An employer meeting a potential employee or student

Health and safety guide for work experience

Intro

This information has been prepared to help you minimise the risk of harm to yourself and others whilst on work experience.

It is important that you are aware of your employer’s Health and Safety policy. Any health and safety concerns should be reported to your supervisor, the Placement Team or your Module Tutor.

Please read the following Health and Safety information carefully.

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Health and safety responsibilities

Primary responsibility for ensuring your health and safety whilst on work experience rests with the work experience provider who should:

  • Ensure your health and safety whilst on work experience (this includes onsite and remote working)
  • Take account of your potential inexperience for activities you’ll be expected to undertake and put into place appropriate controls
  • Provide you with information, instruction, training, and supervision

  • Student responsibilities

    • Not to do anything that puts you, other people, or property at risk
    • Follow health and safety instructions, information, and training
    • To comply with the employer policies (including health and safety policies) and any relevant legislation
    • Never to intentionally misuse equipment or anything provided for health and safety reasons
    • To bring any health and safety concerns to the attention of your work experience provider and your Module Tutor/ Placement Officer as soon as possible. Do not wait for their next visit or contact with you.

  • Assessing and managing health and safety risks

    Your employer should assess the risks encountered with the activities you will be involved with and will be responsible for putting into place measures to control these risks.

    Levels of supervision will vary from placement to placement and at points within a particular placement. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your supervisor and if you feel there is a lack of supervision then raise this concern.

    Measures to control risks can include:

    • Providing information, instruction, training and supervision
    • Ensuring equipment used is appropriate, used safely and maintained in safe condition
    • Having in place guarding, ventilation systems etc. to control risks at source
    • Providing, and ensuring the use of, personal protective equipment and clothing

    It is important that you are made aware of the risks associated with the activities you will be involved with and what is in place and required of you to control these.

    Never undertake an activity or go into an area unless you have received appropriate information, instruction and training for you to feel competent and confident to carry on.

  • Reporting accidents, incidents and health and safety concerns

    It is important that you report accidents and incidents to your work experience provider, whether an injury has resulted or not. This enables your work experience provider to investigate the circumstances and take any necessary action. Reporting ‘near miss’ incidents could ensure nobody is injured next time. At induction, you should be made aware of the reporting procedures.

    If you do have any health and safety concerns during your work experience the first action is to raise these with your work experience provider i.e.injury, training, pregnancy. Where you believe these concerns are serious also make your Module Tutor/ Placement Officer aware.

    Don’t wait to the next scheduled visit or conversation. Never undertake an activity, use equipment or go into an area unless you are competent and confident to do so.

  • Monitoring and feedback

    You are an essential element in the monitoring of health and safety performance of your work experience provider. At the end of your work experience give thoughts on how you feel the work experience provider approached health and safety.

    This information is very useful to the University as a means of reviewing the health and safety arrangements of the work experience provider and deciding whether the work experience is suitable for other students.

Working in an office

  • Staying safe in the workplace

    • Office machinery eg paper-guillotines, heavy duty staplers, duplicators etc, should only be operated according to makers’ instructions. 
    • All portable electric appliances should carry a current Portable Appliance Test (PAT) label.
    • Leads should not be allowed to trail in a manner likely to cause persons to trip over them or to pull the item over. 
    • You should not leave appliances in precarious positions nor use waste-paper baskets as ashtrays or waste for any heated or ignited waste.  
    • Care must be taken to avoid spillage of water in rooms in which there are electric power points set in the floors. It is possible in some circumstances for a person standing on such a wet floor to receive a severe, possibly fatal electric shock. 
    • When carrying items eg boxes or files, you should not carry so much that your vision is obscured.
    • Filing cabinets and under-desk drawers should always be closed as soon as you have found your intended item. Only open one drawer at a time because more than one drawer open may cause a filing cabinet to tip its weight forward. Collision with the corner of an open metal drawer can inflict a very painful injury so close once no longer in use. 
    • You must never stand on revolving stools or chairs and should avoid using any chair or stool where steps are provided. This is a more appropriate task for office porters or maintenance teams who have step ladders. A fall onto the end of a desk, the ground, or an open drawer can cause a very serious injury. 
    • You should not leave stacks of boxes, kit bags, or files on the floor near doorways to cause a potential trip hazard for people to fall over. Polish floors, particularly if waxed or wet, offer a hazard. You should never run on the polished floors of corridors or common rooms. 

  • Staying safe travelling to and from work

    Many companies have their own rules with regard to working outside normal hours, this is dependent on the nature and demands of the industry sector.

    Consider the points below to help you stay safe when travelling to and from work either late at night or early hours in the morning.

    • Avoid walking alone
    • Make sure people are aware of where you are
    • Plan your route
    • Be alert at all times
    • Keep expensive items hidden
    • Be confident
    • Keep your hands free
    • Wear comfortable shoes

Working remotely

a woman working on her laptop at home

Employers are legally responsible for the health and safety of all employees/voluntary workers, including those working from home. When working remotely from home we would advise you to consider implementing the following:

  • How to work remotely?

    • Set up your workstation correctly as when you are in an office.
    • Use a table and chair rather than your sofa or bed.
    • Check your IT/ electrical equipment is safe to use.
    • Follow the Display Screen Equipment (DSE) guidance to ensure that you are sitting comfortably at the correct height and your back is well supported throughout the working day. For further details visit government website.
    • Maintain a safe environment and dedicated space whilst you are working from home by ensuring that your working space is free from obstructions and items that may present slip, trip or fall hazards.
    • Try and agree on a work location away from other family members' occupants or distractions such as televisions or computer entertainment systems (where possible). Avoid working from your bed or sofa.
    • Maintain regular contact with your Line Manager and inform them of any health and safety risks or any homeworking arrangements that need to change.
    • Maintain regular contact with team members or other colleagues you need to work with.
    • Talk to someone if you need help or support.
    • Try to maintain a normal work routine as much as possible – get up and dressed ready for work.
    • Take regular breaks/ drinks and refreshments away from your home office workspace (where possible). Don’t sit at your laptop for too long!
    • Take regular exercise/ walks away during the day.
    • Try and maintain a work life balance.

Fire safety: general information

Most fires can be prevented by applying routine precautions, some of which are set out below.

  • Means of escape

    Ensure that rooms, passages, corridors and stairways are not obstructed and that corridor fire doors are kept closed. If a room contains an emergency exit, make sure that it is unobstructed so that it is immediately available for use in an emergency.

  • Fire instructions

    These appear in the emergency procedures for the organisation and possibly in the internal telephone directory. They should be displayed on notices in all buildings.

  • Fire extinguishers

    You should only use a fire extinguisher if you have been trained to do so. Discretion is essential in deciding the lengths to which first-aid fire-fighting is pursued. Portable fire-fighting equipment is not designed to cope with extensive fires and it is important that first-aid fire-fighting should cease and the location should be evacuated, as soon as the effects of fire threaten the means of escape, the building structure, or otherwise indicate that it is out of control.

    Types of fire extinguishers
     

    Carbon Dioxide

    Carbon dioxide extinguishers are the type most generally used for electrical fires or in laboratories and have several advantages in dealing with small fires. No mess is made and there is little danger of apparatus nearby being knocked over or damaged. They can be used where live electrical circuits are involved. However, they have little cooling effect and until the extinguished material has cooled below the ignition temperature care must be taken to ensure that the fire does not re-ignite.

    Water

    Extinguishers discharging water under pressure from a carbon dioxide cartridge are recommended for use on fires involving paper, wood, etc. They must not be used on fires where there are live electrical circuits. They may be used for solvents miscible with water. It should be noted that the strong jet of water can itself cause damage.

    AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam)

    This is a multi-purpose extinguisher suitable for most types of fires (materials etc) and it is ideal for dealing with the majority of fires involving flammable liquids. The aqueous film prevents re-ignition of the fire with limited cooling properties. Foam extinguishers may be used on immiscible liquids which are lighter than water, e.g. petrol and most oils. They must not be used where live electrical circuits are involved.

  • Fire/smoke-stop doors

    Fire/smoke-stop doors may be installed throughout buildings so as to prevent smoke and hot toxic gases circulating along routes to safety. These doors must not be wedged or propped open. They must be kept closed at all times after access and egress has been effected.

  • Fire detection system

    Fire detectors give an early warning of a fire, particularly if the fire starts in an unoccupied area. There are generally two types of detectors used.

  • Heat detectors

    These contain either a bimetallic or thermistor device and operate when a rapid increase in temperature occurs. They are fitted in some kitchens, laboratories and corridors. Other heat detectors operate when a fixed temperature, normally 60-70°C, is exceeded and they are used when a rapid rise in temperature can be anticipated in normal operation, e.g. oven rooms and kitchens.

  • Smoke detectors

    These contain an ion chamber and detect the products of combustion. They are the most sensitive of the automatic detectors. Because of their high sensitivity, larger areas can be protected by a single detector and these systems are found in most buildings.

    All fire detectors are necessarily sensitive devices and can be easily activated to give a false alarm. Smoke detectors for instance can be activated by dust, steam or exhaust from petrol or diesel engines. Misuse of fire-fighting equipment, e.g. hose-reels, fire-extinguishers and fire alarms, may render it inoperable when required in an emergency and could even result in loss of life. Moreover, it is a criminal offence which may result in the imposition of severe penalties by the courts and disciplinary action by the employer.

Electrical hazards

Two of the worst electrical hazards are careless or unskilled workmanship and faulty or worn out equipment. Neither of these hazards need arise.

Electric and electronic supplies and equipment, including batteries and electrolytic capacitors can be responsible for personal injury and even death. They can also cause fires and explosions. Remember, some foreign colour coding of electrical leads differs from British practice.

  • Electricity and fire

    All portable electrical appliances should have a current PAT Certificate. This involves a mechanical and visual check that all socket outlets, switches, flexible leads and electrical appliances are in good condition. In case of fire involving electrical equipment, the first action to take must be to switch off the power supply to that equipment. You should extinguish an electrical fire with carbon dioxide, never with water or foam.

  • Use of electric points and equipment

    Lead length should be adequate for the particular job for which the equipment is currently being used. In no circumstances must you interfere with the wiring or connections of any electric point or appliance. All necessary adjustments or modifications to wiring will be carried out by a duly authorised competent person.

Noise

Noise can cause damage to hearing, reduce efficiency or merely annoy. Damage to hearing can result from a sudden violent sound producing an effect as dramatic as the rupture of an ear drum. Continuous exposure to lower noise levels can, however, produce deafness. In the latter case the impairment to hearing may pass unrecognised for a long period of time due to the insidiousness of the effect.

For advice on noise problems you should consult your employer or visit the HSE: Noise at work – health and safety in the workplace webpage.

First aid

It is a legal requirement to report all accidents in the workplace. Medical advice should always be sought, however serious the injury. Initially, simple first aid measures may be applied. Your supervisor should be able to advise who the First Aider for your department/organisation is.

  • Minor cuts

    Cuts and grazes are best treated by cleansing under running water and then dried. A dry dressing or plaster should then be applied.

  • Severe bleeding

    Bleeding will be stopped by applying direct pressure on a dressing covering the wound and if possible elevating the affected part.

  • Burns and scalds

    The affected parts should be immersed under running cold water for about 10 minutes at least then a dry dressing only applied.

  • Chemical spillage

    All chemicals must be washed off the body with copious amounts of water. Some laboratories have emergency showers and should always be used when available.

  • Needle stick injuries

    Allow all puncture injuries to bleed freely then wash under running water using soap or a hand cleanser. The injury should be reported immediately to the First Aider.

  • Eye injuries

    All eye injuries must be irrigated thoroughly and then treated at the local hospital. You should never attempt to remove foreign objects from the eye. Always seek medical assistance.

    It must also be remembered that any sudden illnesses, bouts of ill health and injuries should be reported to the First Aider, as soon as possible.

    For further information and guidance please visit the government website.

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