Vehicles and Equipment

All staff, students, contractors, delivery vehicles and visitors to the University must:

• drive carefully
• adhere to all directional signage and speed restrictions as displayed on campus
• comply with instructions given by University staff (parking attendants)

Parking

Find out about the information on parking for staff and for visitors including the Parking Policy . Signs showing the Parking Regulations are displayed around the campus. By parking on campus you agree to comply with the posted regulations.

Members of staff MUST receive additional training before they drive minibuses.

To drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats on University business in the UK using a normal car driving licence a member of staff will need to

• have passed his/her car driving test before 1st January 1997
• ensure that a "section 19 standard permit" is displayed on the vehicle
• have complete the necessary forms from the University's insurance office

(Note: If the driver passed his/her driving test after the 1st January 1997 then it is not possible to drive a minibus on University business unless a further driving test is taken. It is also necessary for the driver to meet higher medical standards. Note also that arrangements outside the UK are very different. Those intending to take minibuses abroad, which includes the Republic of Ireland, should make careful enquiries.)
See:

• University of Aberdeen motor insurance information
• Minibus and Driver Awareness Training Process Map

Further Training from 1st August 2005

In addition, from 1st August 2005 the driver MUST have successfully completed an additional driver training course approved by the University as a condition of being allowed to drive a minibus. Drivers who have not completed an additional course will be driving without the University's permission and will not be covered by the University's insurance.

The University Safety Adviser maintains a list of providers of approved training courses and should be contacted for details.

Section 19 Standard Permits

These are issued by Traffic Area Offices and must be displayed on minibuses being driven on University business. Permits issued after 6th April 2009 will show an expiry date. Permits issued before 6th April 2009 are now time limited and will expire in April 2014.

How to Avoid the Hassle

Meeting all the requirements to enable someone to drive a minibus can involve a lot of work. Have you considered hiring two people carriers (with up to 8 passenger seats) instead of a minibus? These can be driven on a standard car driving licence with no need for further driver training or permits. This option should always be considered.

See our Use of Drones Policy and Guidance .

It has long been established that precautions should be taken to protect the dangerous parts of machinery. Standards of guarding which are expected are also well established. That machinery is being used in a research or teaching environment can never be a reason for not taking precautions and for not guarding dangerous parts of machinery.

Neither can it be argued that 'skilled operators' do not need their machines to be suitably guarded. Appropriate guarding standards for workshop machines have been known and documented for decades and must always be implemented and used. All machines should be the subject of a risk assessment to identify the potential hazards and evaluate the effectiveness of the safeguards provided.

The following checklist shows some of the issues that should be covered when making such an assessment.

• How could people be hurt? For example, from sharp edges, traps, rotating parts, cleaning, maintenance.
• How obvious are the hazards?
• Under what circumstances will access be needed to the dangerous parts of a machine? Consider both normal operation of the machinery and 'abnormal' circumstances- e.g. maintenance, repair, attending to blockages.
• How often might this be needed? How close to the dangerous parts do people need to get? And how long does the process take?
• Is the machinery running or isolated at the time? Are there likely to be any other particular hazards at the time?
• How easy is it to approach the danger area?
• How far is access restricted by guarding or position?
• To what extent can access be gained by removing or defeating safeguards?
• Do the operators have the skills and motivation to take the full precautions that are necessary to avoid risk or injury?
• Is human error likely to create a danger?
• How can the risks be minimised?
• What controls are used to ensure that precautions are maintained?

Lifting equipment includes any equipment used for lifting or lowering loads, including attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting loads. Safety legislation covers a wide range of lifting equipment including, cranes, fork-lift trucks, lifts, hoists, mobile elevating work platforms, and vehicle inspection platform hoists as well as lifting accessories such as chains, slings, eyebolts.

Lifting equipment should be used only be competent people who have been authorised to use it. There should be a regime in place for ensuring the equipment is fit for purpose and that it is being regularly inspected (with certificates of inspection being readily available). Any use of the equipment for lifting operations should be properly planned and supervised.

Further information

• Health and Safety Executive guidance on the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations

Hand-arm vibration comes from the use of hand-held power tools and can cause long-term painful damage to your hands and fingers.

Read Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive on vibration.

If pressure equipment fails in use, it can seriously injure or kill people nearby and cause serious damage to property.

Principal causes of incidents are:

• poor equipment and/or system design;
• poor maintenance of equipment;
• an unsafe system of work;
• operator error, poor training/supervision;
• poor installation; and
• inadequate repairs or modifications.

The main hazards are:

• impact from the blast of an explosion or release of compressed liquid or gas;
• impact from parts of equipment that fail or any flying debris;
• contact with the released liquid or gas, such as steam; and
• fire resulting from the escape of flammable liquids or gases

Pressure equipment in the University is likely to be either

• Part of equipment which is supplied onto the open market (e.g. an autoclave, a compressor); or
• Equipment which has been manufactured for a specific application either within the University or by a contractor (e.g. for specialised equipment to be used in research).

In the former case, the equipment will be supplied with documentation showing that it has been inspected and certified by the supplier. Thereafter it will need to be inspected at intervals determined by the University's insurance inspector. The equipment should be registered with the inspector as soon as possible after receipt.

In the later case, arrangements must be made for the equipment to be inspected and certified by a competent person before it is put into use. It should be inspected at regular intervals thereafter by the insurance inspector.

Further information

• Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive on pressure systems

The major hazards associated with centrifuges are:

• Physical contact between the operator and the rotating head
• Mechanical breakage of rotors caused by corrosion or use in excess of manufacturer's recommended limits
• Severe vibration caused by an unbalanced rotor.

A rotor can be subject to the stresses which occur in high speed aircraft. The periphery of a 10cm rotor travelling at 50,000 rpm is travelling at over 1,100 miles per hour. The rotor is stressed by every acceleration / deceleration cycle and undergoes measurable stretching each time it accelerates. Mechanical breakage of unbalanced rotors and the vibration resulting from an unbalanced rotor can cause extensive and expensive damage as well as having potential to cause severe injury to anyone in the same room as the centrifuge.

To prevent injury centrifuges should be

1. Used in the correct manner and
2. Regularly inspected and maintained.

Note: The formation of aerosols when samples of infectious material are centrifuged may also be a hazard and may require the use of sealed centrifuge buckets.

Correct use of centrifuges

1. Centrifuges may be operated only by authorised people (records should be held of those who are authorised)
2. The centrifuge lid must be closed whenever the rotor is in motion and must be interlocked so it cannot be opened when the rotor is in motion
3. Do not stop the rotor by hand or indirectly by the application of an implement to the rotor. Stop the centrifuge by returning the control to zero, not by switching off the power supply.
4. If there is any indication of malfunction, stop the machine immediately and contact the person designated as having responsibility for the centrifuge.
5. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, particularly regarding balancing tolerances and operating speeds for different rotors. Note that balancing by volume is not suitable for dense solutions (e.g. sucrose must not be balanced with the same volume of water)
6. Before starting a run, inspect the rotor and tube caps for signs of corrosion or cracks. Never use faulty parts
7. Ensure that the outsides of containers are clear and free of drops of liquid before placing them into the rotors (the drops of liquid could be a cause of corrosion). If any liquid is spilt into a centrifuge or onto a rotor it is crucial that it is removed immediately and the equipment cleaned using an appropriate method.
8. Never leave a centrifuge while it is accelerating. Many faults occur during the acceleration phase of a run. If you are present, you can immediately turn the machine off.
9. Always fill in the log book, giving all the details required. The replacement times for rotors and drive mechanisms are calculated from the data in the log book.
10. Always clean and dry the rotor and the centrifuge carefully after use. It is important to remove all traces of materials that could promote corrosion or stress cracking. Mild detergent (e.g. Teepol), possibly with gentle brushing, is all that is required for cleaning. Avoid scratching a rotor.
11. Always leave the lid "ajar" when the centrifuge is not in use.
12. If you are unfamiliar with the operation of any machine, seek assistance.

Inspection and maintenance of centrifuges

1. Someone should have overall responsibility for co-ordinating the regular inspection and maintenance of the centrifuges in the department. He/she should assign a nominated person to be responsible for each centrifuge.
2. The nominated person will ensure that inspection of the centrifuge (and in particular the rotor) takes place at predetermined intervals and that the equipment is maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Where records are required of rotor use, the nominated person will be responsible for keeping the records.

It is a legal requirement that all autoclaves, regardless of size, are periodically examined by a person who is competent to assess their suitability for continued safe use.

We use Allianz Cornhill Engineering to examine our autoclaves. The examinations which they carry out for us are coordinated by Estates however individual Schools remain responsible for ensuring that their autoclaves are examined at appropriate intervals. The following actions should be taken to achieve this.

1. Schools should have copies on file of reports of examination for each of their autoclaves. A report will state the date beyond which the autoclave must not be operated without a further examination. An autoclave should not be used unless the School has an in-date report showing that the autoclave is suitable for further service.

2. Schools should have copies of the "written scheme of examination" for each of their autoclaves. This is a document which specifies the frequency of examination, the parts to be examined and the examination methods. These written schemes are usually prepared by Allianz Cornhill Engineering but copies must be held by Schools. The reference number of each written scheme is recorded on the report of the examination. Copies of written schemes can be obtained from the surveyor from Allianz Cornhill Engineering when he next visits to carry out an examination of an autoclave.

3. Schools should ensure that Allianz Cornhill Engineering are informed of any new autoclaves as soon as they are delivered so that they can be incorporated into the examination schedule. Contact Malcolm Scott in Estates with details of new autoclaves and he will inform Allianz Cornhill Engineering.

Contact the University Safety Adviser, if further advice or assistance with autoclave safety is needed.