GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF VISION SCIENCES
including EYE CLINIC
SAFETY MANUAL
2ndEdition, 2011
Compiled and edited by Vision Sciences Safety Committee , Committee Chair Professor Michael Doughty and Clinic Director (Professor Norman F. Button)
To be read and retained by all staff, and to be read by all students.
Copies of this manual are meant to be displayed in all relevant research, teaching and clinic areas. An electronic version may be accessed through the VIS web page. You may also print a copy of this Manual to keep in loose-leaf format. This allows each copy to be added to according to the owner's needs, and it will be the best place for keeping safety assessments, hazard data sheets, and other specialized safety information.
EMERGENCY OPERATOR Ext No 2222
1. / Overview and General Health & Safety Perspectives / 4
2. / Safety Regulations
Health & Safety Regulations 1 – General Safety Regulations for all Vision Sciences Clinics, Clinical Laboratories and Teaching Areas / 6
3. / Health & Safety Guidelines
Health & Safety Guidelines 1 – General Safety Regulations for Vision Sciences Clinics and Preclinical Teaching Laboratories / 8
Health & Safety – The Law / 12
Safety Guidelines 2 – Handling, and use of UV and Laser Sources in Vision Sciences (including Eye Clinic) / 13
Safety Guidelines 3 – Biological Waste and Microorganisms as relevant to Vision Sciences and the Eye Clinic / 16
Safety Guidelines 4 – Handling, Storage and Disposal of Human Tissue / 18
Safety Guidelines 5 – Handling, Storage and Disposal of Chemicals relevant to Vision Sciences (including Eye Clinic) / 20
Safety Guidelines 6 – Handling, Storage and Use of Gas Cylinders relevant to Vision Sciences (including Eye Clinic) / 22
Safety Guidelines 7 – Ordering / 23
Safety Guidelines 8 – Inspection of Equipment and Instrumentation / 25
Safety Guidelines 9 – Taught Course and Project Supervision / 28
Safety Guidelines 10 – Out-of-Hours & Lone Working / 30
Safety Guidelines 11 – Security, Visitors, Service Personnel & Intruders / 32
Safety Guidelines 12 – Moving & Handling / 34
Safety Guidelines 13 – Display Screen Equipment / 36
Safety Guidelines 14 – General Safety Regulations for all Visitors to the Eye Clinic or Clinical Laboratories / 38
Safety Guidelines 15 – Noise Levels / 39
4. / Appendices
Appendix A – Fire / 40
Appendix B – Guidelines for Risk & COSHH Assessments / 43
Appendix C – Emergencies and Accidents / 49
Appendix D – First Aid / 50
Appendix E – Health Surveillance / 54
Appendix F – Safety Management in Vision Sciences / 55
Appendix G – School of Life Sciences Health & Safety Policy / 57
Appendix H – Facilities Management
Extract from: General Code of Practice – Contractors / 61
Appendix I – Glasgow Caledonian University School of Life Sciences Health & Safety Committee / 67
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, CALL ext 2222
FOR SECURITY, CALL ext 3787
OVERVIEW and GENERAL HEALTH & SAFETY PERSPECTIVES
Safety must be everybody's business. This Safety Manual represents enforceable Departmental policy, underpinned by current laws pertaining to Health & Safety in the workplace. Please familiarize yourself with its contents and follow the instructions and regulations within it. You will not have time to consult this or other safety documents in an emergency. Please note especially the introductory items given in Health & Safety Regulations 1 – Good Clinical Practice.
responsibilities of STAFF and STUDENTS
within the context of Health & Safety
· familiarization with Health & Safety Regulations 1 – Good Clinical Practice is expected as is an appreciation that security is an integral part of safety
· familiarization with emergency exits and escape routes, fire and smoke risks, emergency contact numbers is expected from all staff and students
· all accidents and near misses, no matter how trivial they may seem should be reported on the appropriate forms.
· Health & Safety considerations are expected to override ALL other considerations, and no work should be carried out in research, teaching and clinic areas unless it has been risk assessed.
General guidelines
Each and every staff member and student has a responsibility to confirm that any work he or she plans to do is covered by an adequate, written, and up-to-date risk assessment. This manual does not shoulder this responsibility for you; it only covers general safety matters, and although many routine procedures will be covered in these pages, it is the individual's duty to check on this and to prepare further written risk assessments as necessary. These include consideration of risks passed on to others (e.g. disposal of clinical waste or laboratory waste by technical staff).
To ensure safety, the best time to consider the hazardous aspects of proposed work and the methods for minimising these hazards is at the time when the ideas for research are crystallising in the researcher's own mind. Estimates of support requested must always include proper provision for any safety equipment required, and this provision must on no account be pruned back to meet cash limits. In research work, safety must never take second place to financial expediency. As some have found to their cost, the Courts take a very dim view of a researcher who fails to take a course of action which could have prevented an accident because of a failure to obtain adequate protective or emergency equipment.
Similar standards of forethought should be demanded of those beginning research. Those carrying out research projects as part of a first degree and certainly those doing research for higher degrees, must be able to show that safety is a prime consideration in their research proposals. It is therefore recommended that when research students submit their own proposals for a particular project they should include a section dealing specifically with the safety problems which can be anticipated and the way in which these hazards may be minimised. Students must, however, be dissuaded from the view that safety can be divorced from the rest of their practical activities. The only way to ensure complete and abiding safety is to consider it equally as important as any other consideration.
Health and Wellbeing of Staff and Students, including pregnancy
The department needs to be informed of any conditions that may affect your health and safety at work. If you are epileptic or diabetic, for example, we cannot be expected to react appropriately to any incident if we are not aware of your condition. A health statement form is required for all staff and students undertaking any form of work (including research) within the eye clinic or designated clinic research rooms. This form details any illnesses, disabilities, and also medications you may require. This information will be held at clinic reception and will be made available to a first-aider, doctor or ambulance personnel in the event of and illness or injury. Staff members (employees) who are new and expectant mothers are expected to notify the department in writing of their condition such that appropriate risk assessments (or re-assessment of risks) can be made in a timely fashion. Students would be expected to advise their academic advisors. At your own risk you may decline to provide any such health-related information.
Overall working environment [as covered by Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 / Policy and Procedures, Vision Sciences:
Rooms, labs, workspaces, corridors, etc should be maintained at comfortable temperatures with good control of lighting levels and ventilation. Any problems occurring due to failure of any of the building controls (e.g. heating, lighting, electrical supply, etc.) should be reported to the Department’s Technicians who will arrange repairs. A log may be kept of any persistent problems. Alternatively, Facilities Management (Ext3999) can be contacted. Workplaces should normally be maintained at a minimum of 16o C. There is no official maximum temperature. However, HSE guidelines state that up to 30o C would be acceptable. Heating or cooling methods should not give rise to fumes in the workplace, which may cause injury.
Central Services provide cleaning staff for the routine cleaning of all areas within the University. If extra cleaning is required, the switchboard operator will connect you with the Domestic Supervisor for any particular building. All members of staff should consider themselves responsible for reporting any concerns with respect to the condition of floors or stairs. Facilities Management (Ext 3999) for repairs or the Domestic Supervisor for mopping of spills etc. should be contacted depending on the nature of the hazard. Rooms should not be overcrowded. At least 11 cubic meters of space is required per person. This figure does not apply to lectures, meetings and similar purposes. here are numerous other sections of the Regulations not covered within this document (window cleaning, drinking water, doors and gates, etc.) Summary guidance for these can be obtained from HR Policy Manual “Workplace” H&S No.8/00
SAFETY REGULATIONS
Glasgow Caledonian University, Department of Vision Sciences
Health & Safety Regulations 1; September 2010
GENERAL SAFETY REGULATIONS FOR ALL VISION SCIENCES CLINICS, CLINICAL LABORATORIES and TEACHING AREAS
These regulations define 'Good Clinical & Laboratory Practice' for the purposes of this Department, and for the purposes of all other safety assessments prepared for specific procedures in the Department. All members of staff and all students and visitors using the laboratory facilities of this Department will have access to a copy of these regulations and must agree, by signature, to comply with them. Safety is everybody's business, and it is everyone's duty to help enforce these regulations.
1. All procedures have to be authorised (including eye examinations, pre-clinic eye assessments and experiments, any other form of scientific experiments or procedures). No unauthorised procedures may be carried out. It is against UK law to do any clinical or laboratory work that is not covered by an up-to-date risk assessment and approval. There should be no exceptions.
2. All procedures should be undertaken with due consideration of Health & Safety at all times by –
a. noting the location of the nearest telephone, First Aid kit, fire alarm switch and fire extinguisher, and be aware of the escape route(s) before starting work. The best fire escape route is not necessarily the route by which you entered the building. SEE SPECIAL NOTE BELOW for VISION SCENCES CLINIC FIRE ESCAPE routes.
b. noting that smoking is prohibited in all areas of the University. It is the responsibility of all to police and enforce this rule.
c. noting that appropriate clothing should be worn at all times and that consideration should be given to any appropriate extra personal protection. This should include the wearing of safety spectacles in the clinic workshop or specified teaching laboratories. Similarly, protective gloves should be worn when appropriate and, if contaminated, removed prior to handling taps, cupboards, etc. Consider whether they are really necessary to protect yourself or your patient and if they will be effective. Hands will still need washing after glove wearing.
d. noting that eating (including the chewing of gum) and drinking are forbidden in the clinic and clinical laboratories at all times, A clinic coat or a laboratory coat should not be worn while handling foods, eating or drinking in corridors or other places, or when leaving the building for any reason other than an emergency evacuation.
e. noting that all breakages (or equipment malfunctions) should be reported as soon as possible to the person in charge or a technician.
f. noting that all spillages (including water) must be cleaned up immediately, and must be reported if they are large, or of bodily fluids e.g. blood, urine, vomit. Ensure that water does not leak onto electrical equipment. Instructions on how to treat spillages are given elsewhere. Details of the appropriate procedure(s) to use are given in the relevant risk assessments.
g. noting that all accidents, however trivial, and near misses (i.e. incidents that narrowly avoided causing appreciable injury or damage) must be reported
h. noting that sensible behaviour is expected at all times. Activities such as running in the laboratories or along corridors or on stairs should be avoided. Care should be exercised whenever opening and closing doors on entering or leaving the clinic, clinical laboratory or classroom teaching areas. Engagement in horseplay or playing practical jokes is forbidden, especially in clinic and laboratory areas.
3. Working alone, especially outside of normal working day (office) hours, and health and safety. Any individual needing to work alone is expected to consider their own health and safety. When such ‘working alone’ activity is deemed necessary outside of normal working hours, it may be appropriate (for example) to let other persons or security staff known where the individual is working (and even request periodic checks to made for health and safety reasons). Working alone in a clinic or clinical laboratory suite is strongly discouraged. If it is unavoidable, let someone else know where you are and ask to be checked at regular intervals. This perspective applies to both staff and postgraduate (PhD) students. Undergraduate students and taught Masters students should not be left to work alone unsupervised, especially outside of normal working hours.
4. Evacuation of patients and disabled from the Eye Clinic
All students must sign into the Clinic and are then assigned a patient who they will be responsible for evacuating in the event of a fire drill. The register of both the students and patients will be taken by the reception staff to the fire assembly point for checking Clinic fire wardens will check that all test cubicles and instrument rooms have been evacuated and report to the Fire Convenor at the assembly point.
Due to the nature of optometrists’ activities, it is unlikely that optometrists or students will be disabled. However, special needs patients are seen regularly in the Eye Clinic in room A140, on the first floor, and may be confined to a wheelchair. In the event of a fire alarm, they should be evacuated along the first floor corridor towards the front of the Mbeki Building. If the fire is at the front of the Mbeki Building special needs patients should remain in the Eye Clinic (with a member of staff or a Fire Warden) in the fire safety area in the stairwell and contact the switchboard on Ext 2222.