The following information is brought to the notice of all WMG students who are required to undertake practical work.

General Health and Safety

THERE ARE MANY POTENTIAL HAZARDS IN LABORATORIES which can lead to serious accidents. Almost all these accidents are avoidable and are caused by failure to adopt simple precautions.

The Uninversity requires you to co-operate FULLY with ALL health and safety measures. You will recieve health and safety instruction as part of your course. These instructions MUST be followed carefully. Failure to do so may result in DISCIPLINARY action

 It is an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act to interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interest of health and safety.

Health and safety information can be found in:

• The University safety policy forms the basis for the various schools to draw upon for information and as such offers a comprehensive TOPIC GUIDANCE , these rules form the basis for............
• School local rules; which can be found at this SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING web site and THIS ENGINEERING SITE. These supplemental rules form the basis for the........
• Protocols for individual procedures, this covers the three main items of..........

RISK ASSESSMENT or RA

SAFE SYSTEM of WORK or SSOW

CONTROLL of SUBSTANCES HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH or COSHH

PLEASE select assessment type by clicking from above choices or use links to the left.

DO NOT START WORK IF:

YOU do not understand the instructions or the terminology used; or

YOU have doubts about the safety of the work.

IF IN DOUBT - ASK YOUR SUPERVISOR OR A DEMONSTRATOR.

YOU MUST NOT WORK IN LABORATORIES UNSUPERVISED. Unauthorised work is strictly forbidden. You may only use the laboratories at the times laid down by the Department.

BE AWARE of your surroundings and do not be a threat to the safety of others around you.

You must come to practical classes dressed appropriately and according to local Departmental rules. Failure to do so may result in exclusion. It is advisable to wear strong footwear and long hair should be tied back or worn under a cap.

Any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (e.g. gloves, goggles, hearing protection etc.) provided must be used correctly as instructed.

Eating, drinking, chewing, smoking, application of cosmetics (apart from hand cream), licking labels, mouth pipetting (even of harmless substances) and other similar operations, are not permitted. Food and drink, eating or drinking utensils, smoking materials and cosmetics (apart from hand cream) must not be brought into laboratories.

SAFETY SIGNS AND DISPLAYED INSTRUCTIONS MUST BE OBEYED.

Hands should be washed thoroughly before leaving the laboratory, especially if hazardous substances have been handled.

Waste materials must be disposed of as instructed. Hazardous materials must not be placed in the general waste.

Spillages, breakages, escapes of dangerous substances etc. must be reported immediately. Do not attempt to clear up spilled materials unless instructed to do so.

Make sure you know what to do in the event of a fire or other emergency. If the fire alarm rings, leave the building by the nearest available exit and go to the assembly point.

The internal emergency number is 999.

ALL ACCIDENTS, HOWEVER MINOR, MUST BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY.

Use the Accident/Incident report form. These forms are electronic and held on the "Health, Safety & Wellbeing" web site, you will recieve an e-mailed copy of your completed report. If you have no intranet access then paper forms can be obtained from the IMC reception, please complete 2 copies, keep one for yourself and leave the other at reception for processing.

If you have any concerns over the safety of the equipment you are using, working procedures or the work of others around you report these to your supervisor, the laboratory technician or the School Safety Officer.

Training and Competence

Make sure you have been trained and are competent to operate any machinery or equipment you use. It is important that the location of isolator switches, emergency stop buttons and the correct procedures for safely shutting off equipment are known. In addition the Safe System of Work (SSOW) should be adhered to at all times.

Help is always available either from your tutor, your project supervisor or from John Pillier, the H&S deputy who is available on ext. 23945 and is located in the Engineering hall of the IMC building.