1.3 Terms of reference

1.3 University Health & Safety Committee

Constitution: agreed by the Committee in January 2018

Terms of reference

The Committee will report to the Vice Chancellor, and be responsible for ensuring that the University actively promotes health and safety and operates at the forefront of good practice in these areas, through the following acttivities:

1. reviewing and recommending changes to the University’s health and safety policies;
2. ensuring that, across the University, there is both leadership and a co-ordinated approach towards health and safety issues, as a positive contribution to the University’s core values and mission, and that staff are aware of their duty to take ownership of health and safety as part of their role;
3. ensuring that the University is meeting legislative requirements and monitoring progress, taking account of advice from all appropriate and recognised authorities;
4. monitoring outcomes of enforcing authority inspections and putting into place corrective actions where appropriate;
5. benchmarking health and safety activity against other institutions;
6. developing and monitoring the implementation and communication of a health and safety strategy for the University;
7. monitoring hazards, risks and accident statistics on a regular basis;
8. considering and advising upon staff development needs and activity in relation to health and safety;
9. advising the Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group and the Corporate Management Team as appropriate, on health and safety issues;
10. fostering the establishment of health and safety working groups with employee representatives and local champions, and supporting their work;
11. promoting cross-University working on health and safety issues;
12. considering and approving an annual report on health and safety issues, and ensuring its communication to students and staff.

Frequency of meetings

The Committee will meet three times a year.

Composition

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Resources) (alternate Chair)
University Secretary (alternate Chair)
Head of Health and Safety
Director of Human Resources
Director of Facilities and Estates
Director for Student Experience
Representative of Beds SU
Representative of Unison
Representative of UCU
Representative of Research and Enterprise
Representative of the International Office
Representative of the Business School
Representative of the Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science
Representative of the Faculty of Education and Sport
Representative of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
Representative of the Marketing, Admissions, Recruitment and Communication Department

Quorum

Meetings will be quorate provided the Chair (or alternate Chair), the Head of Health and Safety and six other members are present.

Attendance

The Committee may require attendance and/or reports from any of the University’s management team or other specific internal or external areas or specialists as required.

Where a nominated person from each of the composition areas above is unable to attend the meeting, a deputy should be appointed by them to attend in their place.

Members are reminded that where the composition requires a representative of a particular Department, School or Faculty to attend, this representative represents employees of their specific area and is obliged to feedback salient points discussed at the Committee.

An annual summary report is to be provided by each of the Committee representatives (excluding Trade Union Safety Representatives) detailing safety and / or health information relevant to their respective areas, and is presented by them at a pre-determined meeting.

Reporting

The University Health and Safety Advisor will clerk the Committee, and provide an annual paper detailing member’s attendance to meetings. An overview of the minutes of each meeting will be provided to the Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group and CMT members for their information/forwarding/action as required. These Terms of Reference will be reviewed on an annual basis.