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Health and Safety Policy

The following is the general statement of health and safety policy of UCL as required by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

UCL’s overall objective is to provide and maintain a safe and healthy environment for its staff, students, people we work with and for those who visit. Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility, and a prime responsibility of all levels of management, and everyone is expected to contribute towards achieving our overall objective. UCL is committed to having a health and safety culture and performance that we can be proud of.

Dr Michael Spence UCL Provost
My aim, and that of the University Management Committee, is to encourage and foster a culture where everyone is aware of their individual health and safety responsibilities and is actively engaged and committed to improving standards of health, safety and welfare.
We expect every member of the College to share this commitment and to work together to achieve it. Nothing that we do is so important that it cannot be done safely.

We shall:

Plan improvements in health and safety management by:

  • Developing the UCL Health and Safety Strategy and supporting high-level action plan
  • Complying with legal, UCL and any other requirements.
  • Ensuring the health and safety risks are managed to as low as is reasonably practicable through processes of risk assessment and risk control.
  • Taking due account of health and safety risks as an integral part of our operations.
  • Planning for the management of, and recovery from, any major incident that could severely disrupt normal operation.
  • Providing adequate resources and setting of appropriate safety objectives.

Implement and operate effective risk control systems by:

  • Ensuring that all work activities performed within UCL are performed by persons competent to carry out these activities or persons under appropriate and competent supervision.
  • Providing employees with access to services to promote health and wellbeing.
  • Providing premises, plant and equipment and systems of work that contribute to a safe and healthy work place.
  • Maintaining and making available approved standards, arrangements and guidance relating to health and safety.
  • Encouraging a positive health and safety culture by securing the commitment and involvement of our management, employees and those we work with through effective communication and consultation mechanisms. 
  • Ensuring arrangements with contractors promote and actively support the implementation of this policy.

Monitor health and safety performance by:

  • Continually monitoring performance through inspection and audit to provide assurance and to identify and ensure appropriate corrective action where required.
  • Using meaningful proactive and reactive indicators to drive continual improvement in performance.
  • Ensuring that root causes are identified in the investigation of incidents.

Review of health and safety management by:

  • Undertaking regular reviews of the suitability and effectiveness of health and safety management, including this policy.
  • Coordinating identified actions where appropriate into the planned improvements for UCL and appropriate governance arrangements.

The UCL Statement of Safety Policy shall be reviewed, revised where appropriate, and re-authorised annually by the President and Provost.

dr_michael_spence_signature

Dr Michael Spence AC
President and Provost

Signed: 12 August 2024


UCL's Corporate Objectives


The Policy includes the current UCL corporate objectives.

UCL health and safety objectives →

Scope of the Policy


The policy is intended for implementation in all UCL’s constituent academic and administrative departments, institutes, schools, faculties and divisions in UCL. The term ‘Department’ is used generically to apply to all UCL management entities. Within the ‘Department’ the most senior manager is responsible for allocating the financial and human resources necessary for the management of health and safety.

The policy applies to:

  • All UCL employees and post-graduate students in the UK.
  • All UCL employees and post-graduate students overseas in so far as it is reasonably practicable, but as a minimum achieving compliance with local legislation.
  • Contractors whilst undertaking or engaged in, UCL activities where specified by contract.

Each Department must determine and record its own organisation and arrangements to implement UCL Policy. These shall describe the responsibilities and mechanisms (including documentation and training) by which the Department will meet the relevant UCL objectives and requirements and how the safety management responsibilities cascade within the Department.

UCL requires and expects business partners, associates, contractors and suppliers to set and achieve appropriate standards of health and safety at work.

Last updated: Friday, May 5, 2023