Health and safety standards
Our health and safety standards describe how we do things safely at Essex and are our arrangements for meeting legal requirements. University-wide standards are grouped into the following broad areas:
- Fire
- Work and study environments
- Work equipment
- Substances
- Activities
- Physical agents
- People at risk
- Departments, sections, or teams may also have health and safety standards covering their work activities. These will be available from your line manager or health and safety liaison officer (HSLO). UECS and WHH also follow these standards where relevant.
Health and safety policy
The University, University of Essex Campus Services (UECS) and Wivenhoe House Hotel (WHH) each have a health and safety policy which sets out our commitment to the health and safety and responsibilities of our leaders, managers, employees and, where relevant, students.
Codes of practice, management policies and place, and local rules
Codes of practice and management policies and plans are produced for more complex risk areas, where detailed requirements are necessary. They are mandatory and usually give specific responsibilities to line managers, heads of departments and others in relation to controlling the risk.
Local rules are produced where required by specific legislation (eg ionising radiation regulations). They should normally be local to the area where the activity presenting the risk takes place and are mandatory.
Web-based standards, codes of practice and local rules that have a significant impact on working practices are developed through a consultation process and approved by USG.
Generic risk assessments
Generic risk assessments describe what must be in place to achieve a safe workplace and meet university/legal requirements.
The standards within them are mandatory, though there is some flexibility to suit local needs. Line managers or nominated employees can produce their own assessments (to a similar standard) rather than use the generic ones.
Examples of our generic risk assessment are:
Forms and checklists
Forms and checklists are tools that assist line managers to ensure relevant health and safety precautions are in place.
Examples include:
- Inspection checklist
- Induction checklist
University sector guidance
Our University follows standards from University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and Universities Safety and Health Association (USHA).
Other safety organisations
- The UK nano safety partnership group have produced guidance on working safely with nanomaterials in research and development (.pdf).
- We are member of the Universities Safety and Health Association (USHA). Any university employee can register to access the site, which includes publications, a forum and useful links.
- The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) approved codes of practice and guidance will help you to meet legal responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act and associated regulations.
- We subscribe to Barbour, a comprehensive reference source for key information on health, safety and the environment. For information on how to access Barbour, email safety@essex.ac.uk.
