Health & Safety
Health and safety information and resources for staff, students and contractors of the University of Melbourne.
News and Events
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Health and Safety Business Partners
Find someone who can help. Names and contact details for all local Health and Safety Business Partners and safety supporting roles within faculties and COO Portfolios.
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Services and Specialist Contacts
The Health & Safety Service, Business Service team provide subject matter expert advice on all things health and safety to the University of Melbourne community
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Health and Safety Representatives and Designated Work Groups
Electing new HSR, list of current University HSRs, approved training, HSR forum, renegotiating designated work groups
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Emergency Management Community
Access the Emergency Management Community SharePoint to view evacuation diagrams, emergency management plans, warden lists, emergency event and drill reports, and building safety information for all campuses and UoM sites.
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Responsibilities of Personnel
Health and safety responsibilities of personnel have been determined on the basis of legislative requirements and University delegations and structures, and include safety responsibilities, authority to act and reporting relationships.
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Standards and compliance
Legal standards and compliance, government and professional bodies
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Plan
Legislation, health and safety plans, University-wide plans
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Implement
Risk registers, risk assessment methodology, ERMS and hazard-specific risk assessments.
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Monitor
Workplace inspection, cyclic events and monitoring equipment
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Review
Audit and Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) Certifications of Approval
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Consultation and Communication
Health and Safety Representatives and Designated Work Groups, committees, issue resolution, communication and external feedback
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Health and Safety Events
The Health & Safety Services team organise various events throughout the year for the University Health and Safety Community. The following list may also include events of health and safety interest organised by external parties.
TrainME
University core compliance modules, health and safety hazard based training and face-to-face sessions are avaliable through the University's training platform TrainME. All staff, students (including undergraduates) and individuals with IT access can log into TrainME using their single sign on credentials.
Comprehensive TrainME support is published on the Staff Services Portal (university username and password required).
Anyone without University log on credentials requiring access to TrainME (tenants, contractors, visiting academics or students) are required to apply for IT access with the assistance of their supervisor. Please note that selecting the correct Organisation / Department and supervisor is important for reporting and data reconciliation within TrainME.
Face-to-face
The following courses are available for enrollment via TrainME, but the course is undertaken face-to-face.
First Aid
Visit first aid training and guidance for details on eligibility, cost of participation and how to book your place for:
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Mental Health First Aid
- Provide First Aid
- Remote First Aid
For advice on choosing the right course for you, please consult your Health and Safety Business Partner.
Fire Extinguisher
This face-to-face session trains participants in all aspects of portable fire extinguishers. Participants will become familiar with basic fire science, extinguishing agents and different types, as well as the usage of each extinguisher.
This training is mandatory for all Chief and Deputy Wardens, and compulsory if relevant to job role. It is highly recommended for general Wardens. Training includes hands on use of extinguishers, please note that this part of the training may preclude those with health issues. Please wear covered shoes, long pants, long sleeves (no flowing clothing).
The following courses are not available via TrainME, and are external to Health and Safety Services:
Elected Health and Safety Representative (HSR) approved training
Information on training options, course descriptions, fees and more support information is available on the Health and Safety Representative and Designated Working Group page.
Regulated Biological Materials
The Office of Research Ethics and Integrity offers training and information sessions relating to the use of regulated biological materials such as hazardous biological materials and agents, genetically modified organisms or imported biological materials alongside the core Biosafety training module which must be completed in TrainME before commencing any work with regulated biological materials.
Delivered on request
Please contact your local Health and Safety Business Partner to inquire about requesting face-to-face delivery of one of the health and safety hazard based courses or one of the following courses:
- Delivery of Work Station Assessments (Train the Trainer)
- Enterprise Risk Management System (ERMS) - training for health and safety modules, including:
- Incident/Hazard Reporting and Register,
- WHS Risk (Assessments), and
- Checklists/Inspections and the Checklist/Audit Register
- Hazardous Waste Management
- Plant Safety Management
- Suspicious Package and Threat Response
Recommended for front-line staff and anyone who potentially could find themselves receiving such a threat. Topics include threat checklists, search procedures and dealing with the emergency services.
Responsibilities
Divisions - Planning and Coordination
The Head of Division is responsible for formulating and periodically reviewing the local health and safety training plan in consultation with staff in the local area.
The local health and safety business partner in the Division will:
- assist the Head of Division to formulate and review the local health and safety training plan;
- facilitate and coordinate group training sessions in the local area; and
- provide guidance to supervisors in determining the training needs of individual staff.
Supervisors/Managers - Determining Individual Requirements
Supervisors/managers are responsible for identifying the training needs (including refresher training needs) of staff and students under their supervisory/management control, in consultation with the staff or student in question. Training needs are based on the nature of work/activity undertaken.
They must determine or review your staff/student's training needs when:
- the staff/student commences with the University;
- the type of work/activities are altered;
- the work environment is altered or new; or
- at least every 3 years
Your local health and safety business partner can provide advice and assistance.
Individual Staff and Students
Individual staff and students should consult their supervisor about their training needs.
Documentation
The Health & Safety: Training requirements sets out responsibilities for planning, delivering and recording health and safety training at the University of Melbourne.
The Health & Safety - Provide training provides a step by step description of methodology for planning, delivering and recording health and safety training
The Health & Safety training requirements matrix provides general guidelines on training requirements.
A Training needs analysis template is available for local areas to use.
Relocation and induction requirements should also be consulted for new staff or staff who have changed working environments.
Reporting
TrainME training is automatically recorded within the system. Training delivered by an external provider is not automatically recorded in TrainME or THEMIS. Individual staff must record their completed training as External Training in THEMIS via Staff Self Service.
The Staff Services Portal provides guidance on how to navigate TrainME.
Quarterly divisional training reports are generated by the Health and Safety Services team, capturing both staff and student training records. If you require this report please first discuss with your local health and safety business partner and then email your request to Health and Safety Assist.
Health and safety topics
- Animals on campus
- Asbestos
- Biosafety
- Bushfire and smoke
- Chemical management
- Confined space entry
- Contractor
- Critical incident management
- Crystalline Silica
- Danger tags and lock-out devices
- Documentation
- Earthquake emergency response
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Enterprise Risk Management System
- Ergonomics and Human Factors
- Events
- Field work
- First aid
- Hazardous manual handling
- Hazardous waste
- Health and Safety Management Systems
- Heights
- Hot work
- Incident and hazard reporting
- Induction and relocation
- Injury Management
- Ionising radiation
- Licensing, registration and other permits
- Monitor and inspection
- Noise
- Non-ionising radiation
- Occupational health monitoring
- Out-of-service tags
- Personal protective equipment
- Plant and electrical equipment
- Reproductive health
- Purchasing
- Safety in design
- Scientific diving
- Signage
- Spills
- Temperature
- Traffic
- Travel and off campus work
- Vehicle use
- Wellbeing
- Workers' Compensation
- Working alone
- Working from home or remotely
- Workstation self-assessment
- Accessibility and Reasonable Adjustments
Introduction
Staff, students, contractors and others must report any hazard and/or incident in Enterprise Risk Management System (ERMS) and advise their local supervisor or the manager of the work area as soon as reasonably practicable.
High consequence incidents must be reported immediately, other incidents must be reported within 24 hours of becoming aware of the incident, injury or illness.
The incident and hazard reporting tool used by the University of Melbourne is ERMS (Enterprise Risk Management System).
Report a Hazard/Incident
For anyone WITH a University username and password, please use this link:
If you have trouble entering an incident or hazard, please refer to either the Submit an incident report in ERMS or the Submit a hazard report in ERMS guidance in ServiceNow (staff university username and password required).
For reporting on the go, the pocketSafety app is available for use on Apple and Android mobile devices.
For anyone WITHOUT a University username and password, or if you are unable to access ERMS for any reason, please use the available hardcopy forms and contact your supervisor or a local health and Safety Business Partner for assistance.
Immediate response
- For immediate response to an incident, follow the sequence in 4.1 Incident response detailed in Health & Safety: Incident, injury, hazard reporting and investigation requirements.
- For emergency advice, see Emergency Management web page.
- If needed, seek advice from your local Health and Safety Business Partner on immediate actions required to prevent a further incident.
- When immediate response is complete, ensure that staff involved report the incident.
- Suggest employees affected by an incident contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This is a confidential personal and professional development resource available for all employees and their immediate family members.
Investigate and action in ERMS
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Definition of Incident and Hazard
Incident
An unplanned event (including dangerous occurrences and systems failures) resulting in, or having a potential for injury, ill health, damage or other loss.
Note: This incident report is only relevant if it is associated to an individual. If an individual cannot be associated with an incident then the Hazard Reporting System should be used.
Hazard
A source or a situation (including dangerous occurrences and systems failures) with a potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill health, damage to property, damage to the environment, or a combination of these.
Note: This hazard report is only relevant if it is NOT associated to an individual. When a situation results in an injury/illness/disease or can be associated with an individual(s), including a near miss, the Incident Reporting System should be used.
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Incident reporting risk matrix and definitions
The Risk Matrix uses Likelihood and Consequence to rate risk. This risk rating assists the incident approver to determine and prioritise the corrective actions.
The incident reporting risk matrix page offers further details.
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Respond
This advice presumes you are a supervisor or manager, and the incident involves staff who report directly to you, and occurs in a workplace location that you are responsible for. If not all these conditions are true, then another supervisor/manager may need to complete some of these actions.
If you are not the most appropriate person to action a report assigned to you, please refer to the ERMS - Reassign Responsible Person for an incident/hazard report instructions available in ServiceNow.
For supervisors: I have received an email notification from ERMS - what should I do?
- Once you receive an ERMS email notification regarding the incident, log in to ERMS (or click the button below) and enter information about your immediate response, risk rating, action plan and the results of any incident investigation. For assistance see ERMS - Create an Action Plan for an incident/hazard report.
- If you assess the risk rating of an incident, near miss, illness or injury to be high or severe (refer: Incident reporting risk matrix), you must ensure that an ICAM incident investigation is carried out with assistance from ICAM trained personnel. The Business Partner Contacts lists all ICAM investigators by Business Unit. Incidents assessed with a risk rating of medium, will require a basic or an ICAM incident investigation.
- If there is an outstanding action plan or tasks at the time that you acknowledge the incident, you will need to return to ERMS again after the actions/tasks are completed, to confirm or adjust the information you entered previously.
- You can also Request Campus Management take action in response to an incident/hazard report.
If you have planned leave, your ERMS responsibilities need to be delegated to an appropriate person during your absence. For instructions on how to delegate responsibilities, see ERMS - Delegate incident/hazard responsibilities to another while on leave. Remember to remove the delegation when you return, as ongoing delegation of responsibilities can cause issues with system access.
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Notifiable Incidents
If the incident is notifiable then respond immediately by following the steps in the Health & Safety - Notify an incident to WorkSafe process.
If you are unsure what a notifiable incident is (often referred to as a high consequence incident at the University) please refer to:
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Manage / Investigate
Incident investigation
An incident with a risk rating of Medium requires the responsible person to complete a basic investigation. It may require further investigation with an incident investigation team.
An incident with a risk rating of High or Extreme requires an incident investigation team, including one ICAM trained member. (refer: Incident reporting risk matrix).
Instructions on completing incident investigations are available from Health & Safety: Incident, injury, hazard reporting and investigation requirements.
Enter incident investigation results into ERMS. If you do not have access to ERMS you can use the hardcopy Incident investigation form which can then be transferred to ERMS.
Corrective action plan
All hazards and incidents are required to have an Action Plan. The action plan is used to assess the hazard or incident. Based on this assessment control measures are introduced to mitigate or minimise:
- the hazard from becoming an incident; or
- the incident reoccurring.
Further assistance for using ERMS health and safety modules is available on the ERMS guidance page, including troubleshooting and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ).