Vice-Chancellor's Operational Directive – Environment, Health and Safety Responsibilities

1. Background and context

The University is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for students, staff, contractors and visitors and adopting a socially responsible approach towards protecting and sustaining the environment. It aims to be at the forefront of environment, health and safety (EHS) practice in higher education.

Established case law and legislation, such as the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001, define the health and safety responsibilities for employers, employees and others. This Operational Directive further defines accountabilities for implementing the University's environment, health and safety risk management system as set out in the University's Environment, Health and Safety Policy and Risk Management Policy as they apply to discrete groups within the University.

2. Purpose and scope

This Directive applies to all staff, students, contractors and visitors to the University.

3. Definitions

For the purposes of this Operational Directive, the following words shall have the meanings as given below.

'EHS management system' is as defined in Schedule 4.1 of the EHS Policy.

'Faculty/Unit EHS Plan' is as defined in Schedule 4.4 of the EHS Policy.

'UTS EHS Plan' and 'University EHS Plan' are as defined in Schedule 4.3 of the EHS Policy.

4. Vice-Chancellor's statement – responsibilities for health and safety

4.1 All staff, students and visitors

All staff, students, contractors and visitors must:

• take reasonable care of, and cooperate with actions taken to protect, the health and safety of both themselves and others
• follow safe work practices as provided by their supervisor, including the proper use of any personal protective equipment supplied
• seek information or advice from a supervisor before performing new or unfamiliar tasks
• report all health and safety accidents, incidents and hazards to their supervisor as soon as is practicable
• follow the emergency evacuation procedures
• support workplace injury management and return-to-work programs in their work areas.

4.2 Supervisors and managers

Supervisors and managers must do whatever is reasonably practical to ensure that both the workplace and the work itself are safe. This includes:

• ensuring that staff are appropriately trained and supervised
• identifying, assessing and managing health and safety risks
• consulting with staff:
  • about issues that affect their health and safety
  • during health and safety risk assessments
  • when decisions are made about the measures to be taken to eliminate or control these risks
  • when reviewing health and safety risk assessments.
• implementing EHS risk management programs relevant to their operations, teaching, research and consulting functions and work environment
• reporting (to the EHS Branch), investigating and responding to all accidents, incidents (including near-misses) and taking action to control the risk
• assisting with the development, implementation and maintenance of a return to work program for injured staff members.

4.3 Academics

Academics must:

• provide relevant and practical EHS information to students (through inclusion in curriculum and course notes)
• take steps to ensure students adopt safe work practices
• conduct and document risk assessments on research and consulting programs/projects, and ensuring that risks are eliminated or controlled
• consult with staff who may be affected by health and safety risks during risk assessments, when decisions are made about the measures to be taken to eliminate or control these risks, and when these risk assessments are reviewed.

4.4 Heads of academic and administrative units (Deans and Directors)

Heads of academic or administrative Units (Deans and Directors) must:

• ensure that the EHS Policy and related EHS risk management programs are effectively implemented in their areas of control
• integrate EHS risk management into their operations, teaching, research and consulting functions and work environments
• ensure that a Faculty/Unit EHS Plan is developed, implemented and monitored in consultation with staff
• support supervisors and managers in providing appropriate resources for the effective implementation of their Faculty/Unit EHS Plan
• conduct a self-assessment of their academic or administrative Unit's compliance against their Faculty/Unit EHS Plan at regular intervals and report on progress to the EHS Branch
• ensure that managers, supervisors and staff are aware of their responsibilities under the EHS Policy and Faculty/Unit EHS Plan through effective delegation, training and promotion of the Policy and EHS procedures
• hold their supervisors and managers accountable for their specific EHS responsibilities
• authorise appropriate action to remedy non-compliance with the EHS Policy or other EHS procedures

and as part of their academic leadership role, Heads of academic Units must also:

• ensure all staff undertake appropriate EHS risk assessments for curriculum, research and consulting activities
• encourage the incorporation of EHS risk management into curriculum and research

4.5 Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellors

The Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the Deputy Vice-Chancellors must:

• implement the EHS Policy and advise the Vice-Chancellor on environment, health and safety issues within their areas of control
• encourage the integration of environment, health and safety into operations, programs, curriculum and research as appropriate
• take action to ensure compliance with relevant policy, legislation and standards
• ensure that academic and administrative Units under their control develop, implement and monitor a Faculty/Unit EHS Plan.

The Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor will also report annually to the Vice-Chancellor on the implementation of the University's Environment, Health and Safety Plan.

4.6 Vice-Chancellor

The Vice-Chancellor is responsible to Council for the overall implementation of the EHS Policy. This includes the allocation of resources for effective implementation and ensuring managers, staff and students are aware of their responsibilities through appropriate delegation.

The Vice-Chancellor is also responsible for monitoring EHS performance and authorising appropriate corrective action to ensure compliance with the EHS Policy.

4.7 Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor's Environment, Health and Safety Advisory Committee

As per its terms of reference, the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor's Environment, Health and Safety Advisory Committee will:

• establish a coordinated and strategic approach to EHS management at the University
• facilitate, monitor and report on the implementation of the UTS EHS Plan
• establish, monitor and review mechanisms to consult with staff and students on health, safety and environmental issues
• identify strategies to encourage the establishment of Faculty/Unit EHS Plans
• coordinate the development of strategies for the management of hazards that potentially present a high risk to health, safety or the environment
• support the promotion of EHS at the University
• recommend to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor any University-wide action to ensure the University has in place appropriate policies and systems for EHS
• develop strategies to ensure compliance with University policies and applicable legislation
• report to the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor every six months on overall progress against the University's EHS Plan.

4.8 Environment, Health and Safety Branch

The Environment, Health and Safety Branch of the Human Resources Unit has the primary role in co-ordinating the University's EHS Management System, which includes:

• driving University-wide EHS plans and risk management programs
• establishing, monitoring, auditing and improving the EHS management system
• supporting academic and administrative Units in delivering their Faculty/Unit EHS Plans through Service Agreements
• providing advice and guidance to academic and administrative Units on the University's risk management and prevention programs
• maintaining relationships with internal committees (such as the UTS Biosafety Committee) and external organisations (such as the WorkCover Authority of NSW and the NSW Department of Health) in the fields of occupational health and safety, and risk management.
• providing a workplace injury management and return to work program that assists staff to promptly return to safe and durable work following injury or illness
• managing the University's workers' compensation insurance function
• monitoring compliance to the EHS Management System through the regular auditing of academic and administrative Units based on Australian Standards.

5. Authorities and accountabilities

The Vice-Chancellor is responsible for the communication, implementation and enforcement of this Operational Directive.

6. Specification of related UTS and other relevant documentation

Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 (NSW)

Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 (NSW)

Environment, Health and Safety Policy

Sustainability Policy

Risk Management Policy

Vice-Chancellor's Operational Directive: Workplace Injury Management and Return to Work Programs

7. Approval and revisions tables

7.1 Approval

7.2 Revision/modification history