Safety Policies

Safe Working Policy

The safe working policy of the School is to:

• provide a safe working environment
• provide safety training to staff and students
• document and communicate safe working procedures to all staff and students and visitors
• monitor safe working practices

Your contribution to a safe working environment must include:

• developing and implementing safe working documentation and procedures by:
  • initiating risk assessment for any of your activities that may involve risk
  • developing Safe Work Procedures (SWP) for activities and equipment associated with your work that have a potential safety risk
  • obtaining approval to carry out the procedure which for students require written approval
• attending safety training courses
• attending workspace safety inspections as required and participate actively in safety exercises
• reporting any safety hazard, incident or accident.

Access to Laboratories

Willis Annexe has swipe card access 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Access will only be granted as outlined below. For a summary of the required procedures, see the laboratory access Flow Chart.

1. All undergraduate students must attend the Introduction to Laboratory Safety course (see Safety Training).  Swipe card access will be from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday.  Students must be supervised by approved staff while in any laboratory.
2. In addition, fourth year undergraduate students and postgraduate students undertaking personal projects must attend the Laboratory Safety Awareness course (see Safety Training).  They must have submitted a Laboratory Access Approval (LAA) form and a Risk Control (RC) form for the activity to be undertaken.  The original form must be lodged with the Laboratory Manager and copies kept by the Laboratory OIC and the student.  Swipe card access will then be from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday.  Students may work unsupervised at the discretion of the laboratory officer-in-charge (OIC).
3. Staff who have attended the Laboratory Safety Awareness course (see Safety Training) may be given 24 hour access, 7 days per week.
4. Visiting staff must be given the RMU Induction for New Staff and be accompanied at all times.  If they wish to carry out unsupervised laboratory work, they must attend the Laboratory Safety Awareness course (see Safety Training).
5. Visitors must be given an induction which is based on a risk assessment for the activities and laboratories to be visited and be accompanied at all times.
6. Supervised laboratories can be unlocked but normally the doors should be kept closed.
7. Unsupervised laboratories must be locked — entry doors will have contact details of laboratory OICs.
8. Laboratory work conducted after hours is covered below.

No-one is to be admitted to the laboratory building or to any laboratory who does not have approval to enter.

All access and safety-related documentation must be lodged with the Laboratory Manager.

Control of Hazardous Activities

All staff or student activities must be assessed for hazards and documented if considered sufficiently hazardous.  This includes, but is not limited to, class demonstrations, use of plant and equipment and use of all chemicals.  The documents must then be approved and registered with the Laboratory Manager before carrying out the activity.  All Laboratory OICs must ensure that this is carried out for all activities in the areas of their responsibility.  All academic supervisors must ensure that their students' activities are covered by appropriate risk assessments and documentation.  Depending on the activity and the seniority of the person carrying it out, the approvals may be sought from Laboratory OICs, Laboratory Manager, Laboratory Director or Head of School.

All activities outside the School must be treated in the same manner, including student field work, academic consulting, student projects (eg Solar Car or Formula SAE-A) or any other activity associated with the School.

Students must also have a Risk Control (RC) form signed and approved for any activity with a documented risk assessment and work procedure.  This approval documentation must also be lodged with the Laboratory Manager.

Each experiment, apparatus or plant must have its Safe Work Procedure (SWP) attached or clearly visible close by.

Working Out of Hours in a Laboratory

1. No student may work in a laboratory after hours unless they have special authorisation or immediate supervision by a qualified member of staff.
2. Students wishing to access a laboratory after hours must fill out the Laboratory Access Approval Outside Hours (LAAOH) form, which must be approved by the Academic supervisor and Laboratory OIC.  The original form must be lodged with the Laboratory Manager and copies kept by the Laboratory OIC and the student.
3. Hazardous activities outside normal working hours should be avoided, but if unavoidable each activity must be reassessed for risk, taking into account new factors associated with after hours activity, and new risk assessments and work procedures created.  This will not be necessary if the original risk assessment considered these issues.  It is possible that an assessment of after hours risk will prohibit the activity except in normal working hours.
4. Each student carrying out a hazardous activity after hours must have a valid signed after hours approval, as defined in item 2. above, with the activity itemised on the form.
5. Any person carrying out a hazardous activity after hours must be accompanied at all times by a person authorised as in point 4. above or by an authorised member of staff.  Depending on the activity, it may be necessary to formulate special emergency procedures and inform Security, with details of who is involved and the times of the activity.
6. All staff and students working outside of normal working hours must carry their UNSW identification card. Any persons found without their UNSW identification and after hours authority (as in point 4. above), will be asked to vacate the building by Security.  No unauthorised persons are permitted inside UNSW buildings.