Introduction to UCL’s Safety Management System

The UCL Health and Safety Policy, how UCL organises and the arrangements it has in place for the implementation of the safety policy and compliance with its legal obligations are set out in UCL’s Safety Management System. The UCL Statement of Safety Policy acknowledges UCL’s statutory obligation to manage its work in such a way as to minimise health and safety risks to its staff, students and others who might be affected by its activities. This is set out in general terms in the Management Regulations but is described in much greater detail in guidance from the Health and Safety Executive aimed at all UK employers.

The UCL safety management system is based on the HSE publication HS(G)65 which is a Plan-Do-Check-Act process where ownership and responsibilities are integral to the activity owners. The philosophy behind the system is that the people responsible for creating the risk are the people responsible for managing the risk. It is for this reason that a significant amount of effort is directed at developing our people, processes and enabling technology to help managers fulfil their responsibilities and in so doing, as a minimum, meet legal requirements.

Each Department must record its own organisation and arrangements to implement UCL Safety Policy. This must include a statement of commitment to meeting the requirements of the UCL H&S Policy signed by the HoD and describe how the Department supports the achievement of the corporate aims and objectives. They should describe the responsibilities and mechanisms by which the Department will meet the relevant corporate requirements and how the corporate responsibilities cascade to the Department. In addition, they will describe any relevant Departmental documentation, associated responsibilities and how they relate to corporate documentation. 

These management system pages are arranged in line with the Plan, Do, Check, Act management cycle as advocated by the HSE and UCEA/USHA are authorised by the Provost and President. Changes to this document are the responsibility of the Director of Safety Services following approval by the HSC or University Management Committee (UMT).