Occupational Health & Safety

We wish to encourage clients to bring to our attention any issues they feel are not consistent with our commitment to providing a safe workplace.

Laboratory Animal Services will ...provide and maintain, the highest possible standards of health, safety and well being for its staff and clients, and a working environment free of discrimination and harassment.

Statement of Intent

Laboratory Animal Services is committed to providing, and maintaining, the highest possible standard of health, safety and well being for its employees and clients while they are at work. Laboratory Animal Services upholds the University's Policy on Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare and, in order to achieve the goals outlined in that policy, undertakes to take all reasonable steps to:

• integrate health and safety with all other operational functions, assigning it equal priority with other business objectives;
• comply with relevant statutory requirements and University policies, as the minimum standard;
• provide adequate financial and physical resources to meet these standards;
• encourage employee and client participation in health and safety matters via the established systems of communication;
• pursue progressive improvement in health and safety performance.

Laboratory Animal Services procedures will be developed, where appropriate, to assist personnel meet the aims listed above. This Statement of Intent and associated procedures will be regularly reviewed in the light of legislation and University changes.

Responsibilities

The Manager has overall responsibility for implementation and development of this Statement of Intent and for formulation of associated procedures. The Manager acts as "Departmental Health and Safety Officer", charged with developing, implementing and monitoring H & S initiatives.
Facility Coordinators are directly responsible for HS&W implementation in areas within their control. All staff and clients in Laboratory Animal Services are required to observe this Statement of Intent and associated health and safety procedures. Deliberate deviation will result in disciplinary action & may result in prosecution under the OHS & W Act, 1986.

A number of staff have OH&S responsibilities.