Health and Safety
The University’s Health and Safety Office provides a central resource of information on all aspects of safety at work. The local information below should be read in conjunction with the University Health and Safety Policy.
Faculty of History Health and Safety contacts
Departmental Safety Officer
Steven Corbett (Custodians' Lodge, Ext. 35300, sc564@cam.ac.uk)
Fire Safety Manager
Steven Corbett (Custodians' Lodge, Ext. 35300, sc564@cam.ac.uk)
First Aid
Angela Wilson (4th Floor, Ext. 35307, aw828@cam.ac.uk)
Maciej Krzciuk (Custodians' Lodge, ext 35300, custodians@hist.cam.ac.uk)
Jenna Kapaun (4th Floor, Ext. 35318, jlk51@cam.ac.uk)
Mental Health First Aid
Angela Wilson (4th Floor, Ext. 35307, aw828@cam.ac.uk)
Custodians
Steven Corbett (Custodians' Lodge, ext 35300, custodians@hist.cam.ac.uk)
Maciej Krzciuk (Custodians' Lodge, ext 35300, custodians@hist.cam.ac.uk)
Wellbeing Advocates
Kerrie Potter (kep500@cam.ac.uk)
Covid-19: new ways of working safely
Covid-19 has changed the way that we work in the History Faculty building. You can read our standard operating procedures if you want to know more about how we've adjusted routes through the building and how staff and students can gather, work and study.
Please also be sure to wash or sanitise your hands regularly, and use face coverings, unless you are exempt, when moving between rooms or listening to lectures. Hand sanitiser and surface wipes are provided throughout the building for your use.
When entering the History Faculty building, please sign in with the NHS app. This includes staff, students of History and users of the libraries based in the building.
The History Faculty building has been risk assessed for its operations during the Covid-19 pandemic, and this will be regularly reviewed. Staff with any concerns are invited to contact the Safety Officer, Steve Corbett, or the deputy chair of Faculty, to discuss them.
History Faculty Health and Safety procedures and policies
Security
Call University Security on 01223 (3) 31818 (routine calls) or in an emergency by dialling 101 on an internal phone, or by calling 999 on any phone.
Visitors to the building should report to the custodians' office for general enquiries or contractor visits; for academic business and teaching enquiries, report to the general reception in room 4.15 on the fourth floor. Visitors using the library should proceed to the library front desk.
Faculty Safety Committee
The Terms of reference and Faculty Health and Safety policy can be accessed through these links. The Faculty Safety Committee meetings minutes are available from the Departmental Safety Officer.
Accidents and concerns
The First Aider (see above) can assist in the event of accident, injury or illness in the Faculty Building. All accidents must be reported on the University online system. If you have any concerns about health and safety issues, you may raise these with the Departmental Safety Officer, Steven Corbett, with your line manager, the Faculty human resources administrator Jo Pearson, or with the Deputy Chair Lucy Delap on DepChair@hist.cam.ac.uk. If you prefer, you can also report any concerns to the Universities central human resources advisory service.
The Faculty is committed to the wellbeing and flourishing of its staff. If you have any concerns about stress, please take a look at the helpful guidelines 'Preventing and Managing Stress at Work'. You can also talk to the Faculty's wellbeing advocate, Kerrie Potter (kep500) who will be happy to talk over any issues. The Staff Counselling Service can also offer support to all staff, while students who have concerns should contact the Student Counselling Service.
Emergency Procedures
An alarm will sound in the event of fire. On hearing the alarm you must leave the building immediately by the nearest signed exit, without making detours to collect possessions. Do not use the lifts. The Fire Assembly Point is Lady Mitchell Hall, on the south side of the Faculty. Do not re-enter to the building before the official ‘all clear’ is given by a Faculty Fire Warden.
Exiting the Faculty Building during ‘Closed’ Hours
The Faculty building is open for the same hours as the Seeley Library (see details posted on the Library’s web pages and on Faculty notices). At other times the building is electronically locked. If you need to exit the building when the doors have locked, please press the green ‘exit’ button located beside the doors.
Children
Children must be under the supervision of an adult at all times.
Risk Assessments
All staff working with computers, monitors and keyboards (also termed Display Screen Equipment) should complete a self assessment checklist to ensure that they understand and have taken action to reduce the risks associated. Those working at home should complete the working at home checklist, and ensure that they have addressed and reduced any risks identified.
The Safety Office advise that academic staff should complete Risk Assessments when working away from the University, and that this is particularly important when escorting students on study trips. You can learn more about planning for risks in this training video.
Detailed advice is available from the Health and Safety Office website.
The Faculty has also compiled some templates which can be adapted as required.
If you are organising an event please file a copy of your risk assessments with the Safety Officer, Steven Corbett, sc564@cam.ac.uk.
For field trips and working away, please file a copy of the risk assessment with the Deputy Chair, depchair@hist.cam.ac.uk
Graduate Students working away risk assessments
If you are applying for working away from Cambridge as a graduate student, please use the UK risk assessment or overseas risk assessment form and return it with your application.
Staff and students can check insurance implications with the Insurance Section. If you're planning a trip, do take a look at the 'working away' video, available (with a Raven login) on Moodle, which guides you through the issues and risks you'll need to think about.
Risk assessments made for the History Faculty building include: