H&S Round Up July 2026
Posted on Tuesday 14 July 2026
SHWO Update
New SHWO Team structure from 1st August
Following the appointment of Carolyn Jackson to the secondment position of Head of Health and Safety (Deputy to Director), the SHWO team has undergone a restructure.
Some departments/areas will have a different SHWO team contact for their department/areas - please see our team webpage for your SHWO team contact.
Warm weather and water safety advice
Read "How do health alerts work?" to understand what health alerts mean and how heat can affect the body. To keep yourself safe, we recommend staff and students at the University follow the NHS advice for how to cope in hot weather.
After a number of incidents nationally in the recent warmer weather, it is important to act safely around open water, especially after alcohol consumption. Never enter the campus lake and please report any incidents to Campus Safety. More information about water safety can be found on the Royal Lifesaving Society UK website.
The Importance of reporting Workplace Accidents and Incidents and Investigations
The reporting of Accidents and Incidents in the workplace helps us to identify patterns of accidents and injuries, so we can better assess and manage risk at UoY.
Health and safety incident investigations are vital for cultivating a proactive workplace culture. Rather than assigning blame, investigations uncover root causes, prevent recurring hazards, and empower teams to collaborate on targeted safety improvements. Accident and Incident investigation is a crucial component of an effective health and safety management system. By learning from incidents and near misses, we identify the root causes of accidents, implement corrective measures, and prevent future occurrences.
Updated Assisted Emergency Evacuation Plans Webpage
Following a review of the Assisted Emergency Evacuation Plan process, please see our updated Assisted Emergency Evacuation Plan webpage (including information about Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans and General Emergency Evacuation Plans).
Updated Fire Warden Checklist
Following feedback, SHWO have updated the Fire Warden checklist form. Please discard any previous checklists. The new form has been simplified into a google form to help Fire Wardens keep track of the checks that they carry out.
If you have any questions, please contact shwo-enquiries@york.ac.uk.
Fire Warden training sessions are available to book attendance on the LMS.
Updated First Aid Webpage
SHWO have conducted a review of the First Aid webpage, management standard, guidance and training process, including feedback from the SHWO team and colleagues across campus. Please see our updated First Aid webpage.
First Aid online refresher
Following updates from the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK), the First Aid at Work online refresher course on the LMS has been updated, aimed at maintaining competency. SHWO recommend that all UoY first aiders access this resource (which does not replace the full in-person training courses). Thank you to David Hartley for providing the material for this course.
Travel Overseas Guidance reminder
During the upcoming conference and fieldwork season, please see our Travelling Overseas pages for the information and the latest updates on the Travelling Overseas process.
Audit actions
Any audit actions should be discussed in local H&S meetings, and issues escalated to Level 2 meetings as per Health and Safety Governance.
*NEW* Latest updates from the Workplace Health and Safety Committee (Spring Report)
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
Mandatory Health and Safety training completion
| Fire Safety Training | DSE Training | |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | 84% | 94% |
| May 2026 | 84% | 94% |
| June 2026 | 84% | 94% |
Health and Safety training
|
Course |
Target Audience |
Spaces Available |
Booking information |
|
Operational staff |
6-12 |
||
| First Aid at Work (Requalification) |
Operational staff |
6-12 |
|
|
All Staff (lower risk areas) |
6-12 |
||
|
Gaining Confidence in Risk Assessment (Practical Workshop) |
DSAs and operational staff |
12 |
The online RA training is a prerequisite. |
|
DSAs/managers |
10 |
||
|
DSAs and operational staff |
14 |
||
|
All staff |
12 |
||
|
Operational staff |
12 |
The online Manual Handling Introductory Training is a prerequisite |
|
|
Operational staff |
12 |
The online COSHH - an Introduction course is a prerequisite |
For further information see our Health and Safety Training pages.
Reporting of Health and Safety incidents
Reporting adverse events and hazardous situations is an essential part of managing health & safety at work. To report an accident, incident, near-miss or hazard observation, use the SOLAR System.
For general enquiries, contact us on shwo-enquiries@york.ac.uk