The University Occupational Health & Safety Office

The University occupational health and safety office (USO) will provide central services to support Faculties/Institutes/Centers/Services, and provide a central safety management resource to engender development of the University’s health and safety systems and culture. The safety service is provided to the whole of the University.

The USO key tasks are to:

• Promote a strong ‘safety culture’ including full integration of health and safety into management plans
• Further develop the university systems and procedures to incorporate best health and safety practice
• Provide suitable and sufficient specialist services to support the Faculties/Institutes/Centers/Services in the execution of their duties
• Provide expertise to faculties (for example through training and consultancy services)
• Monitor and audit health and safety compliance and practice across the university
• Act as a center for reporting and communicating on health and safety across the University

The role of Head of USO

The Head of USO leads the USO and co-ordinates the development of policy and guidance etc. at a University level in such a way as to engender the appropriate behaviors and attitudes that make health and safety an integral part of all aspects of the life of the University.

In brief the role is principally as follows:

• To be responsible for providing and developing a high quality and cost effective service for the University on occupational health and safety matters.
• To develop, maintain, monitor and review the implementation of a University health and safety policy designed to provide effective and efficient controls and progressive improvements.
• To provide a point of contact with enforcing authorities and other expert practitioners.

To promote awareness of and responsibility for safety among the responsible individuals.

Staff

• Staff shall undertake to fulfil their roles with respect to health and safety and ensure that all necessary actions for health and safety management of the University are undertaken in so far as their authority pertains.
• All managers in the University system have additional responsibility for their staff (and students) and for others that may be affected by the actions of their staff and students. This particularly applies to Principal Investigators and Laboratory managers.

Union Safety Representative(s)

• Union Safety Representative posts are held in accordance with legislation, and entitle the nominated post holders to the full authorities defined in the legislation. The Union Safety Representatives are independent of the University Management and the University Safety Office; and are specifically appointed by the Unions to represent their members´ interests on Safety Matters. Some of the representatives are also members of the University Safety Committee (USC). Representatives are consulted on major documents drafted by the USO.
• In addition to the Staff Safety Representatives, the Union Society is also requested to nominate Student Safety Representatives that are included on consultations and are automatically members of the University Safety Committee (USC).

Prepared by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ekşioğlu