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Safety starts with you: Implementing the first UCL Health and Safety Strategy

22 December 2025

UCL has launched its first-ever Health and Safety Strategy, a milestone shaped by contributions from our entire community.

Text reads Implementing the first UCL Health and Safety Strategy Plan and Vision 2027 and beyond. Includes a person walking with a suitcase, a person in a lab and a hand holding a plug

UCL’s Health and Safety Vision: 2027 and beyond provides direction and purpose on how we manage health and safety across the university and holds us to account to ensure we all play our part in making UCL a safe and healthy place to work, study and visit.

Three tools to build a safety and health culture at UCL

Many people sat on stairs of the Portico

To support this vision, we’re introducing three tools that will help all of us build a strong safety culture across UCL. For the first time, our strategy, “on a page” overview and annual route map sit together in one clear framework. They show not only what we’re aiming for, but how you can get there.
 

All major health and safety workstreams, from fire and building safety to wellbeing, occupational health, and chemical, radiation, biological and equipment safety, are now aligned under one joined-up approach.

  1. UCL Health and Safety Strategic Plan and Vision: 2027 and beyond. Our high-level strategy that unites health and safety priorities across UCL and aligns with UCL’s institutional priorities.
  2. Health and Safety Strategic Plan “on a page”. A simple overview of the necessary long-term workstreams that will drive progress toward the Vision.
  3. Annual Health and Safety Route Map 2025-26. A practical, action-focused plan that sets out operational key objectives and performance indicators to monitor and report on progress, helping you understand what action you can take locally to support your department.

Together, these resources give us shared objectives, transparency on the work led by the Safety Services team, and the confidence to create positive change in your own areas.

Our 3-stage journey to building the strategy

Groups conversing around tables with a UCL sign on an umbrella

We created this strategy and the supporting toolkit because the previous approach relied heavily on the T100 and T100 Lite management system, which was locally implemented, and success reflected the department culture and leadership engagement.
 

UCL was missing a unified, university-wide direction and consistent communication to support our growing needs. The new strategy gives us a shared vision, clearer goals and a joined-up approach to drive meaningful local change.

To make sure the strategy reflected the real needs of our community, we developed it through three phases:

Phase 1: Strategy consultation (Dec 2024–Jan 2025)

We engaged key stakeholders, including Departmental Safety Officers, and invited all staff to comment on the draft strategy. 64 members joined the consultation and shared insights.

You told us:

The term “People” feels overly broad, so we refined the vision wording to clarify the knowledge level and training required to support the change.

You told us:

“Make it practical and think about the impact it will have on individuals and their work.” In response, we created detailed route maps for each theme and enabler to show exactly how the strategy can be delivered in day-to-day work.

Phase 2: Plan on a page consultation (Feb–Mar 2025)

We tested the Health and Safety Strategic Plan “on a page”, which is the long-term plan that outlines how Safety Services will deliver the strategy. Feedback focused on the resources needed, communication support, and improving awareness of T100, the management system that underpins this work.

Phase 3: Final strategy published (July 2025)

We shared the final version across the whole community, encouraging departments to use the new tools and begin driving local improvements.

Shaped through consultation, this strategy reflects the needs of our staff and students and provides a clear roadmap to guide us in the years ahead.

How you can support the culture change

Three people sat on the grass talking

We believe that a collaborative approach is essential to making decisions and building a strong health and safety culture. Your support plays an active role in embedding safety into everyday practices.
 

For all UCL students:

We encourage you to:

  1. Read the Health and Safety Strategy and understand its key Themes and Enablers.
  2. Complete any health and safety training and actively share your knowledge.
  3. Report anything unsafe or any incidents via riskNET. A hazard can be an object, situation, or process. Please report hazards to help ensure a safer environment for everyone.

For all UCL staff:

We encourage you to:

  1. Read the Health and Safety Strategy and understand its key Themes and Enablers.
  2. Engage with upcoming training and activities outlined in the Route Map, and initiate discussions within your team on how to apply them locally. Your departmental Lead Safety Advisor will be an ally to support you.
  3. Actively use the right platforms to raise your safety and concerns.
    - Report an accident, injury or acute illness via InsideUCL.
    - Report an emergency on campus via SafeZone or dial 999.

For more details, visit the UCL Health and Safety Strategic SharePoint.

If you’d like to discuss the strategy or get further support, please get in touch with the team by contacting safety@ucl.ac.uk.

 

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