Personal

Our campus is very safe however security is given the highest priority and as such is provided by in house teams who are on site 24 hours per day 365 days per year.

The security office is located at:

9A Dunbar Street
Aberdeen
AB24 3UD

and can be contacted on the following telephone numbers:

Tips

• Lock doors and drawers
• If leaving your office unmanned, always lock the door
• Don't leave expensive items in your car
• Padlock your bicycle to a secure railing remembering that wheels can be easily removed or enquire about getting a cycle locker - there are 30 at various locations on campus
• Wear your ID card - if Security can see who you are, they can concentrate on individuals who should not be there.

Further information

• Estates Security
• Estates Safe Campus

We have more accidents at the University due to slips and trips than any other single cause. The reasons behind these accidents are usually relatively simple and the risks are not difficult to manage.

Tips

• Make sure the floor is clean and dry
• Clear up spillages immediately
• Remove any obstructions
• Avoid causing trailing cables
• Keep your workstation clear of obstacles
• Ensure you have adequate lighting
• Wear sensible footwear

Working at height means work in any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. Employers and those in control of work at height must first assess the risks.

Tips

• Do as much work as possible from the ground; avoid working at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so
• Where work at height cannot be easily avoided, minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment
• Ensure equipment is suitable, stable and maintained regularly
• Ensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at height
• Provide protection from falling objects
• Do not overload or overreach when working at height

Access to heights

• From time to time staff have been seriously injured after falling while using an unsuitable means of access (usually a chair) to reach storage above head height. The only suitable means of access are a stepladder (in good condition) or a "kick stool". Staff should never use chairs, particularly swivel chairs, to reach high shelves.
• To help ensure they remain in good condition they will be inspected every three months by the appropriate Section Safety Adviser for the section of the Office which houses the ladder. If anyone discovers any damage to a ladder they should take it out of use and report it immediately to the Estates Office to have it repaired or replaced.
• When storing items on shelves do not place heavy items up high. They will be difficult to place on or remove from the shelves and if they were to fall they could cause serious injury. Place them at waist height or closer to the floor.

Even in an office, injury resulting from manual handling is a common cause of accidents. An injury to the back caused by a momentary lapse of good practice may never recover fully. Also, cuts and bruising of hands and feet can occur when manual handling is not done correctly.

• Before attempting to lift anything, size up the job. Do not hesitate to seek help with heavy or awkwardly shaped loads. Always look at the possibility of moving the load in an easier way (e.g. by using a trolley or some other form of mechanical assistance).
• Seek help with heavy or awkwardly shaped loads. Porters can be requested to assist.
• Look at moving the load by using a trolley or something similar. If in doubt discuss with your line manager. Managers should ensure that staff are not expected to carry out manual handling likely to cause injury.
• In manual lifting it is the leg muscles that should be used and NEVER the back. Lifting an item from the floor should always require bending at the knees.
• Anyone with any doubts about their ability to lift or carry a particular item, should discuss it with their immediate supervisor. It will usually be possible to work out a different way to move the load.

Everyone can make an important contribution to safety by keeping offices in a tidy condition.

• Keep passageways and the area around where you work clear for access. People can be injured bumping into or tripping over items.
• Keep cupboards and filing cabinet drawers closed. They can cause injury if left open and someone bumps into them.
• Never allow wires and cables to pass across places where people might walk. They can be a serious trip hazard. If there is no alternative route ensure that special rubber cable protectors designed for the purpose cover a cable.
• Do not let rubbish accumulate other than in rubbish bins. Any accumulation of material which can burn increases the risk of fire.
• Keep any drink and food preparation areas clean and tidy.
• Keep corridors and stairways clear of rubbish or furniture, etc. even for a short time.

Arrange for spillages to be cleaned up immediately before someone slips on it. If it is too large for easy cleaning, contact the Estates Section.

The Estates Section is responsible for maintaining the fabric of the University Buildings and for fixtures and fittings. Staff from the Estates Section regularly inspect buildings. However, those who work in a building are likely to be the first to notice anything unsafe.

If you need to report a fault or make a work request - the Estates Section operates a telephone help desk service for departments and members of staff to report faults/request work within or around any University building. It is important that faults are dealt with as soon as possible.

• The telephone number dedicated to this service is 01224 27 3333. Outwith 9am - 5pm weekdays a voicemail system will operate
• For Emergencies outwith 9am - 5pm weekdays please call 01224 27 3939/3327
• For non-emergencies a report can be filled out online

On calling the service desk, members of staff will be asked to give their contact details, the building, location and a brief description of the work. They will, in return, be quoted a unique reference number for their report. Should they then wish to check the status of their report, they may call the service desk again and quote the reference number.

The University of Aberdeen has a legal duty of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all staff, and the drugs and alcohol policy is intended to form an integral part of that approach.

The University provides a smoke free environment for staff, students and visitors.
We rely upon the consideration and co-operation of smokers and non-smokers in implementing this policy and all employees, students, visitors and contractors are expected to respect the smoke free environment.

Members of Staff

In developing our health and safety arrangements we must give specific attention to the health and safety of female employees who are, or in future could be, new or expectant mothers. When a member of staff formally informs her School/Support Service that she is pregnant or breastfeeding we must carry out a specific assessment of the health and safety risks to that individual arising from their work.

To assist staff to undertake the assessment,a Risk Assessment Form for New & Expectant Mothers can be completed.

To help complete the risk assessment form the University guidance document Guidance on Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Aspects of Pregnancy should be referred to.

The Health and Safety Executive guidance for employers is on their web pages for New and Expectant Mothers .

In some circumstances, say if a member of staff works in a laboratory or has a job where there is a significant amount of manual handling, there are likely to be a number of factors to consider when carrying out the assessment. In other situations, say when a job is mainly office based, there will probably be less to consider but a formal assessment should still be undertaken once a member of staff has notified her department that she is pregnant or breastfeeding.

Those needing advice and/or assistance while carrying out assessments or with general enquiries about the health and safety regulations covering new and expectant mothers should contact their local Safety Adviser who can, in turn, contact the University Safety Adviser if required.

Chemicals: The Health and Safety Executive's web pages contain a section on chemical agents. It should be read in conjunction with this University guidance.

Students

Although there is no specific legislation which requires us to carry out a further assessment if a student informs us that she is pregnant, it would be good practice to do so. The Health and Safety Executive's publication "New and expectant mothers at work - a guide for employers" should be regarded not only as setting out the legal requirements in respect of staff who inform us that they are pregnant but also as setting out good practice in respect of students, particularly for those students who undertake laboratory work.

A student who wishes to notify the University that she is pregnant will contact Student Support Services. If the student is undertaking laboratory work as part of her course of study, Student Support Services will contact the School(s) concerned asking that a specific risk assessment be undertaken.

As with assessments for staff, advice and assistance can be obtained from the School Safety Adviser who can, if necessary, contact the University Safety Adviser.

Visit the dedicated Travelling overseas on University business page for information on travelling overseas for University business.

Further information

• Travel Booking Process Map
• Please see the Risk Assessment section for some sample travel risk assessments.

We define a lone worker as someone who is working in circumstances where there is not someone else within calling distance who would be able to provide assistance if there were to be an accident.

It is important to understand the difference between lone working and out of hours working. You can be a lone worker in a laboratory during the normal working day if everyone else in the laboratory has gone for coffee. You can also be in a laboratory at 10pm in the evening and you would not be a lone worker if another lab worker were present providing that person would know what to do if there were an accident.

Supervisors are expected to determine whether particular tasks can be undertaken by lone workers or whether accompanied working is required. In general lone working should be limited to carrying out relatively simple low risk operations. In some circumstances, devices such as lone worker alarms can be provided to monitor lone workers and allow them to summon assistance.

Further information

• Lone Working Guidance

Out of hours working should not be confused with lone working. Out of hours working refers to work outside the normal or core working hours and may be times at which supervisory staff may not be available.

Supervisors should ensure that staff and students are aware of any restrictions on out of hours working. In laboratories and workshops the main safety risks outside normal working hours come from the absence of supervisory staff who can monitor the work being undertaken and who are readily available if problems are encountered in the work.

• You must seek permission from your supervisor for out of hours working. Supervisors should provide guidance on working out of hours and ensure that staff and students are aware of any restrictions
• Supervisors should indicate whether there must be someone else present within calling distance to avoid lone working
• If working out of hours, let your supervisor or someone else know when and where you are working; exchange your name and contact number; phone or text to indicate when you leave.