Example safety duties - safety roles
Safety Co-ordinator
The role of the Safety Coordinator is to assist the Head of School, or Service, to discharge their responsibilities for management of health and safety, including environmental protection matters. Duties will normally be delegated by the Head of Unit and will normally include the following:
Assist the Head of Unit to;
- Identify the legal requirements and University or College policy affecting the work of the unit and assist in devising suitable management systems to enable compliance with these.
- Develop systems and arrangements to ensure that risk assessments are conducted, recorded and reviewed and that any risks so identified are adequately controlled.
- Prepare documented procedures and arrangements for the management of health and safety and environmental protection within the unit.
- Develop communication strategies to ensure that all staff clearly understand their individual safety responsibilities both as individuals and with regard to any supervisory or managerial role that they may hold.
- Develop arrangements to ensure that all new staff receive a safety induction into the unit and are made aware of all precautions and procedures applicable to the job and of emergency procedures.
- Develop arrangements to ensure that staff, students and visitors are provided with adequate information about the risks they may face and about any action they need to take to prevent injury or ill health.
- Establish procedures to periodically inspect all equipment managed by the unit and to maintain this in a safe condition, whether by in-house staff or by specialist contractor and to identify and report safety defects in the workplace environment to Estates where the are responsible for maintenance of the item.
- Ensure that systems are in place to record, investigate and report on any accidents and incidents that occur.
- Develop systems for periodic inspection and auditing of local safety arrangements and for submission of reports to appropriate local managers and local safety committees.
- Develop and establish suitable local emergency procedures.
- Attend and support the work of the local health and safety committee(s), where applicable.
Note that although the Safety Coordintor is expected to develop arrangements and systems and to monitor these, it remains the responsibility of line managers and supervisors to apply these arrangements, including preparation of risk assessments and implementation of control measures.
Fire Safety Coordinator
- Complete the FSC training course provided by SEPS fire safety team.
- Monitor building escape routes arranging for any obstruction of routes or
- accumulation of combustible materials to be rectified locally or where this is
not possible, reported to Facilities Service and SEPS. - Support the formal checks carried out by Facilities Services by reporting any
fault indicators seen on the fire alarm panel or any defect in any fire
protection provision such as emergency lighting, signage or fire-fighting
equipment. - Ensure that fire incidents are reported to the SEPS.
- Ensure that at least two fire drills per annum are conducted. These should be
arranged in consultation with Facilities Services. SEPS can provide additional
advice or support - Co-ordinate the activities of the local fire warden team where such
arrangements are in place. - In conjunction with Security, Facilities Services and SEPS, assist in the
development of appropriate arrangements for assisting the evacuation of
sensory or mobility impaired occupants. - In collaboration with other staff within the building, ensure that adequate
emergency information is available on the presence and location of
hazardous materials and processes within the building where these may pose
a particular risk to emergency services. (Information on this is formally sought
periodically by SEPS and for higher risk areas and is likely to primarily apply
to buildings containing laboratories or workshops.) - Ensure that a current copy of Fire Risk Assessment is held within the building
Fire Precautions Register and that any actions required of the service/
academic units occupying the building are brought to the attention of the
relevant senior managers. - During a building evacuation, undertake fire warden duties to support the
evacuation, unless required to carry out other functions.
Fire Warden
- Undertake the Fire Warden training course provided by SEPS fire safety
team. - Be familiar with exit routes from the building in which they normally work.
Draw the attention of the FSC, Facilities Duty Manager or Head of Unit to any
deficiency or obstruction on these routes.
DURING A FIRE DRILL OR ALARM ACTIVATION, SO FAR AS THEIR OWN
SAFETY ALLOWS:
- Instruct personnel in the area in which they find themselves to vacate the
building pausing only to make any equipment safe. - Guide occupants along exit routes and help those whose routes are
obstructed to find alternative routes.
Provide support to those requiring assisted evacuation, helping them to reach
either an evacuation lift (if present) or stairway waiting areas and to use
emergency communications systems provided, SafeZone or mobile phone, or
by verbal communication, to advise Security that assistance is required. - On leaving the building, help to move building users from the vicinity of the
exits and towards assembly areas. - Help to prevent building users from re-enter the building until so instructed by
a senior Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Officer or by University
Security acting on SFRS advice. (Trained evacuation teams may enter to
provide assisted evacuation, if this is required.) - Should any person refuse to co-operate with the Fire Warden, to warn such
persons and note the incident for reporting to the Head of Unit and to SEPS
Senior Fire Safety Adviser. - Report the successful evacuation of their area of responsibility to the Security
team managing the incident. - Report any difficulties experienced during the evacuation to the Security
team, Fire Safety Coordinator, or to SEPS.