Health, Safety and Environment Committee

Terms of Reference

  1. To act on behalf of, and to advise, Senate and Council and senior management on matters of health, safety and environmental policy, structure and communications; and to recommend any action necessary to ensure the health and safety of staff, students and members of the public (including contractors and visitors to University premises);
  2. To develop and agree the strategic approach to be adopted in relation to Health, Safety, Environmental and Sustainability management;
  3. To receive and act on reports, both written and verbal, on the health, safety and environmental performance and plans of schools and professional services;
  4. To keep under review the University’s legal and statutory obligations with regard to health, safety and environmental regulation compliance and to identify through regular monitoring and bring to the attention of senior management and/or Senate and Council areas where compliance is at risk or not being achieved;
  5. To receive reports on health and safety and environmental  audits, accident statistics, communications with enforcing authorities, and from relevant sub-groups, and to make recommendations to relevant University management of any corrective action required;
  6. To receive aggregated absence statistics and reasons for such absences on a similar basis;
  7. Specifically to receive reports from sub-committees which have been established to ensure compliance with legal requirements, e.g. the Radiological Protection sub-committee;
  8. Where appropriate to seek out and promote areas of good practice;
  9. To receive updates on changing legislation and to review and assist in the development of policies and procedures to enable the University to meet all statutory requirements;
  10. To ensure all levels of University management are aware of their safety and environmental obligations and through the receipt of regular monitoring reports to ensure these obligations are being discharged appropriately;
  11. To set up and oversee sub-groups of the Committee and to commission reports from these sub-groups as is necessary to assist the Committee in the development of policy and procedure. To produce terms of reference for environmental management and sustainability sub-group(s) of the Health, Safety and Environment Committee;
  12. To monitor staff training and development programmes as they relate to health, safety and environmental issues to ensure appropriate training is provided to enable all managers safely to discharge their duties;
  13. To receive reports and review personal safety for staff, students and visitors on University premises, particularly where it could impinge on health and safety;
  14. To receive reports on the progress of the University Environmental Management System;
  15. To report after each meeting to Senate and Council on health, safety and environmental activities and provide Senate and Council with the information required to discharge their duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) and the Register of Environmental Legislation.