School policy relating to staff and student safety inductions and training, manual handling and laboratory risk assessments.

Staff and student safety inductions

The School of Mechanical Engineering acknowledges its responsibility to provide induction and training to all new staff and visitors. Additionally the School acknowledges its responsibility to provide induction and training to students who work unsupervised in laboratories or workshops.

Training records

This policy applies to all chemical laboratories and areas where hazardous substances are used. The policy assists the School to comply with its legal responsibilities with regard to training, instruction and safe work practice. The policy applies to all staff and students commencing unsupervised work in the designated areas.

New staff and students are required to complete Training Records as part of School safety training in at least one category and submit it to the laboratory supervisor before starting work in chemical laboratories. This information will be filed in a Training Record file that is maintained by the laboratory supervisor.

The Training Record information will provide documentary evidence that the School has discharged its legal responsibility in this area.

Manual handling

This policy acknowledges the legislative requirement and UWA Policy for identifying, assessing and controlling risks associated with manual handling.

The School of Mechanical Engineering undertakes to provide supervision and training to all individuals engaged in manual handling tasks in addition to providing mechanical lifting and transportation aids for heavy lifting tasks.

Under the devolved responsibility from the Head of School, all Laboratory and Workshop supervisors are responsible for the areas and personnel under their control. This responsibility extends to all manual handling operations were staff or students may be placed at risk. Supervisors are required to carry out manual handling risk identification, risk assessment and implement risk control measures.

In addition, researchers have a responsibility to ensure that manual handling hazards are addressed at the purchase or design stage of projects and areas for the location of heavy or awkward equipment are sensibly chosen and avoid the need for future transportation.

• UWA safety and health policy on manual handling

Laboratory risk assessment

This policy applies to all School of Mechanical Engineering laboratories and workshops and is a requirement of the UWA Risk Management Policy. It requires that staff with devolved responsibility conduct regular risk reviews to maintain University Safety Standards and to assess new and evolving risks.

The identification and management of safety hazards is assigned to laboratory and workshop supervisors. Supervisors of laboratories and workshops have control and responsibility. Supervisors control access to the areas under their jurisdiction and are familiar with the hazards associated with the work in their area of expertise.

All area supervisors are required to carry out regular risk assessments for their areas of responsibility. A School Risk Assessment Form needs to be completed and maintained for each area to identify new and evolving hazards:

Supervisors are required to report the status of these assessments annually to the Head of School, or sooner in the case of activities/processes associated with high risk. This will enable the School to identify the principle risks and update its annual OHS Plan through the Safety Committee.

In instances where operations, equipment or processes are identified as having a potentially high level of risk, it is a legal requirement to conduct a written Risk Assessment and implement controls to reduce the risk to an acceptable level PRIOR to any work commencing.

Further information on UWA policies and procedures relating to Risk Management may be viewed at the UWA Safety and Health website.