Assessment of Health and Safety
Aspects of Student Supervision
See notes overleaf
Assessment reference
Student or Group: .........................................................................................................
Supervisor: ...............................................................
(If required:
Alternate supervisor)
.........................................................
Description of Work: ........................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................
Hazards not in COSHH assessment below (e.g. animals, manual handling, DSE, glass tubing, heat and cold):
............................................................................................................................................................................
COSHH Assessment
Substance
HAZARDS (tick and attach relevant documentation)
Corrosive
Toxic Toxic Carcin- OxidIrritant harmful ogenic ising
Flammable
Other hazards (state)
GCLP=Good Chemical Laboratory Practice
PRECAUTIONS (tick)
GCLP
Lab
coat










Safety Wear Face Fume
Specs gloves Mask cupb'rd
Other*
* Other precautions should be listed under II or III below.
Precautions, control measures and personal protective equipment (Agreed with Supervisor/lab. superintendent):
I  There is no likelihood of a risk to health.
II 
There is no likelihood of a risk to health given (Tick all precautions that apply)
 Good Chemical Laboratory Practice (GCLP)  Good Microbiological Laboratory Practice (GMLP)
 The following precautions from GCLP / GMLP (e.g. tray containment)
............................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................
III  Especially hazardous substances/processes needing the following special precautions (beyond GCLP
or GMLP) to avoid a health risk. If you tick here, the Area Safety Coordinator must also sign the form.*
............................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................
Continue on a separate sheet if necessary
Risk Category for Supervision (To be completed by Supervisor - tick box)

Awork must not be started without direct supervision by a named supervisor

Bwork must not be started without the supervisor's advice and approval

Cwork may proceed as workers are trained and competent in the procedures involved

Dwork may proceed as the risks are insignificant and no special supervision is needed.
Validity of Assessment (Tick):
 day  week  month  term  year  other
Start of Work Date:..................................................
...........
Review Date: ..............................................................
Signatures
Supervisor
Date
Alternate
Date
supervisor
Student
Date
* Area Safety Coordinator
(If precautions "III" box is ticked)
Date
Completing the form
1.
This form must be used by all students carrying out research in laboratories and farms of the
Department of Agriculture. Its use has been agreed by the Head of Department and endorsed by the
Academic Staff. Its purpose is to enable members of academic staff supervising research in the
Department of Agriculture to meet "The Health and Safety Responsibilities of Supervisors Towards
Postgraduate and Undergraduate Students" as published by CVCP in 1993. (See p. 9 of the Agriculture
Area Health and Safety Code).
2.
Postgraduate research students and final year undergraduates carrying out research projects may save
time by combining health & safety with academic supervision. Supervisors should ask students to write
out a full description of the work including procedures and hazards. The supervisor and the student will
then meet and agree precautions and supervision needed (see pp.9-10 and 12 of Area Health and
Safety Code).
Where relevant, precautions needed should conform to existing University controls such as Outside
Normal Hours Working Procedures and for Field Work (Area Health and Safety Code p. 8 and p.15)
3.
The hazards/precautions section of the form fulfils the COSHH regulations (Control of Substances
Hazardous to Health) for laboratory workers (Area Health and Safety Code p.12). Information on
chemical hazards in the format required to complete the table is available from the following website
http://www.biosci.rdg.ac.uk/Facilities/coshh.htm
or from your laboratory superintendents or in case of difficulty from the Department's COSHH assessor.
COSHH regulations are frequently satisfied by following Good Chemical Laboratory Practice and Good
Microbiological Laboratory Practice. These Good Practice leaflets may respectively be downloaded from
http://www.fmd.rdg.ac.uk/safety/documents/GoodPracticeLeaflets/GCLP.doc
http://www.fmd.rdg.ac.uk/safety/documents/GoodPracticeLeaflets/gmlp.doc
There is a special undergraduate version of Good Microbiological Laboratory Practice:
http://www.fmd.rdg.ac.uk/safety/documents/GoodPracticeLeaflets/gmlpugver.doc
Copies should also be available from laboratory superintendents or in case of difficulty from the Area
Health and Safety Co-ordinator.
Further information may be obtained from the Health and Safety Executive:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/agindex.htm
Precautions should include personal protective equipment such as laboratory coats to satisfy the
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.
4.
Supplementary risk assessments are required where hazards involve significant lifting of heavy items
(The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992) or where use of VDUs would classify the person as
a user of Display Screen Equipment (Health and Safety Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992).
See Area Health and Safety Code pp.9-10.
5.
Review Assessments by the Review Date or immediately following an accident or unsafe incident.
Group activities such as practical classes and student projects must be reviewed before the start of the
academic year to which they apply.
6.
If an accident occurs, this form must be produced when the accident is reported and will need to
submitted with the Accident Report Form (where required) to the University Health & Safety Office. (see
Area Health and Safety Code p.7)
7.
Completed forms must be kept in a readily accessible place for five years.
THE UNIVERSITY OF READING, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development.
Head of School: Dr M J Gooding
Area Health & Safety Co-ordinator: Dr Alistair Murdoch (ext 6746) a.j.murdoch@reading.ac.uk
Radiation Protection Advisor: Dr Les Crompton l.a.crompton@reading.ac.uk
COSHH Assessor: Dr Irene Mueller-Harvey (ext 6619) i.mueller-harvey@reading.ac.uk
Laboratory Superintendents:
Crop Protection Laboratories (TOB1: Spurs B and E): Mrs Barbara Pembroke
Animal Science Laboratories (Upper Second Floor, New Building): Dr Les Crompton
NSRU Chemistry & Biochemistry Laboratory (TOB1: Spur D): Dr Irene Mueller-Harvey
Seed Science Laboratory (Upper First Floor, New Building): Dr Alistair Murdoch and Mrs Caroline Hadley
Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (Upper Ground Floor, New Building): Dr Simon Potts
AJMurdoch, The University of Reading, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
Adapted from Safety Office Form SO20 and the Plant Sciences COSHH form.
Revised August 2008
FORM-ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY ASPECTS OF STUDENT SUPERVISION