-
- H&S policies and guidance
- Children, young people and vulnerable adults on campus
- Control of substances hazardous to health (CoSHH)
- Dogs in university buildings
- Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
- Driving vehicles on university business
- Fieldwork
- Fire safety
- First aid
- General risk assessment
- Health and safety policy and management
- Manual handling
- Meningitis
- Portable appliance testing (PAT)
- Radiation safety
- Smoking policy
- Forms, signs and templates
- How to...
- Health and safety training
- Health & Safety Committee
- H&S policies and guidance
4.4 Work environment
(1) Temperature
The University endeavours to keep all of its buildings within a comfortable temperature range, compatible with energy conservation, (target temperature = 21oC) and in any case above the statutory minimum of 16o C, after the first hour of work (there is no statutory maximum, although the working temperature must be reasonable). The Health & Safety Office can carry out temperature monitoring on request.
(2) Humidity
The University endeavours to keep all of its buildings at a comfortable humidity range (40 to 75% RH). Low humidity can cause irritation to the eyes and respiratory tract. The Health & Safety Office can carry out humidity monitoring on request.
(3) Lighting
The University endeavours to supply adequate lighting appropriate to the activity being carried out. The average and minimum lighting levels are given (consecutively, in lux (lx)) for various activities:
- movement of people, machines and vehicles, egs corridors, circulation routes (20 and 5lx);
- movement of people, machines and vehicles, in hazardous areas, eg construction sites (50 and 20lx);
- work requiring limited perception of detail, egs; kitchens, shops (100 and 50lx)
- work requiring perception of detail, egs; offices, bookbinding (200 and 100lx)
- work requiring fine perception of detail, egs; drawing offices, editing, laboratory work (500 and 200lx).
The Health & Safety Office can carry out the monitoring of lighting levels on request.
(4) Noise
Noise can be a nuisance or, even worse, can cause damage to hearing. The University is a generally peaceful and quiet place, but occasionally some operations are carried out which generate excessive noise. Examples are building construction work, work with agricultural machinery and mineral processing plant. The Health & Safety Office can carry out noise monitoring on request.
(5) Workspace
Workrooms should have enough free space to allow people to get to and from workstations and to move in the room with ease.
The total volume of the room, when empty, divided by the number of occupants should be at least 11 cubic metres per person (counting rooms >3m high as 3m). A room 2.4m high, 2.3m long and 2.0m wide is 11 cubic metres. Rooms may need to be larger, depending on the contents, layout and nature of the work.
