Health and safety

Safety Committees

Starfsreglur öryggisnefnda við Háskóla Íslands

1. Purpose

The purpose of the code of practice is to ensure that staff and students have a clear picture of the role and function of the safety committees at the University of Iceland (UI).

Occupational health and safety at UI is based on Act no. 46/1980 on facilities, health and safety at the workplaces and Regulation 920/2006 on the organization and implementation of occupational health and safety at workplaces. According to them, the employer is responsible for making a written plan for safety and health in the workplace. UI security committees set up, promote and enforce such a plan wherever UI staff are working.

UI's safety committees are tasked with building occupational health and safety activities and a safety culture at the school in accordance with the above laws. By appointing safety committees in each academic field and central administration, the aim is to harmonize rules and make occupational health and safety work within the school more efficient.

2. Structure and organization of occupational health and safety activities

The implementation of successful occupational health and safety work and a safety culture requires the commitment of UI management and staff. Therefore, these parties are called to cooperate in a formal way. The structure and organization of security is explained below.

The five main pillars of OSH are chemical use, social and mental factors, musculoskeletal system, environmental factors and machinery and equipment.

2.1 H&S committee of the University of Iceland

The UI Security Committee formulates the school's security policy and sets common security rules on the university campus. The security committee of the UI is made up of the chairmen of the security committees of the school's academic departments and central administration, as well as a chair appointed by the rector without nomination. The safety committee is appointed for three years at a time, and students are given the opportunity to nominate one observer.

2.2. Security committees of academic departments and central administration

2.2.1 Appointment

A safety committee must be appointed for each UI school and for the central administration of UI. Each safety committee has two safety representatives, appointed by the school dean for a three-year term, and two safety trustees elected by the staff for a three-year term, in addition, students are invited to appoint one observer.

Building supervisors are the safety officers of the respective buildings and work closely with the safety committees and safety groups of the work units that operate in the buildings.

Together, the safety representatives and safety trustees form the safety committees of the schools and the central administration, and these parties work closely together on occupational health and safety within the university.

Each security committee elects its own chairman and secretary, each for a term of three years. The chairmen of the safety committees sit in the general UI Safety Committee. When appointing safety committees, the provisions of the Act on equal status and equal rights of the sexes no. 150/2020. The secretary is the chairman's deputy, writes minutes and records attendance at meetings.

2.2.2 Safety representatives - roles and responsibilities

Two safety representatives sit on the safety committee of the academic schools and central administration. The deans of academic schools and the executive director of central administration appoint safety representatives from among the employees who report to them in accordance with the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Safety representatives have a seat on the safety committee of their academic department or central administration and participate in occupational health and safety activities and work closely with safety representatives.

Role of Safety Officer:

  • Provide staff and students with information on all aspects of workplace safety.
  • Know the area's safety and health plan and the work rules of the Labor Inspectorate.
  • Have a motivating and formative influence on other employees regarding safety and health protection.
  • Participate in the work of the UI Security Committee if requested.
  • Familiarize yourself with the rules and guidelines of the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority on safety and health protection.
  • Go on patrols around the workplace and make sure that the working environment is healthy and that the rules are followed.
  • Follow up after the risk assessment is done and updated and corrections are made as suggested based on the results.
  • Communicate information and data from the safety committee to the division president or executive director of central administration.

 
2.2.3 Safety trustees – roles and responsibilities

The safety trustees are the social trustees of the employees, while the trustees of the respective trade unions are in charge of the preparation and implementation of the safety trustee elections. If there is no trustee present in the institution, it is permitted to request that the staff in the unit handle the election of a security trustee. The election of employee representatives shall normally be for three years at a time. Further instructions on the election of safety representatives can be found in the regulation on the organization of occupational health and safety at the workplace, 920/2006

The jobs of safety trustees are legally protected in the same way as the jobs of union trustees. The employee representative is the substitute for the safety representative.

Role of security trustees;

  • Provide staff and students with information on all aspects of workplace safety.
  • Know the area's safety and health plan and the work rules of the Labor Inspectorate.
  • Have a motivating and formative influence on other employees regarding safety and health protection
  • Participate in the work of the UI Security Committee if requested.
  • Become familiar with the rules and guidelines of the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration on safety and health protection.
  • Go on patrols around the workplace and make sure that the working environment is healthy and that the rules are being enforced.
  • Follow up after the risk assessment is done and updated and corrections are made as suggested based on the results.

2.2.4 Building supervisors

Building supervisors are safety officers and on the front line of security protection and have a comprehensive knowledge of buildings and the control systems that are there. Supervisors are on a daily tour of the buildings and are therefore likely to be the first on the scene if something goes wrong, be it a failure in the building's systems, accidents or mishaps.

2.2.5 Safety project manager

In the implementation and technical department, there is a safety project manager who is also an employee of the UI safety committee.

The role of the security project manager is to:

  • Maintain the regular work of the UI Security Committee.
  • Coordinating and promoting improved health and safety culture within UI.
  • Develop work processes for improved security.
  • Manage the production of safety training material.
  • Manage internal control of security in UI buildings.
  • Performs preventive work.
  • Handles communication with the Labor Inspectorate, the health inspectorate and contractors who are in charge of security.
  • Maintain procedures for access to UI buildings.
  • Analyze the causes of accidents, mishaps and dangerous situations and propose improvements as appropriate in cooperation with the safety committee of the relevant academic department or central administration.

2.2.6 Subjects of safety committees

The safety committees of academic departments and central administration work on risk assessment, prevention and improvement within each department with assistance from the parties responsible for each issue and are intended to discuss all five pillars of occupational health and safety cf. section 2.1. here above.

The security committees of the academic departments and the central administration conduct internal audits in consultation with the Security Committee of the University of Helsinki. All deviations must be reported to the department president and the UI Security Committee.

If improvements require repairs or changes to housing, the safety committee of the relevant academic department or central administration shall make a proposal to the department president or executive director, who forwards the proposal to the implementation and technology department as appropriate.

The goal of good cooperation and good communication is to ensure consistency in the security of academic departments and central administration and in all UI buildings. In this way, students have to meet the same rules and the same procedures in matters of safety in whatever building they are in.

Objectives during the tenure of the Security Committee

The safety committees of academic departments plan their work and make a work plan at the beginning of each term. The performance of the job is evaluated annually.

Risk assessment and follow-up

The safety committees of academic departments and central administration participate in the implementation of risk assessments for all spaces (VLR-0000, guidelines for risk assessment of spaces) and jobs (EYB-0433, Risk assessment of jobs and VLR-0350, Risk assessment of work environment) that belong to the relevant academic department or central administration. At the same time, the committee monitors actions that promote improved safety and health at the workplace.

Internal inspection

Internal inspections are part of the work of safety committees. Deviations must be reported to the appropriate parties defined in the work procedures of the safety committees and assigned to make corrections.

The security committees of the academic departments and the central administration annually compile information on internal control and individual cases that have occurred and send it to the department president or executive director and a copy to the UI Security Committee.

2.2.7 Communication

Within academic departments and central administration

The safety committees keep the presidents of academic departments and the executive director of the central administration informed about the status of safety and occupational health and safety issues. The committees notify the responsible persons of the departments, administrative divisions, institutions or areas about the audits before they take place and request their participation.

Building supervisors must be involved in internal control as building safety officers.

Between academic schools and central administration

The UI Safety Committee is a forum for consultation on health, safety and occupational health and safety within the school. There, committee members share ideas, opinions and information about the activities of their committees. The goal is that good ideas will be taken up where they are needed within UI buildings.

A safety forum is held annually, and everyone within Hí who works on safety and occupational health and safety issues comes together to discuss and learn about the issue.

3. Rights and obligations and payment of costs

3.1 Scope to carry out duties

UI ensures that the members of the safety committees have time within their workhours to fulfill their duties in the field of safety. HÍ shall also ensure that these parties have the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge and education regarding facilities, hygiene and safety at workplaces by attending the courses of the Labor Inspectorate and, as the case may be, approved courses run by other parties.

3.2. Payment for committee work

Representatives who sit on the UI safety committee are paid for committee work according to UI rules.

3.3 Confidentiality

Security trustees, security representatives, building supervisors and representatives in security committees are not permitted to provide others with information they receive as a result of their confidential work if the information concerns:

Personal behavior of individual employees or managers.

Technical equipment, production methods or commercial interests.

Copies or information about the content of reports on work

4. Risk assessment

4.1 Job risk assessment

Staff and students are encouraged to carry out a risk assessment of their work and can receive training and instructions on this from the safety committees and on the safety website.

Supervisors and researchers must ensure that students who work on study projects under their supervision make a risk assessment for their work.

4.2 Risk assessment of spaces and activities

Those in charge of spaces are obliged to carry out a risk assessment for the space and record its results on the UI security website, https://oryggi.hi.is.

Responsible persons and supervisors of various types of activities outside the university campus, e.g. activities related to field work and research expeditions, have the obligation to make a risk assessment for the field work or the expedition and take into account the conditions and weather when the trip is made. It is especially important to carry out such a risk assessment when entering a dangerous area, e.g. where there is volcanic activity, seismic activity or avalanche danger, for example.