University of St. Andrews

Guidance on Workplace

Health and Safety Inspections

Environmental, Health and Safety Services 2005

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Contents Page Number

1. Introduction 4

2. Inspection Procedure 4

3. Inspection Reports 5

4. Actions by Heads 6 Appendix 1

1. General Health and Safety 7 (For all workplaces and work activities)

A. Health and Safety Information; 7 B. Fire Safety; 7 C. First Aid; 8 D. Emergency Services 8 E. Training 8 F. General Welfare 8

2. Office Health and Safety 10

A. Electrical Safety; 10 B. Hazardous Substances; 10 C. Equipment; 10 D. Manual Handling Operations; 11 E. Office House Keeping 11 F. Other Questions. 11

3. Laboratory Health and Safety 12

A. General Laboratory Area; 12 B. Chemical and Biological Hazards; 12 C. Radiation Hazards; 13 D. Equipment; 14 E. Safe Systems of Work; 14 F. Engineering Controls; 15 G. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); 15 H. Emergency Procedures; 16 I. Manual Handling; 16 J. Hygiene Control 17 K. Other Questions 17

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Page Number 4. Workshops

A. Administrative Procedures; 18 B. General Health and Safety Precautions; 18 C. Housekeeping; 18 D. Lighting; 18 E. Temperature and Ventilation; 19 F. Noise; 19 G. Hazardous Substances; 19 H. Personal Protective Equipment; 20 I. Electrical Equipment; 20 J. Lifting Operations; 20 K. Manual Handling Operations; 20 L. Work Equipment; 21 M. Pressure Systems; 21 N. Occupational Health 21

Appendix 2

Report Form for Health and Safety Inspection - Schools / Units 23

Appendix 3 Report Form for Health and Safety Inspection - Residences 26

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1 Introduction It is the policy of University Court that the University will take steps designed to progressively improve health and safety performance.

The aim of self-inspection is for each School/Unit to assess its own health and safety performance against pre-determined standards in order to ensure compliance with legislation, to recognise achievement and, where necessary, to take remedial measures.

Schools/Units should regularly carry out a wide range of safety checks as part of normal procedures. Formal inspection is not intended to be a substitute for this regular checking. Indeed, one function of the inspection is to ensure that more specific checks and tests are being carried out.

In conducting the inspection, the team should attempt to discover the root causes of any unsatisfactory practices and/or equipment failings and where practicable positive recommendations should be made in an appropriate report.

The frequency of inspections should be based on an assessment of the degree of risks. The interval between inspections should, however, never be greater than one year. 2 Inspection Procedure It is recommended that the inspection team should be formed. The team should be small in number; comprising of two or three people including the Safety Co-ordinator, who has a key role in arranging the inspection and who has the duty of preparing a written report for the Head of the School/Unit. The Safety Co-ordinator should also attempt to provide continuity and ensure consistency with previous inspections while, at the same time, developing the quality of the inspection process. Heads may wish to consider inviting trade union safety representatives and/or a suitable person from outside the School/Unit if they believe it will improve the quality of the inspection.

The University recommends the use of a basic checklist for completing the inspection as this ensures a structured inspection process and also ensures that items of high risk are not forgotten during the inspection. The first task for the inspection team should be to produce an inspection checklist which is appropriate for the risks in the workplace. An example checklist is given in Appendix 1 of this guidance. The checklist in Appendix 1 covers general health and safety matters which affect all workplaces and also more specific workplaces.

The checklist should be reviewed regularly and developed in the light of experience and to take account of any significant changes including legislation and standards. A checklist is only the basis for an inspection and inspection teams should not confine themselves solely to these points when carrying out an inspection.

The next step in the inspection process is to review the health and safety documentation produced by the School / Unit. This normally be done before the main inspection is performed.

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The documents that should be reviewed include

School / Unit Local health and Safety Policy;

Minutes of the last three School / Unit Health and Safety Committee meetings;

Previous inspection reports;

A sample of risk assessments associated with the work performed in the School/Unit;

Fire Safety Log Book.

The purpose of this is to ensure that appropriate records are being kept.

The team should then agree on the inspection route and any specific tasks delegated to individuals in the team.

It is important that, in addition to the checklist the team use their initiative and their senses during the inspection. They should, for instance:

Look for items that may not be on the checklist;

Listen for equipment that has not been properly maintained;

Identify burning smells or smell for leaks of chemicals

When carrying out an inspection, the team should involve staff in the workplaces visited by asking questions e.g. have they seen risk assessments for their work activities and do they have any health and safety concerns about their workplace.

3 Inspection Reports After conducting the inspection, the team should identify any unsatisfactory conditions / equipment failings and, where possible, should make positive recommendations in a report.

The report on the inspection should include:

1. the date, names of team members and a list of the precise areas/activities inspected;

2. positive findings, as well as details of the location and significance of any failings discovered;

3. recommendations for remedial action, including timescales and priorities;

4. details of who should carry out particular remedial actions;

Any delay in preparation of the report should not delay remedial measures or prevent immediate action. An example of a School / Unit inspection report form is given in Appendix 2 and an example Residence report form is given in Appendix 3.

The inspection report should then be sent to the Head of the School / Unit for their information/action. The report should then be signed by the head and a copy of the report sent to the Director of EHSS for monitoring purposes.

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4 Actions by Heads The Head of School/Unit should ensure that:

School/Unit Safety Committee and trade union safety representatives, where appointed, are consulted on the precise arrangements for inspection;

staff are instructed to assist the team during the inspection;

inspection teams are appointed and appropriately trained;

inspection teams have sufficient authority and are familiar with both the working practices of the School/Unit and the health and safety standards relevant to the premises and activities;

sufficient time is allocated to the members of the inspection team to carry out inspections and associated work;

inspections are completed on schedule;

appropriate remedial action is, where reasonably practicable, undertaken promptly;

records are kept of the inspections and of the completion of remedial action;

copies of all records are sent to the Director of EHSS along with the Annual Safety Report Form for monitoring purposes;

Heads are advised, where reasonably practicable, to undertake spot checks on health and safety (or be part of annual health and safety inspection) as this demonstrates managerial commitment .

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Workplace Inspection Checklist

General Health and Safety (For All Workplaces and Work Activities) A. Health and Safety Information 1. When was the last workplace inspection performed (inspections should be done on

an annual basis) ? 2. Have all the remedial actions recommended in the last inspection report been carried

out (and if not why not) ? 3. Have all members of staff and in particular new recruits been given access to copies

of:

h The University Health and Safety Policy Statement; h The relevant University Health and Safety Codes and Guidance publications; h The School/Units own Health and Safety Policy / Codes of Practice / Rules? h Other relevant guidance

4. Are all staff aware that Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences/Near Misses should

be reported to the Director of EHSS and how staff should make such reports? 5. Are there procedures for reporting potential hazards within the School/Unit? 6. Has the School/Unit Safety Committee met during the last 12 months? 7. Are there adequate written minutes for this local committee and are they published

in a manner which is accessible to all members of the School/Unit ? 8. Are persons aware that the University operates a No-Smoking policy except in

designated areas? B. Fire Safety 1. Are there sufficient Fire Action Notices posted in appropriate locations? 2. In the event of an emergency