(Last updated 5th April 2018)
- Introduction
- Non-working Visitors
- Working visitors
- Frequent visitors
- Other University staff visiting SLS premises
- Children & young persons visiting SLS premises
The procedures laid down in this document are in keeping with the relevant Safety Services Policy Arrangements. Sections 2 to 5 deal with adult visitors, section 6 deals with children and young persons.
Visitors to the School of Research are required to report to DC Reception upon arrival. Visitors to the School of Learning and Teaching are required to report to the Carnelley Building Reception Desk. The receptionist will telephone the visitor's contact, and they will arrange for the visitor to be collected from Reception and escorted to their destination.
All visitors must adhere to the guidelines detailed on the Information for Visitors brochure, available in hard copy in all SLS recpetion areas.
- Non-working visitors: persons not classified as SLS staff, participating in short-term (generally no more than one day), supervised visits to SLS premises, which may involve tours of non-public areas (e.g. laboratories, stores areas) and participation in practical demonstrations, but will not involve undertaking a job of work.
- Large party: visiting party comprised of five or more persons.
- Small party: visiting party comprised of fewer than five persons.
- Visit Organiser: the person who drafts the itinerary and makes arrangements for the visiting party prior to their arrival.
- Visit Supervisor: the person who will greet the party at reception, oversee the visit and assume responsibility for the visitors' welfare while on SLS premises. (Also known as the Host.)
- Visitors Book: a register, held at Reception, in which all visitors are required to enter: their name; date of the visit; time of arrival; contact's name and, before they leave the building at the end of their visit, departure time.
- Normal working hours: 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
- Working visitor: a person who is not a University staff member but is performing a job of work on SLS premises, typically although not exclusively, in a research role.
- Short-term working visitor: visitor working on SLS premises for one month or less.
- Long-term working visitors: visitor working on SLS premises for more than one month.
- Child or young person: the Health & Safety (Young Persons) Regulations defines a "child" as a person who has not reached the minimum school leaving age of sixteen years; and a "young person" as a person who has not reached the age of eighteen years.
2.1 Procedure for Large Parties on Formal Visits
2.1.1 At least three days prior to the visit, if at all possible, the Visit Organiser must:
- Notify SLS Safety and the relevant Lab/Office/Facility Manager
of the visit via email. The following points must be
covered:
- Who is organising the visit?
- Who will supervise the visitors on the day (i.e. the Host)?
- When is the visit (date & start/end times)?
- Who are the visitors (i.e. what organisation are they from)?
- How many visitors are in the party?
- Are any of the visitors under 16 years of age and, if yes, how many?
- What is the purpose of the visit?
- Which areas will the visit take in?
- Will the visitors be required to take part in any practical demonstrations? If yes, give details.
- Will the visitors be required to operate equipment or handle hazardous substances? If yes, give details.
- Will any photographs or camera footage be taken during the visit? If yes, give details.
- Ensure staff working along the route of any tour are informed of the date, time and party size.
2.1.2 SLS Safety must:
- Analyse the visit notification and flag up any H&S concerns to the Visit Organiser and relevant Lab/Office/Facility Manager.
- Be satisfied that the Visit Supervisor is a competent member of staff.
- If necessary:
- advise the Visit Supervisor to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of practical activities/demonstrations;
- advise the Visit Organiser to appoint additional guides to maintain a ratio of one staff member to every ten visitors.
- investigate and report accidents/incidents involving visitors to Safety Services.
2.1.3 The relevant Lab/Office/Facility Manager must :
- inspect any area where filming or photography is taking place to ensure the area is clean, tidy and safe;
- if required, provide advice on additional risk assessments for practical activities/demonstrations.
2.1.4 The Visit Supervisor, on the day of the visit, must:
- Ensure the party is supervised at all times.
- Inform the SLS Safety of any changes to the original itinerary.
- Issue a generic Visitor badge to each member of the party (note - they do not have to sign the Visitors Book).
- Issue the Information for Visitors brochure to all party members and ask them to read it carefully.
- Inform visitors of any special hazards within the areas they will tour.
- Ask if any visitor has reason to believe they may be at high risk, e.g. asthma suffers entering dusty areas or pacemaker wearers touring NMR facilities.
- Clearly indicate the fire exits and assembly point.
- Head count the party: before the visit commences; at regular intervals during the visit; at the Fire assembly point (if a building evacuation occurs); when the visit ends.
- Ensure visitors wear lab-coats in laboratory areas.
- Report any accident or incident involving a visitor, immediately and accurately, to the SLS H&S.
2.1.5 The Visitor is required to:
- Adhere to the instructions given in the Information for Visitors brochure.
- Wear their Visitor badge.
- Follow the instructions given by the Visit Supervisor.
If a visit is scheduled to take place outwith normal working hours the Visit Organiser, in addition to the duties stipulated above, must inform the building receptionist at least three days in advance of the date, time, party size and itinerary. The receptionist will relay this information to Campus Security.
The Visit Organiser must also ensure the Visit Supervisor has access to all relevant emergency contact numbers (see Reception for further information).
If the visiting party comprises fewer than five individuals, notification of SLS Safety is not necessary, providing the visit does not involve any of the following activities:
- access to restricted areas e.g. containment level 2/3 areas, supervised radioactive areas;
- handling of hazardous substances;
- use of equipment that may present a risk to health;
- taking photographs or camera footage.
All other responsibilities of the Visit Supervisor and the visitor, as defined in sections 2.1 and 2.2, still apply and visitors are required to sign the Visitors Book and wear their personalised Visitor badge.
This section does not deal with detailed arrangements for external contractors and service engineers. There are separate health and safety procedures pertaining to these special categories of Working Visitor.
3.2 Associate Staff Membership
Many working visitors are entitled to become Associate Members of Staff; giving them access to university facilities such as the Library, Sports Centre and Students Union. Contact the Human Resources Office for further information.
Time does not allow for full health and safety induction and training but, as a minimum, the visitor must be:
- given basic health & safety training and complete a SLS Basic H&S Training Checklist;
- made aware of their duty of care to all persons who may be affected by their actions;
- adequately supervised;
- supplied with, and have read and understood, risk assessments for the activities they will undertake;
- informed of procedures for working outwith normal working hours.
The senior member of staff with/for whom the visitor is working assumes responsibility for their health and safety.
Note: temporary proximity cards will not be issued to short term working visitors unless they report to Reception with a member of SLS staff and a copy of their completed, signed H&S Training Checklist.
Long-term Working Visitors will be treated as new staff members, subject to the same health and safety induction, training, supervision and responsibilities. As with short-term visitors, the senior member of staff with/for whom the visitor is working assumes responsibility for their health and safety.
Note: temporary proximity cards will not be issued to long term working visitors unless they report to Reception with a member of SLS staff and a copy of their completed, signed H&S Training Checklist.
Certain individuals may frequently visit SLS premises over an extended period of time (for example, sales representatives) and not all visits will be organised well in advance. In such cases the first visit to SLS premises must be formally organised and subject to the relevant procedures (as above). Refresher training/instruction should be given if/when deemed necessary by the SLS staff member(s) dealing with the visitor. Frequent visitors are expected to sign the Visitors Book and wear a personalised Visitor badge each time they visit.
5 Other University Staff Visiting SLS Premises
University staff from any department/facility outwith SLS are required to sign the University Staff Visitors book but are not issued with a Visitor badge since their staff card is adequate for identification purposes.
6 Children and Young Persons Visiting SLS Premises
Additional measures must be applied to ensure the health and safety of children and young persons on SLS premises. All SLS personnel are expected to abide by Safety Services Policy Arrangement Children Visiting University Premises.
6.1 Children on Unofficial Visits Accompanied by a Parent or Guardian
Staff or students may bring their children into SLS premises only for very short occasional visits to their workplace provided that they have notified their line manager of their intentions. During these short visits, children are allowed into low risk areas, e.g. reception areas, offices and meeting/coffee rooms, on the condition that parents provide strict and close supervision at all times. This responsibility cannot be delegated to another person.
- The following areas are deemed unsuitable for children:
- any laboratory area;
- writing rooms off laboratory areas;
- workshops;
- waste collection/disposal areas;
- stores facilities and loading/delivery bays;
- goods lifts;
- basement areas.
Travelling through these unsuitable areas to reach a low risk area is also unacceptable.
Laboratory Mangers are expected to monitor compliance with this policy and refer instances of non-compliance to Division Heads. The Head of School has given Lab Managers the authority to ask parents and children to leave areas that are unsuitable for children. All SLS staff and students are expected to comply with such a request.
6.2 Children on Planned, Official Visits
The procedures detailed in section 2 apply but with the following amendments:
- The Visit Organiser and Visit Supervisor must understand and comply with the aforementioned "Children on University Premises" policy.
- This guidance also applies and must be
complied with.
- For simple tours of SLS areas, a generic risk assessment is available.
- When laboratory work is to be demonstrated or undertaken
by the young person, the Visit Organiser and Supervisor
must undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment
that takes into account issues of having young persons in
the building.
- Those supervising children must ensure that they are not in a situation where they are alone with children.
- A ratio of at least one staff member to every eight child visitors is recommended, but each scenario should be individually risk assessed to determine the appropriate ratio for any given activity.
- Rather than issuing the "Information for Visitors"
brochure, the Visit Supervisor must introduce each guide
and clearly explain to the children that they must not:
- touch any object, unless permitted to do so by their guide;
- become separated from their guide;
- panic in the event of an alarm, but calmly follow their guide out of the building.
It is vital that the Visit Supervisor and guides provide constant, close supervision throughout the duration of the visit.
Note: if required, child-sized lab coats can be borrowed from SLSLT. Contact the SLSLT Technical Coordinator or their Deputy for further information.
6.3 Children and Young Persons Working on SLS Premises
Contact the School Outreach Organiser in the first instance to make
arrangements for such work placements/employment and ensure a Work Experience Application is completed and submitted for each applicant. Please
note that the requirements laid out in section 3.3 (above)
will apply, including the need for induction, supervision
and risk assessment of the work activities to be undertaken.
Out of hours working will normally not be allowed for young
persons working on SLS premises and they will not be issued
with a proximity access card.