Health and Safety Folder
Health and Safety Folder
The Health and Safety Folder provides space owners and users of laboratories/workshops a central repository for health and safety information for the area and the activities being performed therein. The folder should be kept in a prominent position in the laboratory/workshop. New staff and students using the area should also be introduced to the folder as part of local induction.
Health and safety folder contents
Under each section heading is information to allow for the identification and development of key documentation and processes to assist with compliance with health and safety legislation; University of Warwick policies; and local rules. This is not an exhaustive list and additional and specific information may be required. Further guidance concerning health and safety can be found in the links below:
School of Engineering Health and Safety Folder pages:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/handsfolder
School of Engineering health and safety pages:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/
University of Warwick health and safety pages:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing
Health and Safety in Laboratories; Workshops; and Stores (UoW General Guidance) pages:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/labs_workshops_stores
Contents
Health and Safety Folder
Health and safety folder contents
QuEMIS hazard assessment
Local rules
Induction and training (Staff and Students)
Emergency plans
Risk Assessments
Work equipment and facilities - inspections, checks, maintenance
Previous workplace inspection checklists
Other relevant H&S information
Health and Safety Folder Checklist
QuEMIS hazard assessment
A hazard assessment must be completed in the QuEMIS hazard management system for each space where there are hazards and should also be reviewed periodically or following significant changes e.g. change of equipment or activities, which may impact on the hazardous nature of the space.
The hazard assessment should be printed and included in the health and safety folder. The information identified in the hazard assessment must be used to produce a laboratory notice board which should be displayed at the entrance to the space. A copy of the laboratory notice board should also be uploaded to QuEMIS for future reference or review.
The hazard assessment should be reviewed periodically or following significant changes to activities/equipment in the space.
The QuEMIS hazard management system can be accessed via the following link:
https://hazards.warwick.ac.uk/Q2v3-HazardMgmt/faces/security/login.xhtml
Guidance to support completion of the hazard assessments can be found here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/managingrisks/hazardidentification
Guidance for lab noticeboards:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/labs_workshops_stores/noticeboards
Should you require a username or a password reset please contact the School’s Health & Safety Officer Heidi Thompson Heidi.Thompson@Warwick.ac.uk
Local rules
The nature of the space and activities therein should determine local rules to help ensure and maintain a safe working environment. These may include but are not limited to:
- Rules and expectations in relation to behaviour, clothing and wearing/use of PPE;
- Rules and arrangements for lone working1;
- Any training requirements for the space;
- Any equipment requiring specific training or authorisation to use and lists of approved users/operators;
- Arrangements for cleaning or maintenance staff working to ensure that they are not put at risk from any activities or hazardous agents present in the space;
- Arrangements for disposal of hazardous agents and chemical waste; and
- Spaces with hazardous chemicals MUST also keep a chemical inventory, which should be attached to appropriate chemical storage (chemical inventory details in section 8).
When deciding on local rules, refer to you hazards and risks as identified in risk assessments. Also consideration should be given to departmental policies including the Lone Working Policy which can all be found here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/soehspolicies/
In addition to local rules, appropriate safety signage needs to be present at the entrance to the space and on hazardous equipment.
Enforcement of local these rules is essential to establishing a positive safety culture within the department and is the responsibility of everyone.
Examples of rules for labs and workshops can be found here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/inst/si009/
Induction and training (Staff and Students)
There should be a space specific induction highlighting significant hazards, how to work safely, and the specific training requirements needed to work in the space or operate equipment. The space induction/training must be completed before an individual is allowed to work in the area. This should also cover first aid, fire and emergency arrangements. In its simplest form this can be a checklist, or for higher risk spaces and activities may be in the form of an induction programme with specific training requirements which aims to ensure that person in competent to work in that space or carry out that activity safely.
Any induction including any training that may have an impact of safety must be recorded.
The School of Engineering Training Needs Analysis document available via the link below. The TNA is to assist with the identification of health and safety training requirements based on job role:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/inst/university_hns_induction_training/
The training currently available from University’s health and safety team can be found here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/training/
All research and technical staff working in laboratories or workshops must complete the following as a minimum:
- UoW General Health and Safety Induction Moodle (staff and students):
https://moodle.warwick.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=20009
- UoW Fire Awareness Moodle:
https://moodle.warwick.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=36203
- UoW Introduction to Risk Assessment Moodle:
https://moodle.warwick.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=37594
- Computer workstation assessment:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/computerworkstations/
All new research and technical staff carrying out laboratory, workshop or field work are expected to also complete:
- Risk Assessment, COSHH and SSOW Workshop
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/training/ra_coshh_ssow_workshop/
Anyone working with chemicals of any kind must also complete the following:
- UoW Chemical Assessment and Laboratory Safety Awareness
https://moodle.warwick.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=25406
Any visitors who visit your space on a short-term basis (e.g. contractors or visiting academics who may be on site for a very brief duration) should be appropriately inducted and supplied with a copy of the visitor induction leaflet which outlines local emergency and safety arrangements.
The leaflet for visitors can be found here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/intranet/facilities/contractor_induction_leaflet.pptx
There are specific arrangements for contractors which can be found here:
Emergency plans
Any space which contains: any isolation points for gases, electrics or water supply; has equipment with special emergency shutdown procedures or isolation points; or equipment which should not be shut down in an emergency must have a space plan indicating the location of any such points and/or equipment. This should be included in the health and safety folder.
Up-to-date first aid notices need to be place at the entrance to the space.
In addition, spaces which have activities or hazardous agents that have the potential to cause significant incidents or harm (e.g. laboratories with high voltage systems, hazardous chemicals or compressed gases) must have emergency plans. These plans may cover, but are not exclusive to:
- Hazard specific first aid arrangements;
- Specialist firefighting arrangements;
- Response to alarms systems (e.g. fire, gas monitoring systems);
- Response to finding a person(s) unresponsive in a lab space including details of rescue arrangements and associated training requirements;
- Emergency shutdown or isolation procedures;
- Impact of; and arrangements for loss of services (e.g. water, power);
- Arrangements for managing accidental release or spillage of hazardous chemicals (including possible release into the watercourse);
- Impact of foreseeable incidents on adjacent spaces; and
- Raising the alarm to evacuate the department.
Where emergency plans have been deemed necessary these should be included in the health and safety folder.
Link to first aid pages here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/firstaidinformation/
The School of Engineering also has its own general emergency procedures which whilst being treated with caution for higher risk spaces, may still be useful when deciding local arrangements.
Link to general departmental emergency procedures here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/intranet/facilities/soe_emergency_procedures_iss1-2.docx
Risk Assessments
You should keep a list of key activities for each space, as well as conduction general risk assessment of the space/facility (where the space/facility is is identified as being a hazardous environment), and risk assessments for all the activities in the space including hazard specific risk assessments as detailed in the links below. All risk assessments should be included in this folder and copies must be reviewed and signed off by line managers/supervisors.
Risk assessments should be used to develop Safe Systems of Work (SSOW), local rules, inductions as well as to identify any training needs. Risk assessments should be:
- reviewed annually;
- following an incident; or
- following any significant changes to the activity or space.
It is good practice to keep SSOW in the laboratory/workshop or even with relevant equipment.
In addition, any ethical approval for any work carried out in the area must also be included in this section.
UoW risk assessment pages*: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/managingrisks/riskassess/
UoW chemical safety (COSHH) pages*:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/chemical_safety
UoW biological safety pages:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/biologicalsafety
UoW laser safety pages:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/lasers
UoW ionising radiation safety pages:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/ionising_radiation
School of Engineering risk assessment pages:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/risks/
School of Engineering Chemical Safety pages
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/chemsafety/
School of Engineering risk assessment, COSHH and SSOW database search (reference only):
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/forms/
More information and the SSOW form can be found here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/safe_system_of_work/
*Any new risk assessments / COSHH assessments must be carried out on the new word templates in the links above.
Work equipment and facilities - inspections, checks, maintenance
Equipment requiring statutory inspection
Details of any equipment requiring statutory checks/examination/inspection. These are:
- Local exhaust ventilation (LEV).
For example: fume cabinets; capture hoods; Microbiological Safety Cabinets; and solder fume extractor.
Each item of LEV must have its own logbook (available via link below). A LEV must be subject to daily and weekly checks (when in use) which must be recorded in its logbook.
Also, all LEV must undergo examination and testing by a competent person at least once every 14 months.
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/lev
- Pressure systems – those containing or liable to contain relevant fluid i.e. steam at any pressure; or any fluid or mixture of fluids which is at a pressure >0.5 bar above atmospheric or a gas dissolved under pressure in a solvent (e.g., acetylene) that has a pressure-volume product of 250 bar litre or more.
For example: boilers and steam heating systems; compressed air systems (fixed and portable); pressure cookers, autoclaves and retorts; heat exchangers and refrigeration plant.
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/pressuresystems
- Lifting equipment whether used to lift goods or people.
For example: cranes; lifts; hoists; chains; ropes; slings; hooks; shackles; eyebolts; rope and pulley systems; scissor lift; vehicle tail lift; and forklift trucks.
Lifting equipment must have the correct colour tag before use, this indicates that it has undergone recent examination. The current colour of the tag can be found on the notice board next to the lifting tackle in Engineering Stores.
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/lifting_equipment
- Gas supplies and gas regulators - any gas regulators (supply and point of use), manifolds, flashback arrestors in the space, including details of maintenance/expiry dates. Gas regulators have a life of 5 years or less depending on the gas being used and must either: be replaced; or undergo maintenance by a competently trained person.
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/gas_cylinders
All equipment requiring statutory inspection as detailed above MUST be labelled with a University of Warwick asset tag and be registered here:
You can request an asset tag from the Building Facilities Manager or the Health and Safety Officer.
Work equipment checks, maintenance and inspection
Records of maintenance and inspection/checks should also be kept in this folder.
All work equipment
All work equipment must be subject to a user check prior to use. This is usually a simple visual check by the user to ensure that the equipment has no defects. Defective equipment must not be used.
General work equipment health and safety information can be found here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/machinery_equipment
Details of any work equipment which if it were to fail could have a consequence to health or safety. Any equipment of this nature must be subject to either a planned preventative maintenance programme (PPM) or an inspection programme by a competent person.
New work equipment
Prior to first use, all new work equipment must:
- be subject to risk assessment;
- be checked to ensure that they are free from defects and in good working order; and
- conform to any relevant standards (including CE markings where applicable: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ce-marking#products-that-need-ce-marking)
In addition, any information, instruction or training needs must also be identified for anyone intending to use the equipment.
PUWER risk assessment
Larger or more hazardous equipment e.g., machinery and robots, must also be subject to a more thorough PUWER risk assessment following commission/installation. This must be completed, and any actions identified closed prior to first use.
PUWER risk assessments must also be completed after equipment has been moved or modified.
The University’s PUWER risk assessment template can be found here: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/machinery_equipment/machinery_safety_checklist.docx
Work equipment checks - safety devices e.g., emergency stop buttons, interlocks and guards
Details of any work equipment which has safety devices such as emergency stops buttons, interlocks or other engineering controls. These should be subject to periodic checks to ensure engineering controls are working correctly. When not otherwise identified by other documentation such as operating manuals, instructions etc., these should be checked every 3 months at least. These checks must be recorded.
Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
Any electrical work equipment in laboratories and workshops that has a flexible lead or uses a plug and socket must be subject to PAT. If you find any items that have not received PAT please inform the Building Facilities Manager.
Ladders, stepladders and footstools
All ladders, stepladders and footstools must be subject to 6 monthly condition inspections which must also be recorded as part of the department’s ladder log system which is operated through the technical service team. Ladders which have previously been checked should have a tag containing the last inspection date. To add a ladder to the inspection regime, inform the Technical Service Managers.
Gas detection systems and maintenance
Any gas detection systems in the space must be subject to regular maintenance, the frequency of which must be agreed with a competent person. Copies of maintenance records of gas detections systems should be included in this folder.
Previous workplace inspection checklists
This section is for keeping copies of workplace inspection checklists or self-checklist that have been completed.
More information on workplace inspection in the School of Engineering can be found here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/workplaceinspection/
Other relevant H&S information
This section is for any other significant health and safety information.
- Chemical Safety including chemical inventory and SDS:
More information of hazardous chemicals can be found here:
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/guidance/chemical_safety/hazardoussubstances/
An example chemical inventory template can be found here:
- Contractor management arrangements:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/local/hands/contractors/
- Examples of other information could include water hygiene, H&S action plans, reports e.g. DSEAR risk assessment.
Health and Safety Folder Checklist
A checklist to support completion of H&S folder HERE.