H&S Round Up August 2026

Reporting period 21st January 2026 to 20th May 2026

SHWO team updates

The two new Fire Safety Coordinator posts have been filled (18-month initial contracts), predominantly to undertake Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs). One of the H&S Business Partners (Carolyn Jackson) had been seconded for 18 months into the role of Head of Health and Safety (Deputy to the Director).

H&S Governance

Due to the recent organisational changes, including splitting of the professional services executive board, a light-touch review of the H&S Governance framework is in progress.

H&S Management System (SoterWeb)

The new online H&S management system (SoterWweb) is currently being trialled before the launch of the iReport incident-reporting module. User guides and training are in development.

Fire

Positive engagement with the new fire drill booking process was reported with fire drill arrangements in Colleges to be clarified.

A proposal was approved by the WHSC that included costs to procure 62 additional evacuation chairs, including maintenance and training for 5 years. The new chairs will be installed across the campus in locations according to risk, and designed to reduce the time required to deploy necessary equipment to evacuate individuals from buildings, helping to ensure life safety and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Once the new chairs are installed, the university will have a total of 80 evacuation chairs spread across the two campuses. 

University H&S Audits

Three H&S audits have been completed by SHWO Business Partners (Fire Safety Compliance, Capital Projects and CDM), with Asbestos/Legionella in progress and Contractor Management and Lifting Equipment audits scheduled.

Actions from completed audits are ongoing.

External Review of H&S at the University

The external review of H&S is ongoing with the reviewers having interviewed some key colleagues and visiting campus w/c 15th June. 

A draft report is expected in the coming weeks and will be shared at the next WHSC committee meeting in October 2026.

Proposal for increasing mandatory H&S training participation rates

The paper suggested actions in relation to staff induction, improved communication, linkage to IT access and local initiatives in departments/faculties.

The committee observed that line managers should play a key role in driving up participation rates as they also receive reminders regarding individual non-completion. The committee also requested to see a University-wide breakdown of completion, rated by department, so more targeted, robust support could be provided.

Update on new approach to Facilities Management

New role descriptions for Facilities Managers were under development with input from SHWO and Faculties; these would also be shared with TU colleagues for comment. 

The newly configured roles would be spread across both campuses and provide greater clarity on the locus of responsibility for individual buildings, especially where these have multiple occupants from different departments/units. Consideration had also been given to event management and use of outdoor spaces with feedback from YUSU.

Health and Wellbeing

A draft Staff Health and Wellbeing Strategy was under development and was submitted to the University Executive Board (UEB) in July 2026 for initial consideration before a University-wide risk assessment and preparation of an action-plan.

 

For further information please see the Workplace Health and Safety Committee pages