Heads of School and other senior leaders

The newly developed "Health and safety leadership training" course is designed specifically for senior leaders (Heads of School, Directors of Professional Service Groups, including Heads of College / Vice Principals) at the University of Edinburgh. It provides essential training on health and safety responsibilities aligned to the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy.  

This course is mandatory for senior leaders, as defined in the Framework on Managing Health and Safety.

Senior leaders play a pivotal role in shaping the safety culture and supporting compliance with legislation policies and procedures. This course will equip participants with the awareness and knowledge that will assist them to lead effectively in this area.

This course covers the following information:

• Legal framework in the UK and institutional arrangements
• Governance, accountability and risk management of health and safety
• Reporting on and monitoring of health safety and wellbeing
• Sector specific risk (based on the University’s risk profiling approach)
• Strategic integration of health and safety into area planning

The learning outcomes of this training are:

• Awareness and a reasonable level of understanding of  the UK’s legal framework and institutional policy and frameworks governing health and safety at the University (including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act. 1974, The Management of Health and safety at Work Regulations and the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007)
• Recognise University roles and responsibilities in promoting and managing health and safety
• Understand how risks are evaluated and how to implement appropriate control measure for area of responsibility (including the annual risk profiling approach expectations)  
• Practical management of health, safety and wellbeing at the University. This includes reference to specific University approaches and how to be supported as a Senior Leader in your area
• Key factors in fostering a culture of safety, health and wellbeing and accountability in your area

In preparation for the course, please:

• forward any questions you have (in advance, to health.safety@ed.ac.uk) and time will be given to answer direct questions.
• Read the following documents (available at https://health-safety.ed.ac.uk/policy-cop/policy):
  • University’s Health Safety and Wellbeing Policy, and its two supporting Frameworks titled:
  • Framework for Managing Health and Safety
  • Framework to Support Wellbeing Activity: commitment to staff mental health

The Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing will be in contact to offer a 1:1 session to discuss your area’s approach within 4 weeks of attending the course.

The training will by run by:

• Suzanne Thompson, Director of Health, Safety & Wellbeing at the University
• Katherine Metcalfe, Legal Partner, Pinsent Mason, with specialist health and safety litigation experience

Please click on the button below to self-enrol on the course.