When to carry out a risk assessment
You do not need to carry out a written risk assessment in order to do the operations detailed below, provided such operations are done within rooms designated for that purpose and within the Gisbert Kapp building
However a signed declaration must be made that you are only carrying out the operations detailed here, this, in effect, is your risk assessment.
[You do not need to carry out a risk assessment or sign the declaration below if you are working , under supervision, in the Undergraduate Electronics laboratory N207 or carrying out computer operations in rooms NG22, N337 and N416]
The declaration may be found here.
ü Using equipment that has been purchased and provided by the School
ü Using equipment that has a valid tested for electrical safety label
ü Using a bench power supply that provides less than 30 Volts between terminals or earth
ü Working on a project that that contains voltages below 30 Volts (whether generated or transformed ) .
ü Working on a project that produces/uses Radio frequency signals below 1mW/cm2.
ü Using a P.C. solely to write software/documentation
X Not using Chemicals (Including proprietary substances such as glue, cleaning solvents or water)
ü Using lasers classified as Class 1
ü Soldering in a designated area
ü Using small hand-tools to construct electronic circuits (Pliers, wire cutters, and screwdrivers)
ü Working with items at temperatures between 5 degrees and 30 degrees Celsius
X Not working with revolving or moving parts
Any work outside these parameters must not be carried out until a risk assessment has been made.
Access to any swipe controlled laboratory will not be allowed until a risk assesment signed by a project supervisor is presented to the building manager
In some cases the risk assessment may be simple clarification from your supervisor or the person responsible for the working area , for example, does a piece of battery operated equipment require testing for electrical safety.
In ALL other cases a full risk assessment will need to be carried out detailing the Hazard and likelihood of the risk, this may need to take into account legislation such as the Electricity at work regulation, The C.O.S.H.H. (Control of substances Hazardous to Health Regulations etc) and the School / University Health and Safety policies.