Health and Safety

All contract, casual, and HDR candidates are required to complete a New Worker Induction form & Building fire safety induction form on commencement, and forward the completed forms to Administration Coordinator, ari@griffith.edu.au.

• COMPULSORY - Annual Fire Safety Training, Health and Safety Induction and Manual Tasks/Office Ergonomics modules upon commencement, and then every 3 years.
• RECOMMENDED - Wellbeing for Work and Life and Practical Hazard and Incident Management modules upon commencement, and then every 3 years.
• COMPULSORY IF WORKING IN LAB - Laboratory and Workshop Safety module is to be completed by people working in a laboratory or with supervisory responsibility for staff or students working in a laboratory.
• COMPULSORY FOR BIOSAFETY (PC2 Lab) - Biosafety Training (incorporating General, Genetic and Biosecurity, and Chemical Safety (incorporating General and Gas Cylinder) modules are to be completed by laboratory users and supervisors who are working with biological organisms and/or genetically modified organisms and higher risk organisms. For more information, see Biosafety Guidelines and Training.
• COMPULSORY IF WORKING WITH QUARANTINE MATERIAL - If you are working with imported biological material in an approved quarantine facility, then you will also need to complete the Quarantine Biosafety module.

What should I do if a staff member or student reports a hazard?

1. If the hazard is a maintenance hazard (dripping tap leaking pipe; mould; raised edges of concrete; build-up of leaf litter on edges of steps; slippery floors; exposed electrical wiring; sharp edges or exposed nails and screws; frayed electrical cords; loose bricks or pavers; and security lighting not working, etc), submit an online maintenance request or, if urgent call Campus Life on Ext. 8888 for action. The hazard will be given a priority rating. Campus Life will provide you with feedback regarding the action taken to deal with the hazards reported online.
2. For all other hazards (chemicals in unlabelled containers; stacks of heavy boxes in offices; furniture blocking fire extinguishers or exits; electrical cords or hoses across walkways; handling of printer or photocopy toner), you should try to manage it locally. You may be able to fix the problem yourself, but you may also need to consult with your Local Health & Safety Contact (LHSC) or Health and Safety Specialist/Practitioner. They will be able to advise you on the best way to assess the risk and/or to proceed to remove or reduce the hazard.

It is important for your safety and wellbeing, as well as for Legislative and insurance purposes that the University:

1. has knowledge of work undertaken off-campus; and
2. has provided consent for work undertaken off-campus.

All Fieldwork MUST have a completed and approved Risk Assessment PRIOR to the commencement of any fieldwork.

The person responsible for providing approval is as follows:

All Students - relevant Head of School, ie Head of School, Environment and Science, Head of School, Engineering and Built Environment, etc.

Staff employed by a School, and is also a member of ARI - relevant Head of School, ie Head of School, Environment and Science, Head of School, Engineering and Built Environment, etc.

ARI Research Only Staff - ARI

ARI Fieldwork Activities Risks and Hazards this will assist you to identify the category of the hazard, the risk score, and various control measures.

Risk Management for off-campus Research Activities a Powerpoint presentation to assist you.

Field Trip Exemplars

• Field Trip Risk Assessment (DOCX_1225K)

If you plan on volunteer's assisting you with your fieldwork, you are required to complete the Volunteer form.

Responsibilities of the Field Trip Leader:

• to ensure that all staff, students, volunteers and others are named on the Field Trip Risk Assessment Form and that current medical forms and volunteer forms (where applicable) are submitted to ARI.
• to ensure that the call in contact has agreed to and is available to take on the role, and has a copy of the approved Field Trip Risk Assessment Form.
• Since non-contact would elicit costly search effort, please make sure that call-in is always observed within the agreed time frame.

Responsibilities of the Call in Contact:

Familiarise yourself with the procedure to follow in the event of non-contact and to follow the Field Work Emergency Response Procedure when no contact has been made by the Field Trip Leader within two hours of the nominated time.

Contact Jody Kreuger, Boating and Diving Officer, School of Environment and Science, for advice on policy and procedures, inductions, risk assessments, etc pertaining to boating and diving.

1. Go to Griffith Sciences Fieldwork Intranet site
2. Click on Diving and Booking System.

Insurance coverage at the University differs for staff, students and volunteers. Please find below links to information.

Who is covered by Griffith insurance?

Information on Griffith University's Insurance program

Contact Insurance and Risk Management

Working from home is a temporary arrangement agreed at a local level between a staff member and the Director, ARI. If you receive your supervisor's approval to work from home, please complete the Self-Assessment Checklist and provide a copy to your supervisor, and the Institute Manager. You can also access the Anywhere, Anytime Work Guidelines which sets out the requirements for working away from campus. Should you require any further information, please visit Griffith University's Health, Safety and Wellbeing website.