Health and Safety Policy
INTRODUCTION
The Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences has a duty to provide a safe and healthy working environment. Management of health and safety is a fundamental part of our plan and is essential to the success of the organisation.
As an employer, the Academy has a duty under the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, European Directives, and other associated legislation to protect the health and safety of all its employees.
The Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences endeavours to comply with these legal requirements by ensuring that:
- The health and safety of its employees is protected as far as practicable whilst at work
- The demands of activities do not exceed the capabilities of staff or students to carry out the work safely
- Persons who may be affected by the Academy’s activities (including students, staff and the general public) are not exposed to risks to their health and safety
- Sufficient assessments of risks to the health and safety of employees, and individuals who are affected by the Academy’s undertaking and activities, are carried out
- A safe system of work and a safe working environment are provided for students, staff and others as far as practicable
- Clear and logical organisational and procedural arrangements are in place to allow the Academy to carry out its duties efficiently
- Arrangements are made, so far as is practicable, for the safe use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances
- Clear procedures are outlined for action to be taken in the case of emergencies (including fires)
- Procedures for action in the event of injury, and for reporting accidents, dangerous occurrences and personal incidents are maintained (see Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations – RIDDOR)
- Relevant information, training, instruction and supervision is provided to ensure, so far as is practicable, the health and safety of staff, student and any others affected by Academy activities
- Effective monitoring, reviewing and auditing of this policy, and the organisational arrangements to protect the health and safety of any individual affected by Academy activities, is undertaken
- A positive attitude towards health and safety is encouraged, developed and maintained throughout the Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences.
QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON H&S POLICY
The Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences shares teaching and office locations with Queen Mary University of London and therefore it is important that all staff and students familiarise themselves with the Environmental Health and Safety procedures of the University. The relevant information can be found at: http://qm-web.safety.qmul.ac.uk/index.html
FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
In Emergency Dial: 07846044406
In the case of any emergency, you should call the number above and where necessary, dial 999 and request the ambulance services. You should do this as soon as the emergency arises and not try to deal with it unless you are fully qualified to do so. A first aider should be informed as soon as possible. A list of first aiders and their contact numbers are provided below.
Name of First Aider |
Contact Number |
Professor P Vanezis |
07802563223 |
Mr Dalvir Soor |
07763674460 |
The nearest hospitals and walk in centres providing Accident and Emergency (A&E) treatment are listed below:
St Thomas’ Hospital A&E, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH
Royal London Hospital A&E, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BB
Minor injuries can be treated using materials from the First Aid kits which are located in: Security Desks around Charterhouse Square and at the 117 Charterhouse Street Office, first floor reception.
RISK ASSESMENT
The management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 place a general requirement on employers to assess all risks involved in their work activity. Where there is a significant risk this assessment must be recorded.
Hazard – Something which has the potential to do harm
Risk – The likelihood of the harm occurring
The essential steps that are taken in order to comply with these Regulations are:
- Identify the hazards to health or safety arising from the activity or the workplace.
- Decide who might be harmed and how
- Evaluate the risks and decide whether existing precautions are adequate or more needs to be done
- Record your findings
- Review your assessment and revise it if necessary
Hazards can include, but are not limited to:
- Manual Handing Operations
- Slipping / Tripping Hazards
- Electrical Hazards
- Fire / Explosion Hazards
- Extreme Temperatures
- Noise / Dust
- Confined Areas
- Lone-working / Out of Hours Working
- Irregular or Unusual Activities (Building Maintenance or other imminent dangers)
A risk assessment must be carried out for any hazards which may be present in the workplace. These must also be periodically reviewed to ensure that they remain effective. Any significant changes to the activities included in risk assessments must also be updated on the risk assessment form. The risk assessment will outline who is at risk and evaluate the level of risk (low / medium / high). Although this is a subjective evaluation, it will be used to give an indication of the priority with which the risk should be addressed. The risk assessment form will also outline what measure are being undertaken to control the risks. The can include but are not limited to:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Engineering / Mechanical Controls
- Procedural Controls
- Substituting / Replacing the Hazard
- Emergency Procedures
All findings should be recorded on the risk assessment form. The risk assessment form can be found in Appendix 1. Once completed, this should be sent to:
Health and Safety Officer
Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences
117 Charterhouse Street,
London,
EC1M 6AA
Telephone: +44(0)207 882 3401
Fax: +44(0)207 882 3424
Email: info@afms.org.uk
FIRE SAFETY
If a fire breaks out in your presence:
- Raise the alarm by breaking the glass on the nearest fire alarm point.
- If a fire has taken hold, leave immediately.
- Small fires should be put out immediately using the appropriate extinguisher, fire blanket or sand bucket but if it is safe to do so. Do not take any personal risk.
- You should make yourself familiar with the locations of fire alarms, extinguishers, fire blankets and the various fire exits from the building.
- Report any use of the extinguishers, other equipment or discharge to the Safety Officer immediately after use in order that they may be replaced or recharged.
When you hear the fire alarm:
- Leave the building by the nearest route. Behave calmly: do not run, do not take risks, use the stairs.
- Do not use the lifts. If you are in a lift when the alarm sounds, leave it at the next floor and descend via the stairs.
- The “means of escape” routes within the Building are clearly marked with EXIT or FIRE EXIT signs. Please familiarise yourself with all escape routes in the building.
- If you find your nearest escape route blocked, follow the EXIT or FIRE EXIT signs in an alternative direction to find a staircase by which you can descend. All staircases descend directly and provide egress from the building at ground level.
- If it is safe to do so, turn off your apparatus, close the windows and doors do not lock the doors and leave the building by the stairs.
- If possible, notify the fire marshal, who should be organising the egress from the building, he/she will then inform the fire brigade of the location of the fire.
- If you believe anyone has been left in the building, inform the fire marshal or fire brigade when they arrive.
- If the fire alarm sounds in any one stage of the building, all stages are to be evacuated.
- In the event of a fire or emergency evacuation both academic and technical staff will assist in ensuring that the building is cleared; please follow their instructions.
- On leaving the building you must make your way to the assembly area of your building. Do not stay in front of the building. The assembly areas for each building are:
- A map showing the assembly point is located at every fire alarm point.
- Do not leave the assembly area or re-enter the building until given permission to do so by a member of staff authorized to do so.
- The fire alarms will briefly sound during routine maintenance checks: do not confuse this with the continuous two-tone sound for a fire or a bomb threat.
Building Name |
Assembly Point |
Charterhouse Square |
The green (centre of the campus) |
117 Charterhouse Street |
Near the black entry gate to Charterhouse Square |
Fire Marshals:
The following staff members are designated fire marshals and it is their responsibility to ensure that their areas are cleared of people in the event of the activation of a fire alarm. You must listen to their instructions and promptly evacuate the building when told to do so:
- Professor Peter Vanezis
- Mr Adam Konstanciak
Fire Drills:
Building Name |
Assembly Point |
|
|
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BOMB THREATS
In the event of a bomb threat, the fire alarm will be activated and the evacuation procedure is the same. Once evacuated, you should await further instructions from qualified members of staff and the police.
REPORTING ACCIDENTS
Every accident, no matter how minor, must be reported to the Health and Safety Officer (Adam Konstanciak). Please use the Accident and Dangerous Occurrence Report which can be found below in Appendix 2. It can also be downloaded from the Academy website.
The completed form must be returned to the following:
Health and Safety Officer
Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences
117 Charterhouse Street,
London,
EC1M 6AA
Telephone: +44(0)207 882 3401
Fax: +44(0)207 882 3424
Email: info@afms.org.uk
The Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 requires that certain accidents and dangerous occurrences must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive within seven days of the incident. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. The Safety Adviser is responsible for the statutory reporting of accidents and dangerous occurrences and it is essential, therefore, that he is notified as quickly as possible after any incident which may be reportable.
Reportable accidents and dangerous occurrences include:
- Fracture of the skull, spine or pelvis
- Fracture of any bone in the arm or wrist, but not a bone in the hand
- Fracture of any bone in the leg or ankle, but not a bone in the foot
- Amputation of a hand or foot, or a finger, thumb or toe, or any part thereof if the joint, or any bone is completely severed
- The loss of sight of an eye, a penetrating injury to an eye, or a chemical or hot metal burn to an eye
- Either injury (including burns) requiring immediate medical treatment or loss of consciousness, resulting in either case from an electric shock from any electrical circuit or equipment whether or not due to direct contact
- Either acute illness requiring medical treatment or loss of consciousness, resulting in either case from the absorption of any substance by inhalation, ingestion, or through the skin
- Any other injury which results in the injured person being admitted into hospital for more than 24 hours, or the person injured being absent from their place of work for three or more days (Saturday and Sunday are included in this period whether they are normally worked or not)
- Any ignition or explosion of explosives where the ignition or explosion was not intentional
- Electrical short circuit or overload accompanied by fire
- Explosion or collapse of any pressure vessel where the pressure inside the vessel was above or below atmospheric pressure
The full list of reportable accidents and dangerous occurrences is contained in the Reporting of Incidents, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1985. The Safety Officer also has a copy of these regulations available for inspection.
When a reportable accident or dangerous occurrence has occurred, the site of the incident (other than for purposes of making the area safe) must not be cleared, tidied up, or in any other way disturbed until both the College and School Safety Advisers have carried out an initial investigation.
Accident and incident report – click here to download
Risk Assessment form – click here to download