Co-operation and co-ordination – managing
health and safety in shared workplaces
Legal requirements
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 require that where
two or more employers share a workplace (either on a permanent or temporary
basis), all involved have to co-operate and co-ordinate their activities to ensure that
all their health and safety obligations are met.
Examples within the University include NHS Trust staff using University laboratories;
University employees (including students) using research council facilities on the
main campus or University employees using facilities at other Universities/Institutes.
Where one employer is in overall control of the shared area, the other employers
should assist the controlling employer in assessing shared risks and co-ordinating
any necessary control measures, primarily by providing information. Where there is
no single employer in control, joint arrangements need to be agreed by all parties
and put in place.
This guidance applies primarily to situations where different employers share a work
place but it is recommended that it is also followed where employees and students
work in areas within the University beyond those normally occupied and/or controlled
by their line manager, for example in another academic department.
Definitions
Host:

Controller of the premises ie entire building

Manager of the shared workplace eg laboratory
Guest:

Manager and/or employees or students from another department or employer

Employee or student from another department or employer
Shared workplace:

Entire building

Specific floors/areas within a building

Specific rooms within a building
Responsibilities
Heads of Departments are responsible for the safe management of work within their
departments and should ensure that they have established and maintain formal
arrangements for co-operation with other departments or organisations. This means
both ensuring that there are adequate arrangements in place to address the safety of
guest employees working in the department, as well as the safety of their staff who
work in other host departments or in premises controlled by another employer.
Heads of Department cannot legally completely devolve or delegate responsibility for
the health and safety of their staff to a third party but it may be possible to reach
agreements with other employers to share, or take on, certain responsibilities for
health and safety of their employees.
UCL Safety Services
In situations where there is no controlling employer, a named, competent individual
should be appointed to co-ordinate health and safety arrangements in the shared
workplace.
Documentation
Arrangements detailing the agreed procedures for managing health and safety in a
shared workplace should be documented. Although there may be a commercial
contract in place eg where the University pays for services or facilities provided by
another employer, it is recommended that the detail of health and safety
arrangements is covered separately, although there may be reference in the contract
in general terms.
For situations where University staff are working in other University Departments,
documentation may be as simple as a short paragraph in the written arrangements
for safe working under the heading “co-operation between organisations”, stating that
all visiting workers will follow the Department’s local rules for safe working, with
visitors signing to that effect. Where different employers are involved, this should be
supplemented with more formal documentation setting out the relationship between
the different employers and their respective roles and responsibilities – a suggested
format and an indication of topics to be covered is given in the checklist at the end of
this guidance.
Where there is no controlling employer, a joint health and safety policy should be
prepared and agreed, and a joint local health and safety code of practice prepared
for use by all those working in the shared area, using the headings in the suggested
format as guidance.
The document should be signed off by the Head of the University Department
involved and the relevant line manager(s) of the other employer(s).
Safety Services Reference(s):
Shared workplaces
First Published
Reviewed
UCL Safety Services
May 2010
<date>
Health and Safety arrangements between Department of
University College London and
,
Location(s) of shared workplace
Brief description of activities carried
out
Effective date of agreement
Date of review (annual or when any
changes
Authorised by:
On behalf of
On behalf of
Copies of organisational health and
safety policies included
For the purposes of this document,
guest.
Yes Organogram prepared and
included
is identified as the host organisation and
Yes
as the
Notes on completion of form
The form is protected and will show “host” as the default option in all the drop-down
lists. To navigate the form, either tab from box to box or place the cursor in the grey
text entry area or drop-down list.
For each of the topics listed in Sections 1-3, the lead on each should be identified ie
host or guest. Where the management of a particular topic is carried out by both
parties, eg provision of an occupational health service for employees, this should be
indicated as both. Space is also provided for further detail, eg if both parties carry
out risk assessment of their work the arrangements for sharing said assessments
should be given. Details of arrangements for communication and emergency
procedures (including details of accident reporting) should be given in Section 4, with
the names of local and organisational health and safety contacts listed in Section 5;
this should include contact details of senior managers (representing host and guest
organisations) who can be contacted in the event of any health and safety concerns
that cannot be resolved at a local level.
It is recommended that the document includes copies of each organisation’s health
and safety policy for reference, as well as an organogram indicating line
management and health and safety management reporting lines for all staff covered
by the agreement.
UCL Safety Services
1. Building/workplace services
Identify who will be responsible for providing and maintaining the following services within the building or specific
shared workplace
1.1.
Utilities (ie water, electricity, gas)
1.2.
Plant (eg air conditioning, ventilation)
Host
Host
1.3.
Security
Host
1.4.
Maintenance of general fabric of building/workplace
Host
1.5.
Routine maintenance of workplace equipment
Host
1.6.
Fire precautions
Host
1.7.
Further information
Use this space to provide further information/detail – eg contact details of service providers or
Estates/Facilities Management
2. Identification and management of risks
Identify who will carry out the following:
2.1.
Risk assessment of work activities/project
2.2.
Information, instruction and training
Host
Host
2.3.
Supervision of staff and/or students
Host
2.4.
Provide and maintain personal protective equipment
Host
2.5.
Prepare, disseminate and review local safe working procedures
Host
2.6.
Arrange for collection and disposal of:
2.7.
Domestic waste stream
Host
Hazardous waste stream
Host
Routine monitoring and inspection
Host
2.8.
Further information
Use this space to provide further information/detail eg location of risk assessments
3. Compliance issues
Identify who will be responsible for meeting specific statutory requirements
3.1.
GM/COSHH biological agent notifications to HSE
3.2.
Radiation licensing
Host
Host
3.3.
Provision of first aid (first aiders and first aid equipment)
Host
3.4.
Asbestos Register
Host
3.5.
Statutory maintenance and inspections eg lifting or pressure
equipment, fume cupboards and safety cabinets etc
Host
3.6.
Host
Provision of occupational health advice and health surveillance
UCL Safety Services
3.7.
Further information
Use this space to provide further information/detail
4. Communication/Accidents and emergencies
4.1.
Indicate means of communication between organisations
Joint health and safety committee
H&S as standing agenda item at local building/workplace management meetings
Other (please describe below)
4.2.
Describe procedures for dealing with emergencies (other than fire), eg loss of power to safety
critical equipment, major spillage of a hazardous chemical
4.3.
Describe procedures for reporting of accidents/incidents (including near misses)
5. Health and safety contacts
Give names and contact details of local health and safety and institutional health and safety
officers/advisers. Give details also of senior managers (host and guest) who can be contacted in the
event of any issues that cannot be resolved at a local level.
Name
Organisation
UCL Safety Services
Contact details
Role