A MESSAGE FROM MARK McFADZEAN ...
Dear Colleagues and Comrades,
Health and Safety has been something that has been building slowly at Queens over the past year. We have been getting ourselves into a position where there is a workable framework in place to use as a platform to build a more robust health and safety program that is not only adhered to by everyone, but that equally everyone has the opportunity to feed into, have a say, and drive the messages home so that there’s a human factor to something that has become very robotic over the years.
Health and Safety is a mechanism to ensure that people have the tools to work safely, the knowledge to think safely and confidence to use implement these. To adequately promote and recognise health and safety in the workplace we have set up a Health and Safety committee. This will be the central point from which Health and Safety matters will be received, discussed and actions and recommendations will result from.
It is important that Health and Safety is accessibility to everyone. Simplicity of giving and receiving information and messages without a long difficult process. Everyone has the right to constructively feed into Health and Safety and everyone as is qualified to know if they feel safe and comfortable in their role. The committee will be made up of representatives from various different areas of the college who will represent their group.
We are seeking volunteers and nominations for Health and Safety representatives.
As an employee, resident, or student of The Queen’s foundation you already have the pre-requisites to take this role. This is an opportunity to help shape the way Health and Safety works within the community and be part of the building process that will ultimately shape the type of environment that we work and live in. Although for the most part we have clear distinctions between our work lives and personal lives, health, safety and wellbeing transcends these boundaries. It is vital that we have a robust system in place to ensure that everyone is protected.
The process for the committee will be as follows:
· Health and Safety Reps will be nominated or allocated. These will work on a 12 month cycle.
· A Health and Safety element will be added to all staff meetings. This can be a short informal discussion where information can be gathered by the Health and Safety Rep, as well as an opportunity to flag anything for the committee agenda. Feedback will be provided after the meeting and stored on a publicly accessible actions register.
· The health and safety committee will meet monthly. Each rep will have the opportunity to relay specific information provided by their group, reviews of incidents and accident stats, monthly health and safety focuses, review of hazard register.
· Recommendations and feedback from the meetings will be provided to the leadership team.
Forget your preconceived expectations of what health and safety is. We are wanting to use this forum as an interactive bringing together of ideas and a way of brainstorming. Everyone has different ideas about health and safety and we all require slight manipulations to make it relevant and specific to our particular roles. The most important thing is that we throw the shackles off and unleash the health and safety beast from its dusty slumber and start to recognise it not as a bureaucratic anchor to getting things done, but a way to challenge ourselves to learn from mistakes and get things done better, in a way which ensures we all make it home safe physically and mentally every day.
Now take that inspiration coursing through your veins- sign up to be to be part of the change. We are seeking volunteers or nominations to represent the following groups.
- Admin staff rep x1
- Academic staff rep x2
- Facilities team rep - Mark
- Hospitality/catering rep x1
- None residential student (P/T, Track 2, Research/PhD) x1
- Handsworth flat resident x1
- Frances Young House resident x1
If you would like to volunteer please reply directly to mcfadzeanm@queens.ac.uk. If you would like to nominate someone, discuss this with the person you are nominating first. Please bear in mind, should there be no nomination for your group, we will apprehend, torture and forcibly bequeath the role to someone. We would rather avoid this though.
The first monthly meeting will be scheduled by consultation with the nominated members. The closing date for volunteering will be Thursday 5th July.
Kind Regards,
Mark McFadzean
Campus & Facilities Manager