UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

BUILDING SAFETY ISSUE 2 September 2012

The School of Engineering have a Facilities Manager who is responsible for ensuring that the building and services associated with the School of Engineering are maintained in a safe condition and that any work being carried out does not interfere with the activities of the School so far as is reasonably practicable. As necessary, he will consult directly with the Estates Department and contractors working on their behalf, or on behalf of the School on matters affecting the building and its services.

New Builds and Refurbishments

Consultation will take place with representatives across the School of Engineering (and any other relevant staff) for any new build or refurbishment projects where it is likely to have an impact on the teaching, research or conferencing arrangements or where it requires staff and/or students having to temporarily or permanently relocate.

Specific needs for space, teaching and research will be catered for so far as is reasonably practicable following the normal consultation process. Once this has been agreed, health and safety considerations will be discussed and any associated risks evaluated. Where possible risks will be removed at the design stage. The provision of additional services or technical equipment (including items such as ventilation systems or environmental monitors) will be considered at this stage, as too will the disposal of equipment or relocation of services. Competent persons will be involved in the design, working for or on behalf of the University. The Estates Department will play a vital role in supporting the School of Engineering manage major projects including the appointment of competent contractors, the project design and construction and will ensure that the necessary statutory legislation is met associated with these. Day to day management of contractors will be primarily carried out by the designated Project Manager, however should any person find that contractors are working unsafely or there are conditions arising that could put others at risk in the School of Engineering, this should be reported immediately to the Facilities Manager or the School Health and Safety Advisor, who will then take the matter up with the relevant Project Manager.

A range of refurbishment work is taking place or planned for the School of Engineering. To see how this is progressing or if you are concerned how this may affect you, please refer to the following webpages: Engineering Refurbishment Project.

Building Faults and Maintenance

Any faults or defects to the School of Engineering buildings or to the main electrical power supply or fixed electrical fittings should be reported to the Estates helpdesk as soon as possible so that it can be scheduled into their work programme. For further advice around the services that Estates offer, please refer to: Estates Services. This page also includes the helpdesk contact number and email address for reporting purposes. The Estates Department have a range of contractors that work on their behalf. These too can be found on their preferred list of contractors on their website.

Roof Access

Roof access and permits to work will be signed off by the Facilities Manager or in his absence the Technical Services Manager, Mr Peter Meesum or other nominated representative. Access to the roof cannot be gained without a signed permit to work. Roof access will only be granted once it can be determined that contractors will not be put at risk from operations being carried out by the School. Consultation may need to also take place between adjoining departments to ensure contractors are not exposed to harmful substances or fumes etc whilst working on the roof.

Relocation

Where it is necessary for staff to relocate, it is vital that the affected members of staff and any associated researchers dispose of any unwanted materials and equipment. Disposal of equipment must be carried out in accordance with the latest disposal arrangements and consideration must be paid to ensure that it is disposed in accordance with health, safety and environmental legislation. This is particularly important where the equipment contains ionising or non ionising radiation where there is also a need to report this to the relevant ionising or non ionising radiation protection supervisor to bring their lists up to date. There are also arrangements for disposing of surplus IT equipment. To arrange the safe disposal of chemical substances, contact should again be made with the Facilities Manager. Note that a cost code will be required for these.

The future needs of staff and students must be taken into consideration in connection with relocating from an existing area. Not only should individual health, safety and welfare be considered in the move, but consideration must be paid to whether additional ventilation, gas supplies, monitors, heating, cooling, compressed air, suplimentary power supplies or alarm systems are needed in the new location. During the consultation process, the individual, the equipment, operational practices, working environment and existing and future needs must be considered, so that the room or area can be designed with these in mind.

Should you have any concerns over building safety or maintenance or require additional advice connected with the above please contact the Facilities Manager or the School Health and Safety Advisor.