Chemical Safety and CoSHH

This one day course has been designed to provide a comprehensive guide to ensuring that chemical safety is managed effectively in laboratories and other areas. Group discussions and exercises will be used to support more traditional classroom learning and delegates will be invited to discuss their own use of chemicals and the challenges they face in their areas of responsibility.  This course is suitable for anyone who works with hazardous chemicals, or has responsibility for safety in areas where chemicals are handled, whether that be the use of common cleaning compounds or specialist chemicals used for research. The course is open to academic staff, support and technical staff and postgraduate students. No prior knowledge will be assumed to ensure that individuals without any background should be able to complete the course successfully.

The training is free of charge to members of University staff (instructions for booking a place can be found at the bottom of the page)

Course Dates

20/01/2025, 09.30-13.00 hrs
13/03/2025, 09.30-13.00 hrs
11/04/2025, 09.30-13.00 hrs
20/05/2025, 09.30-13.00 hrs

Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety

This half day course provides delegates with an overview of safe working when using compressed gas cylinders (including gases which are liquefied under pressure). The session will involve theoretical discussions and practical demonstrations with an opportunity for delegates to gain some practical experience of cylinder transport and operation under supervision of an experienced industry professional.  The course will cover the construction of different types of gas cylinders and the various accessories required to operate them successfully including cylinder regulators, reducers and other safety devices such as flashback arrestors. Selecting the correct accessories for a task / gas will also be discussed along with inspection techniques and testing of cylinder fittings. Cylinder identification will also be covered including common cylinder colours, markings and labelling.  Anyone involved in the storage, transport and use of compressed gas cylinders including inert gases, flammable gases (including those used as fuels or for welding) and toxic / corrosive gases should attend this course to develop the necessary underpinning knowledge to work safely with compressed gas systems. 

The training is provided by an external company, for an estimation of the cost per delegate please contact SEPS (instructions for booking a place can be found at the bottom of the page).

Course Dates

TBC

Chemical Emergencies

This short course (90min) is designed to help staff and staff plan ahead for foreseeable accidents and emergencies involving chemicals. Covering chemical spills, leaks, exposure of individuals and a variety of other common incidents the aim is to prepare staff and students to react appropriately in the event of an accident, assess the risk and identify appropriate actions which they can take to safely resolve the situation. The course begins with a brief discussion of the types of incidents most likely to occur in a higher education setting with a focus on laboratory and storage areas. Having established this we will then discuss how to react in the first few minutes of discovering an incident (or potentially being involved in one). We will discuss safety, how to carry out a dynamic risk assessment, where to get help first aid tips and how to make the decision whether it is safe to try and tackle the incident or whether specialist assistance will be required. Once we have covered the initial reactions, we will look at some oof the more common incident types and how they can be safely tackled discussing what equipment might be required and how to use it effectively. The course will conclude by covering some of the less common incident types; fires, gas releases and the discovery of obsolete chemicals in storage areas.

The training is free of charge to members of University staff (instructions for booking a place can be found at the bottom of the page)

Course Dates

20/03/2025, 09.30-11.00 hrs
15/04/2025, 09.30-11.00 hrs
11/06/2025, 09.30-11.00 hrs

Advanced Chemical Emergencies

This full-day training course takes a more in-depth look at planning for (and responding to) foreseeable chemical emergencies of different types than the standard chemical emergencies course with a view to helping spill responders (or those likely to be called upon to manage incidents) to develop their knowledge of safe response tactics. . Group discussions and practical exercises are used to help delegates understand how to manage chemical emergencies and deploy common response equipment safely and effectively. The course instructor (Dr Philip Rodger) is a former emergency responder with 15 years of experience in tackling hazardous chemical spills in a range of environments.  This course is aimed at members of staff (academic or technical) who have the responsibility for responding to chemical incidents anywhere in the University. A certain level of chemical knowledge will be assumed but for the most part it is suitable for anyone working in a laboratory or workshop environment. 

The training is free of charge to members of University staff (instructions for booking a place can be found at the bottom of the page)

Course Dates

TBC

Introduction to Cryogenic Safety

This short course is designed to provide an introduction to the hazards associated with cryogenic solids and liquids and what safety measure can be introduced to manage the risk associated with these substances.  The course is for those who have responsibility for areas where cryogenic substances are stored, decanted or handled.  It is not intended to provide a comprehensive overview of every aspect of cryogenic safety but concentrates on covering the key points with a focus on liquid nitrogen as one of the most the most common cryogenic substances used at the university of Glasgow.  This course is intended for new and existing users of cryogenic solids and liquids in particular those who have management responsibility for storage areas or are involved in transport or decanting of cryogenic liquids. The course is open to academic staff, support / technical staff and postgraduate students.  This course assumes no prior experience of working with liquid nitrogen and basic skills and knowledge will be covered during the session.

The training is free of charge to members of University staff (instructions for booking a place can be found at the bottom of the page)

Course Dates

28/01/2025, 09.30-11.00 hrs
02/04/2025, 09.30-11.00 hrs
03/06/2025, 09.30-11.00 hrs

Safety in Research Groups

Safety in Research Groups is a full-day training course designed to help academic members of staff including Principal Investigators and Postdoctoral Researchers understand the health and safety responsibilities that fall upon them as senior members of a research group. Although intended as an entry level course for those with little experience of health and safety it can also fulfil requirements for ongoing refresher training for more experienced staff members helping them to stay up to date with current requirements.  This course is intended for principal investigators and early career researchers who have responsibility for managing a research group within the University (or are planning to do so in the future). It is intended to help academic staff members to develop an understanding of their legal responsibilities with respect to health and safety and how they can develop a positive, proactive health and safety culture in the workplace.

The training is free of charge to members of University staff (instructions for booking a place can be found at the bottom of the page)

Course Dates

06/03/2025, 09.30-16.30 hrs
23/06/2025, 09.30-16.30 hrs

Booking a training place

These courses are usually held in the Conference Room of the Isabella Elder Building which is located on the first floor of the building with no step free access.  PLEASE NOTE if you are unable to access the first floor of a building with no lift please advise safety@glasgow.ac.uk as soon as possible. To check availability and to book onto one of these courses please do so via CoreHR – in the employee dashboard select the learning and development box then enter keyword i.e. COSHH then press search.  This will take you to “Book a course”, please select Chemical Safety and COSHH awareness then click “3 dot” menu to the right, select “Request to attend a course”, this will then give you a list of course dates and availability, select the course dates which suit you then complete “Your Request Details” and press submit. If you are a Post Graduate student and you wish to book onto any of these courses please email safety@glasgow.ac.uk.