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Health, Safety & Wellbeing 2019 Annual Report

Contents

Executive summary Page 2

Key developments & achievements Page 3

Monitoring and auditing Page 9

Collaboration and co-operation with external bodies Page 14

Training and competence Page 15

Other operational activities Page 19

Performance indicators Page 21

Enforcing authority contact visits and interventions Page 25

Major activities and key objectives for 2020 Page 25

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1. Executive Summary The teams have had little staff movement this year, but a special thank you goes to Debbie Beales who has worked exceptionally hard to cover a void post in RPS whilst we reviewed the role and awaited a timeline for office re-location proposals. Debbie also provided increased cover in Occupational Health to help out with an administrative sickness absence. Our Deputy OH Manager, Susan Cartwright, left us for pastures new at the end of the year. Congratulations go to the Biological Safety Adviser (BSA), Alice Gallagher, on her achievement of NVQ Level 5 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice to complement her existing specialist qualifications. This enables her to obtain Grad IOSH membership and contribute further to the generalist safety activities within the team. Alongside her studies this year, the BSA conducted several inspections in Containment Level 3 and 2 labs, supported local safety coordinators and managers to identify best practice gaps and conduct training needs analysis, and established contact personnel across NHS sites where UoG activities are undertaken to facilitate a number of targeted inspections. The BSA worked with the CMVLS GM safety committees to develop and strengthen the administration and management of GM activities and their licensing. The Chemical Safety Adviser (CSA), Phil Rodger put a particular focus on investigating over 60 accidents in chemical lab areas and activities. This gave the CSA a good overview of the range of types and severities of events which in turn informs the chemical safety work programme moving forward. Ongoing monitoring in Anatomy helped identify ensure the newly equipped suite is providing the anticipated respiratory protection to staff and students. Support to the James Watt Nanotechnology Centre covered a range of safety management issues. The CSA was involved, on a number of occasions, in rendering materials safe for continued storage and use or appropriate disposal. In more generalist work, the CSA continued to edit the increasingly popular SEPS Newsletter, with 2 publications during 2019. The Environmental Adviser (EA), Steve Johnson, is to be thanked for his tireless efforts to resolve contractual and operational issues causing disruption to the University’s clinical waste uplifts. This necessitated intense communications with clinical areas to support safe storage of increased volumes of waste, as well as with the contractor and finance and procurement colleagues to negotiate resolution of the contractual issue. As the contractual issue eased, operational issues affecting the contractor’s ability to dispose of waste necessitated frequent communications with clinical areas to ensure correct prioritisation of the reduced number of uplifts available. Besides his environmental portfolio, the EA further developed his food hygiene training to include food allergens and the Food Hygiene Level III Certificate for catering management which greatly facilitated the SEPS audit of catering service. Preparation of the McGregor Building for subsequent partial demolition/ refurbishment highlighted quantities of left-over research materials which required considerable input from the BSA, CSA, EA, Head of SEPS and RPA to advise on appropriate decommissioning. Short timescales resulted in some of the team members having to assist with the physical safe removal of substance to enable work to proceed. This led these specialist staff to develop detailed guidance on decommissioning protocols for laboratories which has now been published and will be of benefit both to those planning to leave laboratory accommodation and to Estates & Commercial Services. The BSA, CSA and EA have all contributed to the SEPS auditing programme this year, bringing their own expertise to the process whilst developing their generalist knowledge. The programme is the keystone of the University’s strong safety governance system and helps inform the programme of safety activities, and support audits by our insurers, Internal Audit and enforcement agencies. The Fire Officers have committed considerable effort into monitoring unwanted fire (alarm) activations (UFAs). The internal response process was reviewed and revised during 2018 and now includes support by Security Officers to assist building occupiers and local Area Fire Officers identify, address and mitigate impacts of UFAs timeously in order to reduce unnecessary call-outs of Scottish Fire & Rescue (SFR). Although UFAs increased year on year, the number of unnecessary SFR attendances reduced by 80% compared to previous years, when a system of automatic call-out for all activations was operated.

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High profile fires like Bolton, and the Stage 1 report into Grenfell, continue to keep our policies and processes to the forefront with regular reviews in light of emerging recommendations. A comprehensive review of the UoG Fire Safety Policy was undertaken to enable publication in 2020. The extensive Campus Development Programme continues to require significant input from the Fire Officers, and occasional input by other specialist advisers, at the design stage to minimise the need for potentially costly and time-consuming alterations once the buildings are commissioned. Major refurbishment activity elsewhere in the existing estate commands similar levels of advice and support. 5080 staff and students, including 4696 employees, were trained with 139 courses being delivered alongside on-line courses- 43% more courses to 18% more attendees than the previous year. There were a number of new courses added to the SEPS training programme, including bespoke chemical safety training for non-lab staff, chemical emergency response training, an alternative compressed gas safety course, revamped Biological Safety Course and a suite of 3 specialist waste courses. Considerable work was carried out on reviewing and improving engagement with existing travel safety protocol and policy. A workshop of key travelling units was delivered with Security and Operational Support to promote good practice and identify key risks. The Director HSW took part in the tendering exercise for the University’s travel provider. The Occupational Health Unit delivered a considerably higher volume of work this year on account of having to administer Hep B vaccines to the previous year’s cohort of vocational students, as well as this year’s, as the vaccine hadn’t been available at the time. Increases in student elective work increased vaccine clinic demands further. The bedding in of the new file transfer system for reports worked well but research continued into improved delivery mechanisms. This was against a back-drop of a shortage of administrative resource so thanks go to the whole team for their hard work. The Mental Health First Aid programme continued with the total number of MHFAs approaching 400 by the year end. An in-house video, introduced by Susan Calman, was developed to highlight the mental health support resource available for the University Community. Lessons learned from an incendiary device incident were reviewed and actions implemented to improve our response to this type of event. Desktop BC Planning exercises were delivered in the Colleges of Arts and Social Sciences, with plans developed for a similar exercise to be delivered in the College of Science & Engineering in early 2020. 2. Key developments and achievements Administrative changes The administrative structure of SEPS remained stable through 2019 with no staff changes. The SEPS team members are all now well established within their roles and have a sound understanding of the University and able to respond well to the needs of the various management units with which we interact, subject to the resource limitations of the team. Working arrangements have been established between SEPS and the E&CS Compliance Team with routine exchange of accident reports and related information. Day-to-day investigation of incidents within the E&CS Directorate is typically conducted by the E&CS Compliance Team with SEPS involvement in the more serious occurrences, to provide a University-level oversight and independent scrutiny. This approach is similar to that applied across other parts of the University where School Safety Coordinators carry out basic initial investigations. However, with a professional safety team, E&Cs will undertake more significant investigation work than we would expect of School Safety Coordinators. This allows the SEPS specialist advisers to give more focus to College activities. For the most serious investigations SEPS-led joint investigation remains the normal approach. SEPS have successfully continued periodic publication of a short bi-annual newsletter. The three editions produced to date have been edited by Phil Rodger with contributions from the whole SEPS team. We have

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also invited guest contributions, most recently from our Occupational Health colleagues. The newsletter is published using the Microsoft “Sway” software platform which allows both interactive content and, also, a detailed review of reader activity, including dwell time on each article. These statistics have been encouraging, showing many readers taking the time to read fully through the content. The Head of SEPS assisted E&CS during their recruitment processes for compliance officer and asbestos manager posts within the E&CS team, participating in several days of interviews needed to fill the three posts involved. Congratulations go to Alice Gallagher who successfully completed a NVQ Level 5 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice, adding this professional level safety qualification to her existing biosafety-related qualifications and general safety qualifications. Biological The Biological Safety Adviser (BSA) continued with the Containment Level (CL) 3 inspection programme across relevant laboratories at Gilmorehill and Garscube campuses with 5 inspections undertaken this year and actions issued and tracked accordingly. This enables the University to demonstrate an effective corporate oversight of these higher risk activities Following the formation of a CL3/Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO) agents’ group, comprised of key personnel at Gilmorehill and Garscube, the BSA initiated an inspection with each of the named PIs holding/working with SAPO agents here at the University. These four initial targeted inspections were specifically in relation to the transportation and storage of SAPO agents. Reports with recommendations were issued and findings shared across the CL3/SAPO agents’ group. The BSA has had regular discussion with the relevant managers, PIs, safety coordinators and safety committees in relation to the categorisation and management of both human and animal pathogens this year. One of the named SAPO licence holders (on behalf of the University) within the Institute of Infection Immunity and Inflammation, worked with the BSA to successfully apply and renew that licence for a further 5-year period. In addition to promoting the implementation of local CL2 inspections to complement the tiered CL3 inspection programme, inspections of two higher risk CL2 insectary areas at Garscube were undertaken and recommendations made to management. Whilst engaging with higher risk areas the BSA also continued to promote good working practices across many areas at UoG by meeting with key staff, such as safety coordinators and area managers, to identify gaps in practices and training needs. A particular focus this year was clinical work, cell sorting analysis and transportation of biological material. Further contact was established with key personnel across the NHS sites where UoG work is undertaken. Targeted inspection areas this year were the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the New Lister Building at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The BSA has worked with the CMVLS GM safety committees to ensure appropriate approvals, or consent, are in place for the diverse range of work with genetically modified organisms, animals and plants. There has been close engagement with CMVLS Operations management to drive improvements in GM committee administration and corporate oversight of these activities at the College level. This is managed well locally by the Chair (GMBSO) of each of the four committees. The BSA produced and distributed operational guidance for the GM committees to help unify processes pending further input administratively from the College to support the GM committees further. The new Chair of the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde GMSC invited the BSA to be a co-opted member to this NHS committee and to help provide external expertise to support relevant joint University/NHS clinical work considerations, which the BSA accepted. Significant repeated input was required on several Estates and Commercial Services (E&CS) projects to inform on residual biological risk associated with abandoned materials, particularly within the McGregor and Pontecorvo buildings. To help avoid future issues with laboratory moves, the BSA contributed to the guidance that SEPS produced on laboratory clearance which was published during the year. This may facilitate smoother transitions and ensure that processes become embedded and prevent future accumulations of materials.

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The BSA acted as both lead and support auditor as part of the SEPS led audit programme including supporting some units to formalise their policies and processes, pre and post audit. Other general safety duties included accident investigations and statutory reporting to the enforcing authorities where appropriate. As an active member of the Institute of Safety in Technology and Research (ISTR) Biosafety Steering Group (BSG), the BSA helped facilitate the workshop programme at the national Autumn ISTR Symposium in Manchester and presented at one of the GM Masterclasses at the All UK BSO meeting at Cambridge University in the Spring. These national level activities contribute towards maintaining the University’s standing as a leading research organisation. The BSA has continued to widen the biosafety network of colleagues beyond the organisation, providing informal guidance to colleagues within other Higher Education establishments and exchanging key documentation where appropriate. These working partner organisations include, the Beatson Institute, University of Strathclyde, University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh. Additionally, the BSA accompanied Police Scotland for our annual security inspections in relation to Home Office regulated materials and facilitated permissions and visits for new work involving these materials. Specialist biosafety training was delivered which encompassed 11 Biological and Genetic Modification safety training sessions for staff and post graduate students across the Units, with a large number of personnel from the School of Engineering undertaking training during this period. Biosafety input to the induction programme at the Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation was also given. Support was also provided for general safety training this year within SEPS, acting as both lead and co-trainer on both the IOSH Working and Managing Safely Courses. The BSA also provided some cross-service support, delivering a module on the Biological Services led PIL course. Having completed an 11 module Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice this year the BSA obtained GradIOSH membership following the award. Chemical A strong focus in 2019 was the development and delivery of new chemical safety training courses. This included development and delivery of additional bespoke versions of the existing chemical safety training to groups for whom the standard laboratory-focused training would not have been appropriate (e.g. Sport). A new course covering chemical emergency responses was also introduced and proved very popular, with the planned four sessions eventually turning into twelve formal courses and one informal session, due to demand. The Chemical Safety Adviser (CSA) has continued to build good working relationships with key stakeholders and provide chemical safety advice to various Schools and Institutes, helping them to ensure suitable and sufficient CoSHH assessments are in place and advising on the properties of hazardous substances including use, storage and waste disposal. Getting “out and about” as often as possible has been a key aim and helped improve the visibility of the SEPS team and proactive engagement with us by Schools and Colleges. During 2019 the CSA investigated over 60 accidents, incidents and dangerous occurrences and while most of these involved hazardous substances, other more general incidents were also included. For the most part, incidents included minor cuts and spillages/exposures involving low risk substances. Other incidents included equipment failures, more major spillages and laboratory bench fires involving pyrophoric substances. Training was a key activity with both formal and informal input provided to academic staff, support staff and students. As well as the formal sessions recorded in the table later in this report, several bespoke sessions for staff in Transport Services and Sport as well as sessions for MSc and PhD students were provided in support of School/Institute- led inductions to lab working. Ongoing monitoring of formaldehyde and phenol vapours released during embalming procedures and teaching activities within the anatomy facility continued to ensure that staff and students are not put at risk of exposure to high levels of either substance. Support was provided to development of a suitable drainage system for embalming tables to prevent environmentally sensitive materials entering drains. The CSA also

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undertook monitoring of carbon dioxide during laparoscopic procedures in CASC, confirming that staff and students were not at risk. The CSA continued to provide support to staff at the James Watt Nanotechnology Centre on a range of topics including management of local exhaust ventilation equipment, inspection, risk assessment and training. This is one of our higher risk areas which is reflected in the additional effort provided to ensure that their risk assessments and procedures meet the necessary standard. The CSA contributed to SEPS audit programme, acting as lead auditor on an audit of Cochno Farm (Vet School) and as support auditor on audits of three other units. Support given to the design/management team on the ongoing construction of the new Research Hub Building helped resolve technical issues as they arose. In particular, the CSA was involved in discussions on the location and design of gas cylinder storage arrangements, provision of technical information to support the DSEAR (flammable substances) risk assessment and on the need for fire suppression systems within fume cupboards. Early in the year the CSA conducted final sweeps of the McGregor Building prior to the handing over of the building to contractors for partial demolition and, in conjunction with SEPS Biological and Environmental Advisers, assisted in cataloguing any remaining chemical and clinical waste. The waste was physically removed by the CSA and BSA from the building to ensure it could be safely stored until disposal could be arranged. This task is not a normal part of the specialist advised duties but was undertaken to help the University deal with these legacy issues which arose some time ago when the buildings were first vacated. During the year two further stocks of picric acid were identified in the Graham Kerr Building and Thompson Building. In each case samples were successfully re-hydrated and restored to a safe condition to allow them to be disposed of safely via Veolia. Further advice was provided on management and disposal of stocks of obsolete / legacy chemicals to several other users, ensuring the materials were disposed of safely. Beyond the bounds of chemical work, the CSA continued to produce the popular SEPS Newsletter, collating content from across the team and providing articles in each issue. Two issues were produced during 2019 and distributed to safety coordinators and other key personnel across the organization, with positive feedback received. The CSA prepared guidance notes on fume cupboard safety and local exhaust ventilation systems (LEV), with the particular aim of ensuring that these systems are subject to regular inspection and maintenance by users in addition to the required periodic statutory inspections. To assist with this a user checklist and information guidelines on inspection/maintenance frequencies were prepared as part of the guidance package. Following a number of incidents where cyanide compounds were found stored incorrectly the CSA prepared a guidance note on safe use of cyanides. This includes first aid advice, developed after discussion with frequent users and oxygen therapy first-aiders. The CSA continued to regularly attend the monthly meetings of the School of Chemistry Safety Committee. Although SEPS do not routinely attend School safety committees the CSA works closely with this School due to the level of risk and chemical focus inherent in many of their activities. Environmental 2019 opened with a contractual issue with our clinical waste supplier Stericycle surrounding invoicing. This presaged a very turbulent year for clinical waste provision, with extensive disruption to collections between January and October. It is appropriate to note that clinical waste provision is stretched generally in the UK, and even more acutely so in Scotland - so relatively small issues like incinerator breakdowns have very large effects on the ground and cause backlogs lasting many weeks. Focused local management was necessary to direct the limited service provision to the departments most in need of it. In addition, some management of clinical waste storage was necessary along with contingency planning involving both SEPS and

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Procurement. Service provision was largely restored in the final months of 2019 but remains somewhat unpredictable. Redevelopment of Gilmorehill campus continues apace and as a result guidance on environmental matters was needed both in terms of clearance of obsolescent buildings and forward planning for waste provision in buildings still at the planning phase. Liaising with colleagues from E&CS, advice was given to enable classification and clearance of specialist waste from both the Pontecorvo and McGregor buildings. Proposed waste arrangements for the planned Research Hub received final assessment prior to design plans being finalised. The planned new courses in waste management were launched in April and instantly proved very popular. By the year end, several hundred staff had undertaken courses in correct handling, classification and disposal of clinical, chemical and electrical waste streams. Courses are continuing into 2020 as demand is still strong. As a by-product of running the courses there has been a notable increase in requests for reactive support as attendees return to their workplaces and evaluate current practice. Upskilling of SEPS to handle food hygiene enquiries and assessments continued this year with the Environmental Adviser (EA) attending both a food-allergens and the more substantive food hygiene Level III course, which was passed with distinction. Level III training is advanced training for managers and will allow most queries to be answered. As a result, food hygiene input to the subsequent SEPS safety audit of the catering service was possible. The more general support and reactive work was typically diverse. Regular attendance at the E&CS Technical Compliance Support Group and the Sustainability Working Group meetings provide an opportunity to contribute to the wider areas of compliance and sustainability in the organisation. Beyond the University the EA maintained a role on the APUC User Intelligence Group which has this year carried out a full retendering process to shortlist waste service providers across Scotland. Regular meetings were held with contractors to ensure KPIs were being adhered to and also, to establish some baseline statistics ahead of our own retendering of specialist waste services in 2020. Increasing awareness of the need to reduce reliance on disposable labware and conversations about this continued throughout the year, for example with the Sir Graeme Davies building Ecogroup. As a matter of general interest, the EA also produced a film for the University on Painted Lady butterflies which landed on campus in large numbers during the summer. This video was viewed around 100,000 times and provoked much positive feedback. The diversity of the EA role is exemplified by contrasting the butterfly film with another achievement of 2019 – working out the best way to dispose of dog faeces from Garscube campus. It is fair to say we are hopeful of more butterflies in 2020! It is, as is customary, very pleasing to report that the University was not subject to enforcement action in 2019 by any environmental regulators. Fire safety During 2019, the procedure for dealing with unwanted fire alarm signals was monitored to assess the effectiveness of these arrangements. On activation of a fire alarm signal, Security and Operational Support continue to support all building occupiers and Area Fire Officers to identify, address and mitigate the effects of such activations as quickly as possible and to avoid the unnecessary call-out of emergency services. This procedure has led to call-outs of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) being reduced by 80% (when genuine fire incidents are discounted), compared to the older system of automatic call-out for all activations, and allows the University to demonstrate an ability to manage our buildings and to avoid drawing on the

limited resources of SFRS unnecessarily. As all users should evacuate the building on alarm activation, the change in policy away from an automatic SFRS call out for every fire alarm activation does not create additional life safety risk and is supported by SFRS. Automatic call out continues to operate day and night for residential premises, and some outlying areas where Security and Operational Support are not present to provide the necessary back up. Although SFRS call out is substantially reduced, the number of unwanted activations increased from 144 in 2018 to 161 in 2019. There appears to be no single reason for this. (See Table 5 for a breakdown of causes.) June/July & October were the months with the highest number of unwanted activations. SEPS are

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largely reliant on information gathered by Security at the time of the activation as to cause. A number of activations cannot be readily attributed to a specific cause. The longer-term trend (over 2 years) sees the total number of fire alarm activations increasing slightly, with contractor activity up 20-33 and ‘unknown faults’ up from 32-41. This may reflect the amount of construction work going on within the campus. Several high-profile fires, within Glasgow and nationally, including the Bolton student accommodation, rightly keeps the risk of fire very much to the forefront with an emphasis on our own policies and processes being tested and reviewed where required. Several minor fire incidents led to post-fire audit visits by SFRS. These included a plant room fire involving a fan belt and a fire within a fridge, both at Garscube. Fortunately, neither caused extensive damage and SFRS offered minor improvement advice only in both cases. Other minor incidents occurred involving lab experiments with flammable materials and overheating of electrical equipment. Extensive building work across the campus continues to create an increased demand for professional input from the SEPS fire safety team, particularly on some of the more complex new buildings as well as refurbishments. This is particularly so where designs include fire-engineered solutions and the fire team has been involved in a significant number of “soft-landings” meetings to support and agree the designs developed for new buildings on the existing campus and on the Western Infirmary site. This professional input is crucially important to ensure that these designs are suitable and that any change, or the conduct of building operations, does not compromise fire safety. Support to ongoing works within existing occupied buildings continues, including significant fire improvements and window replacement within the Joseph Black building and a major project for the School of Engineering within the James Watt North Building (E- beam Project). There has also been extensive refurbishment work of the Queen Margaret Union through 2019 with the completion of Phase 2. On such refurbishment projects within existing and operational buildings, ensuring that work doesn’t compromise escape routes or create risk to the occupants is always a primary objective of the fire safety team and is one of our safety- critical tasks. Additional contracted support with fire risk assessment reviews was sourced by SEPS in 2019, resulting in completion of 34 assessments in addition to the 46 completed by the Fire Safety Advisors, giving a total of 80. Sustaining this rate of assessment review is challenging alongside the demands of reactive work associated with new build and refurbishment activity. The fire safety team will seek to maintain the target pace of assessment. However, it is expected some significant new properties will be added to the building list during 2020, which will require an initial full fire risk assessment and so will add to the workload. The fire safety team continues to provide support to all building users regardless of location and this has recently included visits to our sites at East Kilbride, Dumfries and Rowardennan. A review of the fire policy was undertaken in 2019 to take account of any changes since its introduction in 2012 including changes in organisational structure to E&CS. A draft document was issued for comment in December. It is anticipated that the new document will be issued in Spring 2020, although this is subject to a consultation process which may affect the planned timetable. A breakdown of the fire risk assessments carried out in 2019 is shown below. These include 76 scheduled assessment reviews, 1 new building assessment and 3 post-fire audit assessment reviews. The overall number involved demonstrates the scale of this work.

Premise Type Number

Cat 1 - High Risk 17

Cat 2 - Med Risk 50

Cat 3 - Low Risk 8

Cat 4 – Very low risk 5

Total assessments 80

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Travel Safety The Head of SEPS worked with several areas undertaking large volumes of travel to increase engagement with the Travel Safety Protocol, in particular travel safety risk assessment process. A number of changes were made to the template risk assessment documentation, including the addition of a generic risk assessment for low risk travel, to increase its user-friendliness and there has been a noticeable increase in the number of travelers submitting completed risk assessments for information and advice as a result. The Director HSW supported the Head of Security & Operational Support to deliver a workshop for key travelling units to discuss key risks and share best practice. It was attended by around 20 members of staff from a range of research, teaching and service backgrounds and was well received. The Director HSW took part in the tender exercise for the University’s Travel Provider, contributing to the tender specification, tender submission evaluation, interviewing and award processes. The successful bidder will cover all travel to aid in simplification of processes and will work with the University to achieve increased incorporation of University processes at the point of booking. The Director of HSW started a review and redraft of university policy on safe travel, for consultation and publication during 2020. 3. Monitoring and Auditing Internal auditing Our SEPS internal auditing programme is now well established and most departments visited now have experience of a previous audit and of the follow-up procedures. The majority are surprisingly receptive to the audit process, recognising it as a positive opportunity to improve their safety systems, thereby helping to avoid incidents, injuries and, potentially, enforcing authority criticisms. SEPS advisers delivered ten audits during the 2019. The increased number arose due to postponement of audits by schools resulting in some audits scheduled for late 2018 falling into the 2019 calendar year producing, at times, an exceptionally heavy schedule with 3 significant audits undertaken within a three-week period in Mar/April 2019. Reports with agreed action points are prepared and issued following each audit. As well as being sent to the audited unit, these reports are also shared with Health, Safety & Wellbeing Committee (HSWC) College-level representatives and with TU Safety Reps on request. On occasions, enforcing authorities, insurers and external auditors request sight of the audit reports and programme. The existence of a formal auditing process, monitored by the HSWC, a formal Committee of the University Court, is a strength of the Institution’s safety governance system. Although many institutions do have comparable systems, they are not universally in place across the HE sector, placing the University ahead of many institutions in this particular element of safety management. Some of the audits during 2019 involved E&CS units and the audit team were accompanied on these visits by colleagues from the E&CS Compliance Team who supported both the audited unit and assisted SEPS during the process. Following completion of these audits the E&CS team were able to provide practical support to the audited units to enable them to achieve relatively fast completion of the agreed actions. This is visible within the regular quarterly reports supplied to HSWC. Completion of actions has been very significantly aided by robust monitoring of progress by the E&CS management team through their monthly Safety Executive meeting and quarterly Health and Safety Committee meeting both of which are chaired by senior E&CS managers. This strong management engagement demonstrates that completion of audit actions is regarded as an important objective. This active management monitoring is instrumental in ensuring that staff devote the time and resource needed to achieve completion. We recommend that Colleges adopt a similar monitoring role in relation to audit actions agreed with their constituent Schools/Institutes to similarly drive progress, but recognise their lack of dedicated local safety professionals to support this at the same level as within E&CS.

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One of the key requirements from audit reports has been to define the tasks and duties that are required of staff to meet their safety responsibilities. This continues to be a key theme and has provoked some worthwhile discussion of these duties within several academic units both during audits and other safety interactions. Development of additional training on safety duties of researcher leaders is proposed during 2020 which, we hope, will allow those within that supervisory position to better understand their role in managing work. Inspections and inspection support Targeted inspections were conducted by SEPS staff throughout the year. These are triggered by a range of different drivers. Typical triggers include the findings of our safety management auditing programme and outcomes of routine investigatory and advisory work. We also carry out routine planned inspection of some higher risk areas and will select key safety topics for inspection across the University, based on other triggers such as increased related reported accidents, complaints or HSE targeted initiatives. Formal post- audit related inspections were delivered at SCENE (Rowardennan), New Lister Building at Glasgow Royal infirmary and the Teaching and Learning Centre at QEUH. These supplemented the usual sampling processes carried out as part of every audit. SEPS-led compliance inspections were performed across all Containment Level 3 biological laboratories within the University. Inspections were also targeted at four areas where Specified Animal Pathogen (SAPO) work takes place. This examined local procedures to manage transport and inventory. Two safety compliance inspections were carried out within insectaries. Occupational Health staff undertook separate visits to these areas and additional areas, looking at health surveillance and allergy risk and discussed their recommendations with the SEPS team and local staff. University units are required to operate local “in-house” systems of recorded inspection. SEPS monitor, support and participate, where appropriate, in these local inspections as part of the corporate oversight process and to help support and develop the competence of management units to undertake self-inspection of their own areas. During 2019, SEPS supported Institute-led inspections of Level 2 biological containment labs at Garscube and Gilmorehill. External audits SEPS underwent formal audit in February 2019 by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). This examined the unit’s activities as an IOSH- accredited training centre delivering IOSH Directing, Managing and Working Safely courses and is a routine process carried out every few years to ensure that SEPS are continuing to follow required IOSH procedures in administration and delivery of these courses. The audit report returned an “Excellent” rating which is pleasing to all involved and reflects the continued development of improved procedures and practices over the years in management and delivery of the IOSH- accredited courses. A planned one-day audit/risk analysis visit of the School of Life Sciences by the University’s liability insurer took place on 6th June 2019. As these audits are conducted for the benefit of the insurance underwriters, the University does not receive the formal report from this visit. However, the auditor did indicate that he found an acceptable standard of safety management was in place and issued no verbal or written action points. SEPS have provided some additional support to the School of Veterinary Medicine during 2019 as they prepare for their key 7-yearly accreditation visit by the American Veterinary Association, due in March 2020. This is an extremely searching external audit of their activities, of which safety is only one element. The School do prepare thoroughly for this and typically seek additional records and practical advice from SEPS in the lead up to the audit to augment their performance. Towards the end of the year we received notice of a planned audit by the University’s contracted internal auditor, PWC, scheduled to take place in early January 2020. Initial meetings for this were held during

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December 2019 to agree the scope of the process and Terms of Reference. These were issued in late December 2019. At the time of writing, in January 2020, the audit site visits have been completed and we await any final follow-up activity and, in due course, the draft report. Radiation Protection (See also Appendix 1 for detailed Radiation Protection Service Report)

Ionising Radiation monitoring

Contamination Surveys

There were 32 contamination surveys carried out during 2019 and there were two contamination failures,

Davidson Building and GBRC. Minor contamination was found during three of these surveys, within the

Davidson Complex, GBRC and Small Animal Hospital. No spillage incidents occurred during 2019

Source Audits

There were 40 departmental source audits conducted during 2019. These assist the RPS to identify problem

areas and are crucial for compliance with current legislation.

Decommissioning Surveys

During demolition of the McGregor Building in the old Western Infirmary site, a freezer baring radioactive

warning tape was found buried in the basement of the building. The RPS was asked to come out and survey

the freezer to determine if it was contaminated. No contamination was found, and we were able to assist in

the disposal of the item through normal WEEE routes.

Dosimetry Badge Service Contract

The contract for the service which provides the dosimetry badges for the University’s employees working in

“Controlled” areas (classified workers) and certain other activities involving ionising radiation (non-classified

workers) went out to tender, and one submission was received. There followed protracted negotiations over

terms and conditions, but we believe we are now, after significant input from the Procurement Service, close

to signing off the contract. This statutory dose monitoring service includes badge provision, reading, and

record keeping of employee doses.

Non-Ionising Radiation monitoring

Laser surveys were carried out for Physics, Chemistry and Electrical Engineering as they are the main users

of class 4 laser systems. Additionally, surveys of areas using ultra-violet radiation or microwave radiation

were carried out on a by-request basis.

Occupational Health/ Wellbeing

Health Surveillance

The self-booking system for health surveillance appointments continued to prove useful in ensuring

attendance for those required to undergo health surveillance. MVLS compliance was down slightly on the

previous year at 86% of total. MVLS management are following this up to try to increase this once again to

greater than 90% in the forthcoming year. Compliance across other areas in the University required some

coercion to ensure managers notified OHU to identify the correct individuals required to attend but this was

achieved by the end of the year.

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Student Health

Student clinic numbers remained high because of the late administration of hepatitis B vaccine following the

shortage in 2017. This had a knock-on effect and meant that the blood titre clinics ran into 2019 making these

much larger than usual.

In addition, the medical school has increased the number of medical student places and this led to some of

the largest ever new student clinics in September with a resultant knock-on increase in administration

associated with all the new student work.

The amount of elective work for medical students has also continued to increase and has kept the unit busy

with further vaccinations and blood samples/ swabs for the increasing number of students travelling abroad

to undertake elective placements.

Audit in Occupational Health

The OHU participates in the Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS) accreditation

process. SEQOHS accreditation is the formal recognition that an occupational health service provider has

demonstrated that it has the competence to deliver against the measures in the SEQOHS standards. Competency

assessments on a range of clinical tasks are undertaken throughout the year against agreed standards and the

service requires to undergo inspection annually to ensure these standards are being met. The OHU successfully

met these standards again in 2019.

Client Feedback As part of ongoing SEQOHS accreditation, the Occupational Health Unit is required to undertake client feedback analysis. This is anonymous and uses a Survey Monkey questionnaire sent to all students and staff who have attended the Occupational Health Unit for any reason in a selected period (usually two months). A separate questionnaire goes to line managers of staff who have attended in order that feedback can be obtained from them. This was carried out in June and December 2019. An average of 20 patient feedback responses were collated for each survey and an average of 10 manager feedback questionnaires were returned providing a response rate of 28% for patients and 29% for managers. Within the patient response group, both the June and December feedback analysis showed 97% overwhelmingly positive feedback. Analysis of manager feedback from both and December 2019 showed that in June all responding managers were either fairly or completely satisfied with the reports received, and in December this figure was 93%. 1 manager was slightly dissatisfied with the process of file transfer indicating they were unsure whether to open the file or not. This should improve when the system hopefully moves to Ivanti. All team members then contribute to a review of the results and comments to establish what went well and what could be improved. The feedback, as well as being an important tool to monitor service quality and inform improvement, has the added benefit of showing team members that their work is much appreciated. Occupational Health Records and Reporting Report sharing via the file transfer system has worked well over the past year (aside from the above comment.), ensuring that reports to managers and HR are delivered much more speedily than relying on internal mail. External and internal research has been carried out by the OHU to examine more suitable applications and progress is now being made by IT on developing a bespoke system from Ivanti which will improve security along with combining accessibility by the correct people. Wellbeing The Mental Health First Aid programme continued for its second year, with another 78 employees attending and completing the 2-day course, bringing the total trained to just under 400. There were two meetings of the MHFA network, with guest speakers from CaPS on their services and from IHW on research for an anti-stigma campaign. There was a review of the list of published MHFA contacts to ensure its currency. With the departure of the Deputy OH Manager, the Directors of HSW and CaPS launched a review of the oversight arrangements for MHFAs, to be completed early 2020.

13

The Director HSW and SRC’s VP for Student Support took part in developing a video, introduced by Susan Calman, on the mental health support available for the University community. Business Continuity A viable incendiary device delivered to the OTC via the University mail- room resulted in full evacuation of a number of University Buildings and a full- scale emergency services response. The response and impacts of the event were reviewed, lessons learned were documented and a number of actions implemented as a result. Desk top exercises of BC Plans were run in the Colleges of Arts and Social Sciences in April and November respectively. The College of Arts used the incendiary device event as its focus, identifying communications and leadership arrangements as the key areas for improvement. CoSS chose instead to focus their exercise on a major power loss at a key building and identified very similar areas for improvement. A project group for an exercise in the College of Science & Engineering met to discuss and plan scenarios for their exercise to take place in early 2020. A planned exercise for CMVLS scheduled for October was postponed for operational reasons, to now run in early 2020.

14

4. Collaboration and co-operation with external bodies Examples of the main organisations with whom HS&W interact are shown below.

• Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges Ltd. • Association of University Radiation Protection Officers (AURPO) • Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) • Clyde River Foundation • Department of Energy and Climate Change – Chemical Weapons Convention licences. – annual

return submitted based on information supplied by Schools/RI’s in response to SEPS request. • Department for Transport – enforcing authority for some aspects of transport of dangerous goods. • Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) • European Biosafety Association • Glasgow City Council / Glasgow Life (HMO Licensing) • Health and Safety Executive – incident investigations, notifications, biological • HEBCoN – Higher Education Business Continuity Network. • HEOPS – Higher Education Occupational Practitioner(S) • Historic Scotland • Home Office – Controlled Drugs/Drug Precursor licences • Institution of Occupational Safety and Health – IOSH-accredited training courses • Institute of Safety in Technology and Research (ISTR) • National Counter Terrorism Security office (NaCTSO) – Biosecurity • NHS Scotland – consultation re joint occupation of premises • Northern Biological Safety Advisers Group – sector meetings • Police Scotland – (Counter-terrorism security controls and explosives.) • Royal Sun Alliance – Consultation on insurance liability issues and external audit. • Scottish Ambulance Service (CTSA - Counter terrorism liaison) • Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) • Scottish Fire and Rescue Service • Scottish Government • Society for Radiological Protection • Scottish Universities Safety Advisers Groups (general, fire and chemical) • University Chemical Safety Forum (UCSF) (Committee support) • Universities Safety & Health Association (USHA) • USHA Environmental sub-group • USHA Fire sub-group • Working group of Scottish Central Belt University Chemical Safety Advisers (University of

Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, university of Edinburgh) • Zero Waste Scotland • Zurich Municipal – external training provider

15

5. Training and competence The table below shows our delivery of formal courses and training. First aid and manual handling courses continue to be a major element of our training programme. These courses, along with other specialist training, require the services of external trainers. As SEPS have no specific budget for such training, we run these courses on a cost recovery basis. This is a well-established system but requires meticulous administrative work to ensure correct recovery of funds and manage the constantly fluctuating budget. The advantage of such a system is that we can run any number of courses based on the customer demand. SEPS do not seek to make a profit on these cost recoveries and aim to finish the year with a close-to-zero balance across our cost recovered training programme. If we do gather surplus funds during the year we normally run a free-of-charge, or subsidised, course(s) to make use of any surplus accrued. SEPS delivery of IOSH- accredited courses continued with renewed vigor in 2019. Whilst our Environmental Adviser, by necessity, led all IOSH courses in 2018, as a legacy of staff changes and loss of trainers, considerable support was given to two SEPS colleagues during 2019 to increase our trainer complement to three, permitting much more flexibility in scheduling of courses. We offer our formal thanks to Steve Johnson for maintaining our IOSH training provision through a difficult period and for mentoring his colleagues during their initial period as new trainers. Our IOSH Managing Safely course continues to prove popular allowing us to run 3 courses last year. We note that we now have over 300 staff across the University who hold the Managing Safely qualification. This is a huge asset to University safety management and is, we suspect, a sector- leading standard. Working Safely, aimed at workers rather than managers, also continues to attract delegates. During 2020 we will assess whether there is appetite within the University for a Managing Safely refresher course although we are very conscious of our limited administrative capacity to further increase our training delivery. SEPS delivery of IOSH training was audited by IOSH during 2019 returning an excellent rating. (See Section 2 “External Audits” above) Our current first aid training contract expires in early 2020 and a procurement tender process was undertaken in late 2019 to select a supplier for the next three-year period. The current provider was successful in this process and will continue provision of training during 2020. Our specialist advisers, biological, chemical, environmental and fire, continue to deliver technical safety courses, as indicated in the table below, to general and specific groups. We have no external costs for this training which is therefore provided free of charge. We find this face-to-face training an excellent way to meet key staff involved in such work and to develop working relationships with them, benefits that are absent in online training. These relationships assist in other aspects of SEPS role, both as advisers and in ensuring legal compliance. Several new courses have been added to our programme during 2019. These are indicated in the Table below with some further discussion provided in the relevant specialist section of the report. These include a suite of waste management courses delivered by SEPS Environmental Adviser. These are in in the form of 1- hour sessions covering the key aspects of handling and disposal of clinical, chemical or electrical equipment wastes. This allows delegates to attend only the sessions that are relevant to them. Alternatively, a 3- hour “Special Waste” combined course is offered, covering all three topics. All of these courses have been very popular and well received. A new one-hour course in dealing with chemical emergencies is now available, delivered by SEPS Chemical Safety Adviser. This recognises the reality that occasional spillage is an inevitable, and normal, part of laboratory activities. Whilst it does not equip workers to deal with major events, it does seek to provide competence to deal with typical laboratory-scale occurrences correctly, minimising the risk of injury or escalation. The 12 formal courses delivered so far have attracted 172 delegates demonstrating a strong need for this training. The course seeks to help workers avoid incidents, as well as providing information on how to respond to them when they do occur.

16

An alternative course has been introduced for compressed gases training with good feedback from the first course. A second course will run in early 2020. This course now includes a mandatory online training element prior to a lab/workshop- based practical element on the handling of gas cylinders. This involves an external trainer and is a cost-recovered course. Biological safety training continues to attract a high number of delegates with increased participation from areas of the University with a less traditional biological focus including the School of Engineering. This reflects the increasingly cross-disciplinary nature of University research. Although this course retains the same title, regular changes and additions are made to keep content fresh and relevant. Each course is tailored to the needs of those attending with shifts of emphasis incorporated accordingly. An online computer equipment safety training and assessment module remains available and is recommended by SEPS as mandatory training for new staff. Some Schools appear to have adopted this approach and we are pleased to note that most staff accessing the system have completed both the training and workstation assessment elements. (with others completing just the training part.) Overall, we feel that participation remains relatively low although the system is certainly available for those who need this training or information. SEPS undertake occasional support visits to individual computer users with specific difficulties that are highlighted by this training and assessment process. Participation in the online fire-safety training module is relatively high with a total of 1490 staff completing this training in 2019 and recorded in CoreHR. Rough calculations suggest that this equates to a cost of about £1 per person, making this a very cost-effective way to deliver this general awareness training. A procurement exercise was completed in late 2019 and although the cost has increased slightly, the renewal cost for this system remains very competitive. The current system will be retained for a further three years, until March 2023 with some minor enhancements to the current content. Students also have access to this training which is Moodle- hosted and operated under a site licence. However, extraction of student participation data from Moodle has proved very challenging; staff data, on the other hand, now automatically exports to CoreHR allowing better analysis of this although not without a few IT glitches – our continuing thanks go to our ITS colleagues for their support in trying to resolve these! We note that SEPS training data for staff, with the current exception of the online computer training, is now held on CoreHR and participation in courses can be viewed by individuals and their line manager. We aim, in 2020, to discuss wider access to that data for Schools, Institutes and Services to allow them to better manage their safety training data. This might be achieved through access for those in Head of School Administration or similar roles whilst maintaining acceptable GDPR standards. SEPS have continued to administer a series of 2-day, centrally funded Mental Health First Aider courses provided as part of the University wellbeing agenda. These continue to be in demand.

17

The table below shows the completion figures for 2019 for our various types of training. Courses and training delivered 2019

Subject No. Courses

No. Attendees

Induction

“e-Induction” online training for new staff - 1408

IOSH Accredited courses

IOSH Working Safely Course (1 day) 3 31 (30 staff)

IOSH Managing Safely Course (4 day) 3 34 staff

General and specialist safety courses

Biological Safety and GM course (1/2 day) 11 118

Biological module within PIL course (45 minutes) 1 73

COSHH and Chemical Safety (3 hours) 10 123 (90 staff)

Chemical Emergencies (NEW) (1 hour) 12 172 (159 staff)

JWNC safety induction NEW (1 hour) 2 204 staff/students

Chemical Safety for Postgraduates – Induction (2 hour) 1 30 students

Compressed Gas Safety Course (NEW) (1 day) 1 23 (20 staff)

Cryogenic Refresher Course (2 hours) 2 23 (20 staff)

Chemical waste (NEW) (1 hour) 7 74 staff

Clinical waste (NEW) (1 hour) 5 49 staff

Waste electrical equipment (NEW) (1 hour) 5 50 staff

Special waste course (NEW) 3 hours) 9 97 staff

Display Screen Equipment (online) Training and workstation assessment fully completed (Training element fully completed, but not assessment) (Training element part completed)

- - -

137 staff (26 staff) (31 staff)

194 staff

Manual Handling (1/2 day – external trainer) 7 70 staff

Pressure Systems Safety (1 day – by “Zurich” ext. trainer) 1 10 staff

Risk Assessment (1 day - by “Zurich” external trainer) 2 23 staff

Informal sessions

Health Surveillance Roadshow 1 10 staff

ADR / Chemical Safety (Transport Services) 1 6 staff

CoSHH / Chemical Safety MVLS Handymen / Washroom 2 24 staff

First Aid Courses

First aid 3-day certificated course 7 78 staff

First aid external 3-day certificated course - 7 staff

First-aid 2-day refresher course 13 125 staff

First-aid external refresher course - 4 staff

Mental Health First-aid 2-day course 6 78 staff

Fire Safety Courses

Area Fire Officer Course (1/2 day) 8 88 staff

Fire Warden Course (2 hours) 10 119 staff

Other face-to-face fire safety courses (Nursing Studies) 2 97 students

Staff fire safety awareness training (online Moodle) - 1490 users

Radiological Safety Courses

Radiation Protection (Attended) 3 80

Radiation Protection (Passed Examination) 80

X-Ray Safety 3 51

Laser Safety 1 40

Totals *(97)139 (4312) 5080 (4696 staff)

*2018 figures

18

Development of staff within Health, Safety & Wellbeing

Subject No. staff attending

Audiometry refresher (1 day) 2

AURPO Annual Conference (2 days) 1

CPD Event Legislation Update Post Grenfell (0.5 day) 2

Fire/buildings “Topscan” 3D modelling demo (0.5 day) 1

First aid refresher course (2 day) 1

First aid at work course (3 day) 1

Food Hygiene Level 3 (4 day) 1

Food Allergens (1 day) 1

HEOPS(1 Day) 1

IOSH CPD programme (rolling professional programme) 1

Immunisation update (1 day) 1

ISTR UK Autumn Symposium (1 day) 1 ISTR UK Biosafety Steering Group meeting (2 day) 1 Manufacturer Visit – fire door manufacturer (0.5 day) 1 Mental health first aid networking event 1 Northern Biological Safety Advisers Group meetings(1 day) 1 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice 1 Radiation in everyday life (1 day) 1

Recruitment training (new IT system) (1 hour) 2

Resuscitation update (1 day) 7

Scottish Univ. Fire Advisers’ Group (biannual 1 day) 2

Scottish Universities OH group (1 Day) 2

Scottish Univ. Safety Advisers’ Group (biannual 1 day) 1 Safety Training benchmarking meeting (0.5 day) 1 Scottish Fire and Rescue Service briefing session (0.5 day) 1 Specialist waste training (1 - 3 hours) 4

Spirometry refresher (1 Day) 2

SRP Annual Conference (2 days) 1

Travel safety workshop – UoG (0.5 day) 1 UoG online module Information Security (0.2 day) 6

UoG online module Data Security (0.2 day) 6

UoG online module Reasonable Adjustments (0.2day) 1

UoG online module Recruitment and Selection (0.2 day) 1

UoG online module Fire Safety Awareness (0.2 day) 1

UoG Safety Induction (Moodle Quiz) 4

UoG emergency planning event (0.5 day) 2

USHA annual health and safety conference (2 day) 2

USHA annual fire safety conference (2 day) 2

Welding fume webinar (1 hour) 1 WorkRite - computer workstation assessment – online 1

19

6. Other Operational Activities

Activity Description Activity Total

2017 Blue

2018 Red

2019 Black

Occupational Health

Activities for external clients

(we no longer have any

external clients)

Beatson, Biopta and BioOutsource

250

10

1

Bloods

All bloods in OHU diary plus additional numbers

from September screening and May titre clinic

682

706

1022

DNA Staff/students who didn’t attend appointment 40

Management Referral

New referrals

273

296

304

Management Referral -

Returned

Returned to the referring manager due to

insufficient/incomplete info on referral paperwork.

22

8

10

Management Referral - Not

Actioned

Referral arrived at the OHU, further discussion with

referring manager indicated referral not

appropriate.

3

6

6

Review Appts

Management referral review appointments

256

189

198

Health Surveillance

All HS appointments at OH and paper screening.

This figure also includes medicals for CERN,

ionising radiation medicals and any HAVS

appointments for the OH Physician.

564

366

324

Elective Work for students

Comprising: Elective consultations, elective

paperwork completion and pre-employment FY1

paperwork completion

100

92

123

Fitness to Practice for

students

Undergraduate students from MVLS referred to

OH.

39

28

29

MVLS Student Screening at

Wolfson Medical School

New undergraduate Students attending for their

health screening at Wolfson Medical School (start

of term)

544

438

550

Research Passports

Research passport paperwork processed at OHU

62

41

37

Vaccinations All Staff and Student attendances for vaccinations 1148

20

Activity Description Activity Total

2017 Blue

2018 Red

2019 Black

Radiation Protection

Ionising Radiation

Registration of new workers

(57) 74

Registration of classified radiation workers

(3) 0 *

Issue of Personnel dosimeters

(505) 477 pcm

Radiation Monitors testing (19 required extensive repairs, 190 batteries replaced)

(187) 180

Swab tests of sealed sources

(170)1 70

X-ray surveys (include electron microscopes and dedicated X-ray units)

14

Radioactive Substances

Contamination Surveys

(32) 32

Source Audits

(40) 40

De-commissions

(2) 1

Isotope Order Management

(146) 122

Contractor Disposals of solid waste

(1) 0**

Liquid Waste Disposal - Gilmorehill

(3885) 2170 MBq

Liquid Waste Disposal - Garscube

(125.5) 403.5 MBq

Non-Ionising Radiation

Laser Surveys

(3) 3 Schools

* In consultation with our HSE approved doctor Mary Blatchford, we have de-classified all University of

Glasgow radiation workers. This came into effect on 01/01/2020, there are now no classified radiation

workers within the University. This policy will remain under review.

** No waste collections in 2019 due to the collapse of our contractor Healthcare Environmental

21

7. Performance Indicators Table 1 Summary of incidents reported in 2019.

2019

An

ima

ls

Ele

ctr

icity

Exp

losio

n

Fall/

Leve

l

Fall/

Sta

ir

Fall/

He

ight

Fire

*

Ha

nd

ling

Gla

ss/S

harp

s

Ha

nd

To

ols

Ho

t/C

old

Ma

chin

ery

Po

iso

n/I

nfe

ct.

Sp

ill/R

ele

ase

Sp

ort

Str

ike

Ag

ain

st

Str

uck b

y

Tra

ffic

Oth

er(

inc m

edic

al)

Occ.

Dis

ease

Vio

lence

Tota

ls

Minor and over 3-day

Staff 15 22 8 1 10 14 6 1 20 14 19 2 1 133

UG Students 10 5 2 39 9 1 3 2 1 72

PG Students 11 2 7 1 5 1 1 28

Visitors/other 2 1 2 1 1 7

Total minor and over 3-day 36 29 12 1 10 61 7 1 36 1 16 24 2 3 1 240

RIDDOR reportable incidents 2 7 2 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 21

TOTAL work-related injuries 38 36 14 1 11 62 9 1 36 2 19 25 3 3 1 261

Work related injuries by year

2018 35 3 37 16 12 92 9 1 35 1 17 19 1 1 6 2 266

2017 30 2 34 18 1 1 10 79 9 1 40 21 27 1 4 2 1 281

2016 32 2 20 10 1 16 88 3 5 34 22 24 3 5 265

2015 27 4 45 9 3 1 11 69 1 9 5 36 13 18 2 11 264

2014 36 7 41 10 5 1 21 62 2 12 2 31 18 24 8 7 1 288

Other incidents - 2019

DO / Near Miss 2 2 2 4 2 27 1 7 3 1 1 51

Not work-related 1 5 3 1 40 2 1 27 80

Contractors 1 1 1 1 4 *Fire category covers incidents involving injury from fire only.

22

Table 2: RIDDOR incidents reported to enforcing authority in 2019 by reporting criteria

Description of incident Category Totals

“Major” Injuries (as defined by RIDDOR)

Fell off bike after striking speedbump in campus roadway.

Traffic

3 Slipped on internal building steps undergoing refurbishment

Fall on stairs

Slipped on external slabbed area Fall on level

Over 7-day incidents

Trapped finger in door Struck by

9

Tripped on obstruction left in corridor Fall on level

Immersed hand in liquid nitrogen to retrieve sample Hot/cold contact

Injured finger while handling pony Animal

Slipped on wet area of floor Fall on level

Injured while moving gas cylinder on stairs using trolley – trolley suffered malfunction

Handling

Injured arm on metal railings Struck against

Slipped on building external rear steps Fall on level

Burnt by hot water during plumbing repairs Hot/cold contact

Student/public to hospital for treatment

Sustained injury to foot during PE teaching session Sport

8

Slipped on rocky slope/path during field trip Fall on level

Graduation guest fell on edge of metal ramp in Cloisters

Fall on level

Graduation guest fell on metal parking stud (studs have since been replaced)

Fall on level

Student slipped on slope during fieldwork Fall on level

Banged head on sign on campus lamppost Struck against

Dog bit student during veterinary treatment Animal

Student struck head on building structure while jumping on stairway

Struck against

Reportable dangerous occurrence

Needlestick injury with potentially infective pathogen Sharps 1

Reportable occupational disease

None

TOTAL RIDDOR REPORTABLE INCIDENTS 21

23

Table 3: Fire incidents 2019

Building Probable Cause

Major fires (significant damage beyond part of building immediately affected)

Nil

Minor fires (localised fire or minor incident only)

Freezer overheated resulting in significant smoke.

Postgraduate student knocked over small beaker of ethanol while “flaming” spreader resulting in minor bench fire which was quickly extinguished by operator.

Ignition of flammable solvent and reaction materials due to residual reactive substance (potassium hydride) following chemical reaction. Minor fire in reaction vial extinguished by lab occupants.

Small fire in external waste bin extinguished by security staff.

Phone battery overheated /melted during charging – minor smoke/flame – plant room

Autoclave thermostat failed causing overheating, smoke and damage to the equipment

Fixed generator overheated during use causing damage to the generator

Flames observed issuing from external ground level drain outlet at Joseph Black Building. Cause not established but assumed related to chemical in drain or methane within drainage system. Slight damage to downpipe only.

Compost/mulch outside Adam Smith Building discovered smouldering with occasional small flames. Extinguished with water. Discarded cigarette suspected.

Small fire in plant room due to belt overheating on ventilation equipment

Light fittings overheated x 2

Wilful fire raising – internal waste bin

External animal manure/bedding skip smouldering – possible self-ignition or willful fire raising

24

Table 4: Fire alarm incidents and activations 2015 – 2019

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Genuine incidents

Major fire 1 0 0 0 0 Intermediate fire (cat. introduced late 2015)

- 0 4 5 0

Small fire 8 6 5 4 10 External fire (category not used 2013-2014)

1 3 2 1 3

Near miss 2 0 1 3 TOTAL GENUINE 12 9 11 11 16

Unwanted activations

Accidental activation (good intent)

1 3 4 6 1

Alarm faults 19 21 6 13 15 Contractor activity/building work

57 18 22 20 33

Cooking 28 16 24 26 22 Deliberate/malicious 0 6 1 3 2 Occupant activity (other than cooking)

33 25 15 29 30

Water ingress/damp/steam 7 26 14 10 13 Unknown cause (unable to be determined)

53 45 33 32 41

Dust - 14 3 5 4

TOTAL UNWANTED 198 174 122 144 161

TOTAL ALL INCIDENTS

Of which activations in residential properties:-

223

47

185

36

134

23

155

28

177

31

Table 5: Detail of Unwanted Activations for 2018 and 2019

Year No of

Incidents

Fire

Service

attendance

Of total

As a %

of

Total

Incidents

Attendance

for Fire

Incidents

(no of

incidents)

Attendance

for non-fire

Incidents

(no of

incidents)

Attendance

for

Residential

(no of

incidents)

2018 155 56 36% 10 46 28

2019 176 48 27% 8 40 23

25

8. Enforcing authority contact visits and interventions. Health and Safety Executive In June 2018, an incident occurred within the Stevenson Building swimming pool, which resulted in the death of a student user. Following investigation by HSE we received verbal notification in early 2019 that they proposed no further action, indicating they were satisfied that the University procedures and processes were not at fault.

No formal HSE visits occurred during 2019 involving SEPS. Throughout the year periodic telephone and email discussions took place with HSE’s specialist Microbiology and Biotechnology Unit in relation to ongoing and proposed biological work. Informal discussion on biological matters also took place at various national HE-sector meetings. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Routine contact has continued over 2019. No formal enforcement action occurred although several post fire audit visits occurred following minor fire incidents and SFRS call-out. The Fire Safety Advisers have also liaised with SFRS on operational (fire incident) visits, building warrant applications and unwanted fire alarm activations. Police Scotland Counter Terrorism Security Adviser (CTSA) Over the course of the year, we received routine visits by our local Counter Terrorism Security Advisers (CTSA) who have continued to work with the University to ensure that certain key risks are managed effectively and securely. These included routine annual inspections at both Garscube and Gilmorehill. No issues of concern were reported. Additional visits were carried out in relation to new activities. SEPA There have been no site visits by SEPA in 2019 involving either SEPS or RPS. Discussions in 2018 over the level of permit required for Gilmorehill campus under Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations were placed in the hands of E&CS who have sought legal advice and support in these negotiations. During 2019, SEPS arranged routine renewal of our annual licence to permit composting operations at Garscube, carried out by the E&CS Grounds team.

9. Major activities and key objectives for 2020

SEPS

Support PWC in the conduct of planned internal audit of safety structures scheduled

for January 2020 and in implementation of any recommendations arising.

Deliver internal audit programme and support Colleges in completion of follow-up

actions.

Continue delivery and, where practicable, improvement of internal safety training

programmes. Scope for further expansion is limited by administrative workload

associated with running numerous courses and by availability of training space.

Work with HR to achieve improved user access to training data currently held on

CoreHR but believed currently inaccessible to staff managing safety within Schools.

26

Complete consultation on redraft of Fire Policy with a view to adoption as formal policy

and guidance within first half of 2020. (Subject to consultation outcome.)

Support APUC retendering of specialist waste contracts and, in conjunction with UoG

Procurement team undertake local “call off” to ensure contract renewal is in place for

end of 2020.

Review and update web-hosted safety management guidance currently provided for

Heads or Management Units

Commence delivery of new safety management training aimed at staff leading

research teams. Assess suitability for adaptation to delivery to higher leadership levels

within Schools.

Survey welding areas across institution to assess safety management standards and

working practices, particularly in relation to HSE guidance on fume control.

Ensure continued delivery of tiered audit and inspection regime across Level 3

biological Containment Lab and ongoing roll out of comparable procedure across key

Level 2 containment areas.

Manage impact of office moves affecting Radiation Protection Service and SEPS.

Occupational Health

Collaborate with HSW colleagues to ensure consistency of procedures and update/ raise awareness of attendance management

Fulfil role as member of the Higher Education Occupational Practitioners (HEOPS) Executive Committee.

Fulfil role as member of Faculty of Occupational Health Nursing consulting group

Review of records management, in light of GDPR requirements, with relevant stakeholders to identify and evaluate options for continuous improvement. Run and evaluate pilot of proposed solution to establish fitness for purpose and implement final solution across the University.

Using the relevant policies, and key themes identified in the HSW action plan developed last year, develop a plan for improving behaviours and managing expectations of team members.

Review of staff psychology and disability service support in light of the revised Student

& Academic Services structure to identify impact on support of staff and managers

around moderate to severe mental health issues and reasonable adjustments for

mental and physical health conditions moving forward.

Radiation Protection Service

2020 is the year the proposed refurbishment of the Kelvin Building requiring re-organisation of the RPS. Facilitation of the smooth transition from current location to the Isabella Elder Building will require major compromises as the new room is much smaller than the present suite of offices.

Another logistical problem will be the temporary closure of the main radioactive waste store for the entire University while the works are ongoing. We have identified an area in the Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate which they have graciously offered to us. This store is much smaller than our current store and will require more frequent contract disposals and subsequent increased costs. (Having a larger store means we can store for decay which reduces disposal costs considerably)

A new administrative assistant is starting late February and will need mentoring and integration into the RPS and the intention is also to provide cover for SEPS in certain circumstances.

27

The RPA’s Radioactive Waste Adviser licence expires February 2021 and an application for renewal will require to be completed by October 2020

Finish the digitising of RPS records and subsequent destruction of paper copies.

Finalise and review courses covering X-rays, radiation supervisors and electromagnetic fields into online availability utilising Microsoft Sway and Moodle platforms.

Plan future disposals of sealed sources to reduce the number of unnecessary sealed sources held in storage. Note; this will eventually incur a substantial cost as disposal of sealed sources is expensive.

Manage impact of office moves affecting Radiation Protection Service and SEPS.