Chapter 2.1 - Safety Objectives

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• UCL health and safety objectives
• Risk-based safety improvement plans
• Contractor management
• Management of change

UCL health and safety objectives

Health and safety is integral to the planning of all our business and work activities to ensure adequate resources are provided to implement health and safety requirements. University health and safety objectives are developed annually for review and endorsement by the Health and Safety Committee (HSC).

The Director of Safety Services is responsible for the analysis of UCL-wide health and safety risks, the effectiveness of the safety management system and the development of University safety objectives. Relevant actions are cascaded to UCL Departments. Progress against the UCL Safety Objectives is reviewed quarterly by the HSC. The analysis is made from a variety of sources:

• Management system KPI measurement and analysis
• Risk assessments
• Incidents
• Inspection results
• Actions (current and over-run)
• Legal and other requirements
• Health and safety policy decisions
• Non-conformances
• Audit/assurance findings
• Typical significant hazards known to be present in the organisation

> See the current Health and Safety Objectives

Risk based safety improvement plans

UCL Departments are required to perform their own analysis of their departmental risks and effectiveness of their safety management system. From the identified risks actions are determined and fed into the departmental planning process.

The HSC is responsible for monitoring progress at the organisational level and for Departments this responsibility should be determined and recorded in the Departmental Organisation and Arrangements.

The effectiveness of the safety management system can be measured by Departments using the Target 100 (T100) tool and Safety Services are using the tool as part of the Senior Management Awareness Programme.

Contractor management

UCL Estates manages various construction, cleaning, waste removal, security, asbestos surveying and removal, catering, BMS, fire alarms, lifts and chillers maintenance and water hygiene contractors.

To successfully manage contractors UCL Estates has a set of Standards, Policies and Procedures that form Employers Requirements to which contractors must adhere to.

To ensure adherence UCL Services Contracts Managers and Project Officers are tasked to monitor contractors’ health and safety performance via frequent inspections, unannounced workplace visits and evaluations of Key Performance Indicators.

Inspection reports are recorded on UCL online reporting tool riskNET which allows UCL to analyse reports and act on identified health and safety shortcomings.

Management of change

Management of change is an important aspect of safety management. Change can introduce new hazards that could impact the appropriateness and effectiveness of any existing risk mitigation. Whenever a significant change is introduced to an existing system, such as a new operational requirement or a major reorganisation, and it is determined that the change may lead to risk, the risk must be identified and then the change must be carefully managed in co-operation with the affected stakeholders.

UCL procedures for hazard identification and risk assessment enable managers to take into account changes or proposed changes in the organisation, its activities or materials prior to the introduction of such changes to identify potential hazards that will ensure that there is no adverse effect on safety.

Managers, through the risk assessment process, are required to:

• Identify any significant hazards associated with “change”
• Assess any risks associated with “change”
• Consider the hazards and risks where identified prior to the introduction of the “change”
• Implement the controls needed to address the identified hazards and risks associated with the “change”
• Monitor the change as a way to collect and analyse feedback, identify gaps and lessons learned