n/a to be
appointed
n/a to be
appointed
Petros Takousis n/a Patricia
Murphy
Ruth Tipples/TBC TBC Ruth
Tipples/Sus
an Hines
BSO RPS 1 st Aider Fire Warden
n/a n/a Jane Okwesa Jane Okwesa
n/a n/a Kayode Disu n/a
n/a n/a Ahlam
Khamliche
n/a n/a Julia El-
Sayed
Mustafa,Fran
cesco Pesce
Mat
Fisher
/Dan
Henk
n/a Joanne
Webster
(G31), Poppy
Lamberton
(G29), Susan
Hines (G21),
Anna
Wilhelme
(VB1), Ide
Cremin (LG1)
Ahlam
Khamliche
Mario Falchi
Ruth Tipples,
(SWR),
Susan Hines
(G21), Kate
Bilsborrow
(Lower
Mezzanine),
Mat Fisher
(VC),
18

Neuroepidemiolo
gy and Ageing
Research Unit
Primary Care and
Public Health
Primary Care and
Public Health
CX Prof Lefkos
Middleton
CX Prof Azeem
Majeed
Smithfiel
d
Prof Azeem
Majeed
Lisa Curry n/a no n/a n/a
Alex Haighton n/a no n/a n/a Alex
Haighton
Alex Haighton n/a no n/a n/a Dr Foster
Intelligence
staff
School Office SM Matt Heger Sapna Halder n/a Sapna
Halder
n/a n/a Sapna
Halder
Alex
Haighton,
Kate
Woodhouse
Sherry
Morris, Hima
Daby
n/a
19

Appendix 2 - School Health and Safety Committee Membership
Mat Fisher (MF) Chair, IDE
Tracey Norris (TN) Campus Health and Safety Manager
Ian Hackford (IH) Safety Dept College Biological Safety Advisor
Sapna Halder (SH) Deputy School Manager
Petros Takousis (PT) DSO, GCD
Ruth Tipples (RT) DSO, IDE
TBC (TBC) Lab Manager, IDE
Alexandra Haighton (AW) DSO, PCPH
Filipe Teixeira de Almeida (FTA) DSO, EBS
Catherine England (CE) Administrator, CTU
Jane Okwesa (JO) DSO, CTU
20

Appendix 3 - School Health and Safety Committee - Terms of Reference
The terms of reference are:
To receive, review and monitor:
� Reports of accidents, near misses, or work related problems.
� Reports from School/Departmental/Campus Safety personnel.
� The results of internal inspections by departmental safety coordinators and any external
audits and inspections carried out by the CSM, or HSE etc.
� Staff training.
� Provisions for Occupational Health issues including First Aid, Display Screen Equipment
and Health Surveillance, etc.
The School Health and Safety Committee should make recommendations to Head of
School on:
� Improvements in School health and safety standards.
� Actions to minimise accidents or near misses or work related ill health.
� Local arrangements for implementing new College statutory requirements or policies.
Dates of Meetings
Health and safety committees are part of the legal requirement of the management of health
and safety; and in order to ensure effective communication, consultation and coordination on
health and safety issues with all workers within the School of Public Health (SPH) the SPH’s
Health and Safety Committee will meet termly (i.e. three times a year). It is advisable to fix
dates at the beginning of the academic year as this enables committee members to
schedule meetings in their diaries.
The Agenda
Is fixed (see following page).
Representation
This should reflect all the hazards within the SPH. For example if GM, radiation and/or off
site work is undertaken within a department, then the department must appoint a GM
advisor, radiation protection supervisor, and/or off site work coordinator as appropriate, and
those individuals with safety related roles must attend meetings of the SPH Health and
Safety Committee.
It is expected that where a department undertakes work that is relatively low risk in nature
(e.g. all workers are office based, and the department is not involved in off-site or laboratory
work or other higher risk activities etc) then the department must appoint a safety
coordinator whose primary function would be to act as the display screen assessor and
primary contact on health and safety issues, and a fire warden; and if appropriate a first
aider.
Where a department is split over several campuses the department must appoint a safety
coordinator, a fire warden and first aider if appropriate for each campus. It is possible that
the same person can fulfil all three roles, but deputies should be appointed as appropriate.
21

The Head of School will chair the SPH’s H&S committee meetings. Where this is not
possible the Head of School will appoint a deputy to chair H&S committee meetings, and the
deputy must be a senior academic with the necessary authority to ensure that any action is
taken as appropriate to resolve any issues within the SPH.
The SPH’s H&S committee should represent all the health and safety interests of the
School’s workers, with a balance of academic (PI’s), lab managers, technical, clerical,
students, and manual workers (if apt) amongst its members.
Departmental safety coordinator’s will be reporting and advising and therefore should never
act as Committee Secretary.
Invitees
The Campus Safety Manager (CSM) for St M will attend the SPH’s H&S committee
meetings. As agreed with Faculty, the CSM for St M facilities H&S issues for the SPH, other
CSM’s facility other Schools, Institutes and Departments within the Faculty of Medicine as
appropriate. Union representatives from all College recognised Trade Unions + student
Union representative should be invited to attend.
Deputies
All those with safety related roles should appoint a deputy to attend the SPH’s H&S
committee if they are unable to attend. The primary representative should contact the deputy
to ask that the deputy attend if attendance is not possible for the primary rep; and send them
any papers relevant for the meeting, prior to the meeting.
Minutes
Should be cascaded to all staff within the School, and hard copies placed on the safety
notice boards in all areas.
Safety should also be a standing item on all other committees (e.g. executive meetings, any
senior staff meetings and research committee meetings, in addition to the SPH Health and
Safety Committee.
Inspections and audits
All departmental safety coordinators should undertake inspections of their departments prior
to the SPH’s H&S committee meeting. Any recommendations from these and of any external
audits or inspections (e.g. by the CSM or HSE etc) which are to be carried out, should be
brought to the SPH H&S committee meeting and formally closed out as soon as actions are
completed.
22

Health and Safety Committee
AGENDA
1. Welcoming of new, thanks to outgoing members
2. Approval of previous minutes
3. Matters arising from previous minutes not occurring elsewhere
4. Actions raised by Departmental safety inspections or any external inspections
and audits
5. Accident and dangerous occurrence reports
e.g. in the SPH or elsewhere – any lessons to be learnt or any remedial action required within the SPH
6. Biological/GM/CL3
e.g. new projects, organisms, surveys, forms, emergency procedures
7. Chemicals
e.g. monitoring, new toxins, risk assessments, disposal, decontamination, emergency procedures
8. Radiation
e.g. review of work registrations, monthly returns, dosimetry, disposal, monitoring etc
9. Equipment
e.g. delivery, decontamination, disposal, testing and maintenance dates etc affecting control measures
10. Animals
e.g. allergies, protective equipment, risk assessments
11. Off site work
e.g. new projects, risk assessments, changes in FO advice
12. Occupational Health
e.g. immunisation programmes for workers, new forms, guidance, DSE, Manual handling problems
13. Fire Safety
e.g. report on drills, changes to fire wardens, false alarms, not hearing alarms; recommendations of fire
safety inspections etc
14. Security
e.g. public access to laboratories, lone working, thefts, anti-terrorism etc
15. Personnel aspects
e.g. changes to safety management, staff change over, roles to be reassigned
16. Safety guidance and training
e.g. new and required; note of persons attending courses; record keeping systems
17. Existing and proposed building works
e.g. which are/could affect safety; whether Permit to work/Area Decontamination required
18. Any other business
19. Date of next meeting
Bold items are fixed – you may have others to add in plain text.
You may wish to consider aspects such as PPE (if effective or not); Chemicals – disposal or problems; COSHH – how
assessments are progressing; DSE and Manual handling – how assessments are progressing.
23

Appendix 4 – Declaration
Name of trainee _____________________________________________________
Trainee statement: I have read and understood this Code of Practice for the School of
Public Health.
Signed (trainee) ____________________________________________ Date____________
24