Policy statement

1. The University of Birmingham, as an employer, is committed to providing and maintaining a healthy and safe working environment that promotes wellbeing for all its employees, students and any other people who may be affected by its activities.  The ultimate responsibility for ensuring implementation of this Policy lies with the University; that is the University Council, the Vice-Chancellor as its Chief Executive and the University Executive Board.

The Heads of Colleges and Registrar and Secretary are responsible for ensuring compliance with University Health and Safety Policy within their areas of control and are required to report annually on their health and safety action plans.  They have a key role in encouraging a positive attitude to health and safety through appropriate management arrangements.  Those with supervisory or managerial responsibility are accountable to their Head of College or the Head of Corporate Service for managing risks to health and safety under their control.

All staff and students have a responsibility to promote a healthy and safe working environment to safeguard their own health and safety, that of their colleagues, and are required to abide by rules and requirements made under the authority of this policy.  Failure to do so could result in disciplinary action.

2. This Policy applies to all premises and activities within the control of the University.  Other arrangements may apply to shared premises and activities (see under Shared Premises below). The University has made detailed arrangements for implementing this Policy outlined in a further section of the Policy entitled, Organisation and Arrangements. 

3. This Policy has the following objectives:

• to comply with requirements of relevant legislation and current good practice;
• to identify significant hazards (the potential for harm), assess risks (the likelihood of that harm being realised) from activities involving those hazards and manage those risks;
• to promote a positive attitude to health, safety and wellbeing at the University amongst all staff and students
• to ensure that employees, students and others are adequately informed of the relevant identified risks;
• to ensure that employees, students and others receive appropriate instruction, training and supervision;
• to ensure that staff and students are competent to deal with the risks they encounter;
• to ensure that the demands of activities do not exceed the capabilities of staff or students to carry out the work safely;
• to consult widely with staff and students and with employees' representatives on health and safety matters;
• ensure that this documentation and supporting information is made accessible, primarily through the University’s web pages and at induction for staff;
• to make arrangements for co-ordination and co-operation with other employers where:
  • University employees or students share premises, facilities or activities with persons working in other organisations;
  • Persons from other organisations, including contractors, are working in University controlled activities;
• to monitor actively the management of risks to health and safety;
• to review the effectiveness of health and safety risk management and where appropriate to implement improvements;
• to provide expert occupational health and safety advisory services;
• to ensure that arrangements made under this Policy also take into account managing risks to the environment, in compliance with the University’s Environment Policy.

Vice-Chancellor
March 2010