Minutes of Health and Safety
Committee Meeting Held on
Wednesday 30th November 2016at 2pm
Present: Mr Philip Ratcliff, Deputy Director of Human Resources(Chair)
Mrs Debby Roberts, Assistant Director, Campus Services
Miss Bruna Silva, President, Students’ Union
Miss Debs Ireland, Occupational Health Adviser
Mr Steven Westcough, Health and Safety Adviser
Mr Robert Dove, UNISON
Mrs Emma Shaw (Secretary)
Apologies:Miss Hazel Wright, Well-being Services Co-ordinator, Student Services
Miss Georgina Arksey, Vice-President Welfare, Students’ Union
698Welcome:
It was noted:
1that Bruna Silva,President of the Students’ Unionwas welcomed and attending in place of the Vice-President Welfare.
699Notes of the last Meeting
It was agreed:
1to approve as an accurate record, the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 11thMay 2016.
Action: all
700Matters Arising
Further to minute 694 (7),–‘provide the Union Representative with the updated stress risk assessment’, it was noted:
1that the stress risk assessment form had not changed and the correct document could be found on the website.
2that the Stress Management Policy had been altered to reflect each level of management and their roles and responsibilities. Also included was the role of the Employee and specificdepartment areas such as Occupational Health, Health & Safety and Human Resources.
3thata SMART action plan had been included along with flow charts for both Managers and Employees to utilise.
4that the Policy would now be circulated with the Committee minutes for comment within a 30 working day response time.
It was agreed:
5to circulate the draft Policy for comment within a 30 working day deadline, all responses to the Committee Secretary.
Action: Secretary to the Committee and all members
Further to minute 695 (4),–‘rename the HIV and AIDS Policy to Blood Bourne Virus Policy’, it was noted:
1that the document had been agreed by UNISON and now would be submitted through Juliet Amos for the next meeting of the People and Organisational Development Committee.
701Safety Report
It was noted:
1that the safety report was provided to the Committee, see Appendix A.
2that all ‘Posturite’ reports would be for advice only and their findings sent to the Health and Safety Centre for further action.
3thatthe Posturite reports would not be provided to the member of staff being assesseduntil approved by the Health and Safety Centre.
4thatthe Committee raised the issue of staff with certain medical conditions who needed to be aware of theNMR equipment in the Orion Building.
5thatall warning notices would be visible in the NMR equipment’s location.
6that the Security Manager would be notified about theNMR equipment and asked to relay the information to staff working in security (noting the potential for medical conditions in this group of staff which could be affected by the proximity to the NMR equipment).
7that the visual inspection of electrical equipment procedure was for small items only, such as mobile phone chargers, laptop charges and allowed for temporary assurance ahead of full PAT testing. It was noted that the request for a visual inspection approach had been generated from ITaCS.
8that information on taps identified as ‘little used’ would beprovided to Campus Services who would be aware of all of these locations across campus.
It was agreed:
9to advise the Security Manager and his Deputy of the NMR equipment risk in the Orion Building so security staff could be informed.
Action: Health and Safety Adviser
702Occupational Health Report
It was noted:
1that referrals to Occupational Health remainedat a consistent level with the three main reasons being: stress, musculoskeletal and surgery.
2that the highest number of referrals currently received were from Campus Services, School of Health & Social Care and School of Social Sciences, Business & Law.
3that Campus Services’ had one main reason for referrals that being musculoskeletal and allemployeeshad been provided with a manual handling risk assessment.
4that should any staff be re-referred then a report from Campus Services would be provided to identify what support had been put in place. This had been found to be especially helpful when meeting with the staff member.
5that the two Schools that had stress as the main reason for referrals had combinations of personal or work related stress as the stated causes. Staff referred had been provided with stress risk assessments to complete to determine what, if any, actions could be implemented.
6that another advert had been issued through University Update asking for volunteer Health Advocates in certain Schools/Departments, where there was no Health Advocatesin post. This had generated a number of interested members of staff.
7thatwhere,after the advertisement campaign, there were still missing Health Advocates an email to the Dean/Director would be sent asking them to nominate a representative.
8that a Mental Health First Aid Course had been held on campus and had well attended with positive feedback. This course would be repeated next year.
9that health promotion events were planned for each month (apart from August due to holiday period for most staff). It was advised that occasionally there could be one campaign a month on campus.
10that, so far, a number of campaigns had occurred, including: ‘healthy hearts’, ‘alcohol awareness - know your units and mocktails’, ‘Stoptober’ and a men’s health bus for ‘Movember’. Darlington Campus had been included in the event.
11that in December a ‘time to spare/loneliness’ campaign was planned and in January there would be a campaign ‘New Year, New You’ with a bespoke exercise and eating plan offered to assist staff.
12that these campaigns would continue and would assist the University in obtaining the next level of the Better Health @ Work Award.
13thatall activities were discussed with the Well-being Services Co-ordinator in Student Services to link campaigns to include staff and students where possible.
703Student Health Report
It was noted:
1that in the absence of the Well-being Services Co-ordinator the main points of the report were read out;- see Appendix B for full report.
2that the President of the Students’ Union provided information on additional activities such as the recent launch of the ‘Yes to Respect’ campaign,the availability of the snoozerooms, a stress buster promotion and campaigns around mental health and looking out for a friend.
704Accident Statistics Report
It was noted:
1that the details of the accidents reported since the last meeting were outlined, see Appendix C.
2that the Assistant Director of Campus Services queried another RIDDOR accident not on the report. The Health and Safety Adviser would investigate further and complete the RIDDOR report accordingly.
It was agreed:
3to add the additional accident to the report statistics for this period.
Action: Health and Safety Adviser
705Radiation Protection Committee
It was noted:
1that the next meeting of the Radiation Protection Committee was next week and that the Committee meets annually.
2that the external Radiation Protection Adviser would be in attendance.
3that the Radiation Policy was due toexpire and wouldbe reviewed at the meeting.
4that the Tower roof radiation was queried; it was confirmed that this was covered in the Radiation Policy.
706Use of Aerosol Sprays
It was noted:
1that a concern was raised from the School of Health & Social Care where a member of staff whilst walking through a corridor had received an allergic reaction froman aerosol spray.
2that the Committee was asked if an advice document or procedure was required to restrict use of aerosols in offices, corridors and public areas of a building.
3that,following a thorough discussion, it was agreed that a document was not required at this time.
It was agreed:
4to feedback the advice to the School of Health & Social Care.
Action: Health and Safety Adviser
707Substance Misuse Policy – proposed changes
It was noted:
1that following a meeting of the Alcohol Impact Working Group it was discussed that alcohol should be included in the Substance Misuse Policy.
2that a review of the Policy had been carried out and, following guidance from Department of Health,certain wording would be added.
3that safety critical roles within the Universityshould be identified in the Policy.
4that ifthere was a concern about a member of staff then the line manager in the first instance would talk to the member of staff to establish if there were issues that required further investigation.
5that there was no intention to carry out alcohol testing.
6that if the line manager had additional concerns then a referral to Occupational Health would be undertaken.
7that staff lunchtimes were a member of staffs own time but that if impairment resulting from alcohol consumption at lunchtime was identified, action in accordance with the Policy would be considered.
8that the Policy would be circulated for comment within a 30 working day deadline.
It was agreed:
9to send a copy of the reviewed Substance Misuse Policy with the minutes for agreement within a 30 working day deadline,all responses to the Committee Secretary.
Action: Secretary to the Committee and all members
708Driver’s Health Monitoring - review
It was noted:
1thatmonitoring of university drivers wascarried out every year.
2that the recommendation from the HSE in relation to company drivers was to carryout appropriate health checks at the time of appointment and, then, once staff memberswereaged over 45 years carryout checksevery 5 years and then annually after the members were65 years old and beyond.
3that the Committee was asked why the monitoring was done annually and was advised it was something the previous Occupational Health Adviser had implemented.
4that if the monitoring was to change then staff needed to be made aware of their liability and report any medical changes which may affect their driving.
5that the DVLA provided advice on all medical conditions and time frames resulting from these condition on ability to drive.
6that the Unison Representative queried who were considered drivers at the University and asked if staff in Student Services were on the list as it was believed they transferred students by vehicle.
7that all checks were currently up to date and the document would be reviewed in 2017 prior to the date the monitoring was due to be carried out.
It was agreed:
8to contact Student Services and enquire if any staff drove vehicles.
Action: Occupational Health Adviser
709Smoking on Campus/Designated Zones
It was noted:
1that the current no smoking areas were identified on a map of the campus.
2that new signage was in place in certain areas such as the astro-turf and SU carpark.
3that smoking on campus was an issue and certain areas seemed to be hotspots this year;mainly the Campus Heart, Clarendon and Centuria Buildings.
4that the Committee felt the signage and lines were not big enough and in some areas not visible, requesting that, this be investigated.
5that Committee members were asked to provide details of any areas they felt required more signage or where the signage had faded.
6that the seating in front of the big screen in the Campus Heart could accommodate a smoking bin to encourage smokers to use that area.
7that the Committee felt information on where the smoking bins were situated on campus would be helpful.
It was agreed:
8to review the signage and lines of the no smoking areas across campus and report back.
9to identify the smoking bins and mark them on the no smoking campus map.
Action: Health and Safety Adviser
710Date and Time of Next Meeting
It was noted:
1that the date of the next meeting would be towards the academic year probably in May 2017.
It was agreed:
2to discuss a range of dates with UNISON Representative and then circulate the preferred date.
Action: Secretary to the Committee
Appendix A
Health and Safety Committee
Safety Report
November 30th 2016
We have engaged Posturite to complete DSE assessments following OH referrals. To date 4 members of staff have been assessed by this external provider and feedback from those assessed has been very positive.
Following advice from the University’s Radiation Protection Adviser we have collated information on all sources of Artificial Optical Radiation present at the University to ensure that we comply with the guidance provided in the Guidance for Employers on the control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010.
Fire Brigade Inspection of The Curve, the feedback was very positive.
SSE have purchased a NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer) located in the Orion Building. This is a powerful magnetic device that uses a very strong, large and expensiveliquid helium-cooledsuperconductingmagnet and access is restricted due to the potential health risks. Work on developing the risk assessment for this equipment is ongoing.
A Health and Safety Review of Facilities Management (FM) Services has been undertaken and an information and rules for Contracted Service Providers document has been produced for these external providers of catering, cleaning, caretaking and security. Companies undertaking FM contracted service agreements for Catering, Cleaning Caretaking and Security must comply with the rules as laid out in this document.
The Health and Safety Centre produced a new booklet with information on undertaking visual inspections of electrical equipment.
Continued to carry out training which has included the following:
- SU catering Fire Safety Training
- Risk Assessment Training including bespoke session for MIMA staff
- Health and Safety for Learning and Teaching
- Accommodation Wardens training
- Festival of Wellbeing ‘Maintaining good posture’ session
- Manual Handling training
- Risk Assessment training
- Principles of Safety Management
- Campus Services Catering, including Fire safety, manual handling, Risk Assessment
- Bespoke training session for post room staff inc. manual handling
Health and Safety Advisers attended the following training sessions:
- Lift release training
- Mental Health first aid
Carried out fire drills for all buildings. All evacuation times satisfactory.
Carried out a variety of inspections including University plant rooms, Accommodation inspections prior to the UUK audit, Ladders, First Aid Cabinets and footpaths, roads and pavements and means of escape including fire exits.
Work with Campus Service on developments including the Library refurbishment, Lecture theatre refurbishments, MIMA catering outlet, Brittan Building pop up Library, extension of Saltersgill Pavilion, Asbestos removal in 2nd floor of Students Union Building, Campus Heart Phase 5 and Teesside Central Block B upgrade.
Liaised with DSO’s on the location of Little Used Water Sources prior to Campus Services tender on Water testing.
Undertaken work with MIMA on staff training requirements, new art exhibitions, developing procedures for The Smeltery and changing the purpose group of a conservation suite to an art store.
Provided support for the following events hosted by the University
- Open Days
- Tees Valley Business Awards
- Graduation including winter graduation at Wynyard Hall
- Community Markets in the Campus Heart
Attended NEUSG meetings
University hosted IOSH Safety Seminars in May and September both of which were attended by over 70 delegates.
Retirement of SH from the Senior Health and Safety Advisers role. Steve is now employed as a H&S consultant on a 1-year contract.
Appendix B
Health and Safety Committee Wednesday 30th November 2016
Student Health and Wellbeing report
- Healthy Universities Network
- HW, DI and ES attended the last network meeting in Nottingham on Wednesday 16th November. The topic was relationships and consent which fits in with the work going on across the University during November and Dec, on the Yes to Respect and All Different All Equal campaigns. HW will feed in the detail to colleagues in Student Services.
- Extra Life.
- Project groups continue to meet where possible. Groups include, Resilience, Promotions and Awareness, 1UP (lifestyle behaviours such as smoking and physical activity), Better Health at work and Healthy Eating. All chaired by members of the Leadership group.
- The 1UP project group is currently focusing on Alcohol as its’ main issue. A mapping exercise of current activity, policy, guidance etc is being carried out in order to develop an action plan for future activity. This includes the potential development of new policy/guidelines regarding alcohol for staff and for students separately.
- The Promotions and Awareness group has been working on the development and running of the Festival of Wellbeing. A small working group including HW, DI, ES, JSH, and a representative from DER have been working on putting together the event programme and the event is now in its final week, ending on December 2nd. A full report will be produced after the festival has ended.
- The next Extra life leadership group meeting is Friday December 9th 2016.
- The Better health at Work group continue to work on the Gold Award.
- Health champions – there are now 13 staff health champions and the recruitment of student health champions has just begun during the festival of wellbeing in November.
- The Healthy Eating group has been working on a variety of activities including the Sugar reduction campaign. A questionnaire has been sent out and focus groups held. The initial results will be available early 2017. This will help the catering service decided whether or not to introduce a ‘sugar tax’ on certain sugary drinks sold on campus.
- Health campaigns and activities update
- So far this academic year the campaigns and activities run have included Fresher’s week, alcohol awareness and wellbeing Wednesday, Meningitis Awareness, the Festival of Wellbeing, Mindfulness taster sessions, Sleep clinics sessions. The Student Union have also run a number of campaigns including Be Smart, Check it Out day, Chlamydia screening and Student Safety day. Also a joint campaign between the University and SU is running week commencing 28th November, Yes to Respect/All Different all Equal around bullying, harassment, consent etc.
- There will be some further promotional activities around encouraging students and staff to sign up to Dry January during December.
- Plans are currently being developed for activities and promotions from Jan –May 2017.
- Meningitis – there was quite a lot of media attention around meningitis this year due to the death of a student from Northumbria University at the start of term. Therefore this year’s campaign here received higher awarenes. There were a lot of queries about the ACWY vaccine. Some confusion amongst GP practices was discovered so a statement was requested to help clarify which students were eligible for the vaccine. This was received and it clarified that just Freshers up to 25 years old could receive it. Some practices had been giving it to any student up to the age of 25. We also had a suspected case of meningitis which turned out not to be meningitis. However a communication was sent out to all staff and students which seemed to be effective.
- TB screening – International students whom handed in a TB screening form at orientation were offered TB screening as usual on campus via the TB screening nurses.
- Health Needs assessment – The Student and Staff HNA is currently being carried out. Students have been asked to fill in a survey with a 1st prize of £400 travel voucher. Focus groups have also been carried out with particular groups of students and groups of staff. The research aspect of the HNA will be complete by Christmas. We are hoping to have the final report by March/April 2017. This will help inform the Extra Life project groups work moving forward into 2017/18
- Additional activities:
- HW has presented at 3 different events on different aspects of Extra Life over the last few months. These include:
- A conference held at the University in July, ‘A Contemplative response to Austerity’
- A meeting of the NE Universities around alcohol issues and the work we are doing here in Middlesbrough
- The BUCS (British Universities College Sport) Development Day about taking a whole system approach to physical activity and sport to improve health and wellbeing.
Appendix C