H&S Round Up September 2026
Posted on Sunday 20 September 2026
SHWO Update
Launch of iReport: New Accident and Incident reporting system (replacing SOLAR)
iReport, a new bespoke incident and accident reporting and investigation module, has recently been trialled by the SHWO team in coordination with Department Safety Coordinators, the system developer, and University IT.
From 21st September 2026, the new incident and accident reporting system will be live. Please use iReport to report any incidents or accidents. (Instructions on how to submit a report are on the iReport training page).
Report an accident or incident on iReport
The previous system SOLAR will still be monitored whilst iReport is launched. iReport training for Department Safety Coordinators is available on the iReport for DSCs webpage.
Updated Assisted Emergency Evacuation Plans Webpage
New students and staff arriving at the University in the new academic year may need a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan.
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).
Training Courses for 2026/27 Academic Year
Training courses delivered by the Safety, Health and Wellbeing at Work Office team in the new academic year are available to book on the LMS. These training courses can be used for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) during the current Performance and Development Review (PDR) window. Find more details of our training courses on the SHWO training webpage.
Occupational Health - Health Surveillance Clinics
Occupational Health have increased health surveillance clinic provision to two clinics per week in Alcuin C, offering multiple lung function and hearing test appointment slots. Booking and attendance by staff and postgraduate students at appointments remains low, with many slots left empty.
Health surveillance follows risk assessment of the hazards that staff and some postgraduate students are exposed to at work and potential health impacts. Some health surveillance is a statutory requirement under COSHH. These appointments monitor health impacts and ensure that existing safety protocols are effective, so it is in the interest of staff and postgraduate students to attend.
If you have been identified as requiring health surveillance, please respond to appointment booking invitations at the earliest possible convenience. We also ask managers/project leads to ensure that their staff and postgraduate students are all doing so.
If work roles, locations or hazards have changed or stopped, please contact us at occupational-health@york.ac.uk
Overseas Travel Process
There have been some recent cases of people travelling to high risk countries without following the Overseas Travel process within the correct timeframe. Anyone travelling overseas on university business should familiarise themselves with the Overseas Travel process.
Autumn DSC Forum
There will be an Autumn Forum for Department Safety Coordinators (following the Spring one in April). This will be held on Wednesday 11th November between 2 pm - 4 pm.
USHA Conference in October
The Universities Safety and Health Association (USHA) is holding their annual conference on 7th-9th October 2026. SHWO have purchased an online ticket for anyone at UoY to view talks at the conference. Details will be circulated nearer the time.
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 84% | 94% |
| July 2026 | 84% | 94% |
| August 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) |
DSCs and operational staff |
12 |
The online RA training is a prerequisite. |
|
DSCs/managers |
10 |
||
|
DSCs 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 iReport.
For general enquiries, contact us on shwo-enquiries@york.ac.uk