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 Statement 2022 

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. Everyone who works within the University whether as a member of staff, student, visitor or contractor has 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 make sure 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 and the various University Services. 

A nationally agreed code of practice on management of health and safety within the HE sector has been published by the Universities Safety and Health Association (USHA) and provides a valuable guide to good practice and on the legal duties of those in leadership roles at all levels of the organisation. There is also guidance on the management arrangements that are needed to meet these legal obligations.

The pdf document can be viewed here:  

USHA Leadership and Management of Health and Safety in HEIs (2023 ed.)‌ (pdf)

University S‌‌‌afety Management Guidance for Heads of Management Units

SEPS have produced guidance to help Heads of unit and other staff with key safety roles. This high level guidance explains the key elments of a typical framework for safety management within a University management unit and can be viewed in the Sub-Sections within the menu on this page.

We would expect that this guidance will most frequently be applied at School or 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.  The guidance provided is fairly standard safety management advice, but does not preclude alternative arrangements being adopted provided these are effective in achieving safe and legal working arrangements.‌