The Safety Package is supplied to all members of the CLF staff, visiting scientists, sandwich students etc. and to all users working at the CLF. Users must register with the User Support Office each time they begin a session of work at the CLF.
Staff and users must contact the Area Safety Co-ordinators before starting work in any area. The Co-ordinator will make personnel aware of any specific hazards and will discuss and agree procedures for safe working.
Users are responsible for the safety of their own experiment but a CLF member of staff (Link Scientist) has overall responsibility for ensuring the safety of personnel and experiment. Experimental safety starts at the proposal stage where every effort must be made to identify any hazards (equipment, sample or procedure related) associated with the proposed programme of work. Users must discuss all safety issues they are aware of with the appropriate link scientist or area co-ordinator in the first instance and with specifically named CLF personnel where appropriate.
The CLF must be notified in advance of any equipment or materials they wish to bring to RAL for their experiment or as part of an ongoing or new project, in line with the “The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations (2011)”. Failure to do so can lead to the delay or cancellation of the experiment. Such equipment must conform to STFC and RAL safety standards. Special rules for registration, inspection and monitoring apply to electrical equipment, lasers, high voltage apparatus, pressure vessels, radioactive materials, lifting equipment and hazardous substances (e.g. chemicals and biological agents).
Operational Risk assessments should cover all foreseeable hazards but must be consulted by the staff in charge. Any subsequent changes to the experiment or project should be reflected in the appropriate assessment. A copy of all Standing Orders, Risk Assessments etc. should be available locally to the risk and upon request.
Group leaders of visiting teams should agree arrangements in advance for the supervision of inexperienced or junior personnel. For persons such as MSc, Sandwich and Vacation students a written project definition should be produced and signed by both the student and their supervisor. Based on the student’s knowledge, experience etc, it may also be necessary to make a written risk assessment defining the limits of the student’s work and for additional training to be undertaken.
Persons authorising visitors onto site are responsible for ensuring that they are made aware of general RAL safety procedures, that they are not exposed to unnecessary hazards and that they are sufficiently supervised whilst on site.
Personnel who have a health problem which could affect their work and cause a hazard to themselves or others, must ensure that the Area Safety Co-ordinator and the Occupational Health Centre are made aware of the problem and of the appropriate procedures to be taken in the event of a problem.
Safety related incidents/matters should be communicated via relevant line management to the appropriate level and to the department safety representatives if necessary.
This is a research laboratory with a broad programme of work. Experimental arrangements change frequently. There will be hazards with which you are unfamiliar. You must therefore make yourself aware and maintain awareness of the hazards in the area you are working in, adhere to the instructions given in this document and follow any instructions given locally.
