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UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

School of Engineering

ISSUE 4 November 2012

Laboratory work for Student Projects in Vacations and Outside Normal Working Hours and when Working Off Campus.

1. General

These instruction are supplementary to the University Health and Safety Instructions and those detailed in the Undergraduate Handbook given to undergraduates concerning safety in practical work and the Handbook downloadable for postgraduates.

2. Definitions

a) Normal Working Hours The School of Engineering considers its normal working hours to be from 9.00am until 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9.00am until 4pm on a Friday. Weekends and vacation times are considered outside of normal working hours.

b)  Lone Working Lone working in the School of Engineering is considered to be when you are working on your own and you would not be heard or seen by another person, that person being a person who could provide you with assistance and/or support in an emergency.

3. Undergraduate students

Undergraduate students are not permitted to work unsupervised alone (lone working) in a laboratory or workshop.

First year undergraduates are NOT permitted to work in laboratories or workshops outside timetabled practical sessions under any circumstances.

Second year undergraduates may work in laboratories and workshops outside their timetabled sessions and only between 9.00am to 5.00pm provided that they obtain permission in writing from the academic staff member responsible for their work and that they are supervised by a competent member of staff and this has been previously arranged. This can be the academic supervisor or another competent person. In order to do this a signed Risk Assessment must be produced by the academic member of staff and student(s) concerned. Depending on the type and risk involved a Safe System of Work may also be necessary. Both documents must be read and signed by all concerned. A signed copy of these must be maintained by the student(s) whilst they are carrying out the work so that they can discuss any issues with the competent person supervising the work.

Third year undergraduate project work in laboratories or workshops should be completed during normal hours (9.00 am to 5.00 pm) so far as reasonably practicable. Work outside these times, at weekends and during vacations may be permitted by the academic supervisor by following the 'Exceptional Circumstances only rule' given below. Lone working is not permitted. Adequate resources must be allocated such as space, equipment and the availability of technical support as necessary.

Exceptional Circumstances only rule: 

Approval for work to commence may only be given in writing to the student(s) by the academic supervisor for low risk activities e.g. taking readings or computer based work and ONLY when it has been identified that there will be sufficient competent supervision available which will not leave the student(s) working on their own. Any activities where there are significant risks involved MUST be approved by the Divisional Head.

The Divisional Head may give permission under exceptional circumstances for additional work to be carried out outside of normal working hours providing that the supervisor satisfies the Divisional Head that the following points are implemented and adhered to:

• adequate supervision must be provided by the responsible academic member of staff or assigned competent person.
• A Risk Assessment must be produced specifically for the work. This Risk Assessment needs to be signed by the student AND the responsible academic and a signed copy sent with the request to work outside normal hours to the Divisional Head.
• A Safe System of Work must be produced, signed, and a copy maintained with the risk assessment with the student when conducting the work.

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to make sure that the supervision of the student, Safe System of Work (SSoW) and the Risk Assessment are produced (these forms are available on the School of Engineering Health and Safety website). If these are not in place then no permission can be granted.

4. Fourth Year - M.Eng group projects

Permission to work outside normal hours is usually given by the student’s academic supervisor in writing and a copy maintained with the student whilst they are conducting their work. No lone working is permitted. Access to laboratories and workshops (and certain machinery) will be controlled with keys, normally held by the technician responsible for the area. If the use of particular equipment needs supervision then a member of the technical staff must be present during the operation of such equipment. A Risk Assessment and SSoW must be produced by the student and approved by the academic supervisor. These must be signed by the academic supervisor and the student indicating that they have understood the risks and risk control procedures and that they will adhere to this. A signed copy of the Risk Assessment and Safe System of Work must be maintained with the student whilst conducting the work and these must not be deviated from without consultation and agreement by a competent member of staff. Any deviations must be written onto the forms already produced.

5. Postgraduate Students

5.1 Low risk work – as identified by Risk Assessment

Postgraduate students may work alone on low risk projects including use of computing equipment located in laboratories. They will usually be expected to work during normal hours (9.00 am to 5 pm), but due to the nature of research, working outside of normal hours is permitted if approved by the academic supervisor, provided that on each occasion the details are recorded in the ‘Out of Hours Laboratory Register’ kept in the Porter’s Lodge on the Library bridge. Entry and exit to and from the building must be made via the Porter’s Lodge. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to make sure that a Risk Assessment is produced and signed by the student and a signed copy is retained by the student whilst they are working.

5.2 High Risk Work – as identified by Risk Assessment

Postgraduate students involved in high risk work must not work alone. In addition, permission must be obtained from the academic supervisor for work to start. The supervising academic must ensure that a Risk Assessment and SSoW are produced. These must be checked by the supervisor and then signed by the supervisor and the student and a signed copy must be retained by the student whilst they are conducting the work. The SSoW must contain a section that the student fills in to confirm that he/she understands the risks involved, knows the procedure for controlling these risks and that he/she has had adequate training in the use of the equipment. It must be understood that deviations from the risk assessment and safe system of work should not be undertaken without consultation and agreement by a competent member of staff.

6. Off campus project work

No unsupervised off campus work is permitted. This include laboratory, workshop, manufacturing and the running of experimental equipment of any sort. Where work is being conducted at a third party location it must be verified who will be responsible for the supervision of the student whilst on a third party premise. Ultimately, the University (project tutor) needs to be reassured that the student is able to work in a safe manner whilst conducting their project work on any third party premise.

A Risk Assessment and Safe System of Work must be produced by the student and signed by the student and the supervisor and agreed with the third party where this is relevant. Copies must be retained with the student on site and with the project tutor for reference. Students must adhere to the safe system of work and risk assessment or must consult with their supervisor or other competent person to ensure, prior to changes being made, that deviations do not introduce additional risks that had perhaps not originally been foreseen or accounted for. Any deviations must be written onto the forms to demonstrate that the risks had been considered and will be controlled.

For project work taking place at third party organisations, there may also be a need to incorporate or reference specific arrangements appertaining to the site and abide by their own rules and procedures. This must be verified prior to the generation of any formal safety documentation.

7. Accidents and Incidents Out of Hours or when Working Off Campus
When working out of hours and off campus it must be recognised that there may be no immediate access to First Aid or access to First Aid may have to be provided by a third party if working within another organisation. Where the latter is the case, it is imperative that prior to carrying out any work, checks have been made to ensure that sufficient First Aid support will be available to you, or alternative arrangements may need to be considered within your risk assessment.

To summon support when working at the University out of hours, the University Security staff should be contacted using the emergency contact number (from any internal phone this is 22222 or it is 02476 522222 from any other phone). All Security staff are trained as First Aiders and have access to First Aid Kits. They are also able to summon support of any of the emergency services if required.

During vacation times there is often immediate access to First Aid providing work is carried out during normal working hours during this time.

All accidents, incidents and near misses must be reported via the online accident/incident reporting system.

 

Caroline Farren

School of Engineering Health and Safety Advisor