Health and Safety for Supervisors

• Induct them to your workplace
• Undertake a training needs analysis
• Ensure they are booked into any necessary training
• Ensure they complete the training
• Ensure that the staff/student member has undertaken any necessary vaccinations or that they have completed a refusal to be vaccinated form.
• Explain what the after-hours policy is in the workplace
• Explain what the visitors in the office/lab policy is (with particular reference to children in the workplace)
• Explain what the consultation methods are within your area. These may include:
  - Regular e.g. weekly meetings between lab manager/supervisor and staff/students, either one-on-one or group meetings
  - Direct consultation with individual H&S committee members
  - Team, Unit or School meetings
  - H&S Committee Meetings
  - Talk to staff when conducting H&S Inspections
  - Consult with staff when addressing H&S problems
  - Give feedback on outcomes of any H&S issues raised
  - Provide safety information to staff such as email reminders, signs etc
  - Monitor employees health and workplace conditions; e.g. correct workplace set up
• Explain the use of clearance certificates for contractors accessing labs for maintenance work
• Explain what the policy is with regard to authorising access to work areas with respect to keys and swipe cards
• Ensure that the research undertaken by the staff/student is covered by a risk assessment. If there is not an existing risk assessment which specifically covers this work then the staff/student needs to write a risk assessment which you as the supervisor must approved BEFORE any work is undertaken.
• Ensure that all equipment to be used by the new staff/student, including equipment which they are introducing into the workplace is safe. This can be established through:
  - A safe work procedure for the equipment
  - Electrical testing and tagging of all electrical equipment
  - Keeping the inspection and testing regime current for all equipment which requires regular inspection and testing e.g. fume hoods, biological safety cabinets, floor mounted centrifuges, regulators, safety showers and eyewash stations
  - Ensuring that any necessary safety equipment is present before any work commences e.g. guarding, spill kits, face shields