Managing Workplace Safety & Health In NTU

Chanenges
Huge population with fast people turnover (include students)
Vast activities (multi disciplinary research activities)
Various groups of stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, contractors, tenans,
visitors, collaborators)
Young or inexperience laboratory users
Limited established or proven control measures for some research projects

Occupational Safety & Health Management System

What is a safety Management System?
- A systematic process to managing workplace safety and health, i.e.
establishing policy and objectives, manage risks and meeting the legal
requirements

What is SS 506 ?
- A Singapore Standart, recognised by Standarts Council of Singapore, for
assessing health and safety management systems
 SS 506 Management System

Clau
se Title or Description Risk assessment
SS conducted by users
506 and approved by the
4.1 General Requirements supervisor
4.2 OSH Policy
4.3 Planning Safety objective (s) set and review
4.3.1 regularly within each year NTU and
Hazard Identification, risk assessment
and determining control School/ Centre level
4.3.2 Legal and other requirements
4.3.3 Objectives and programme (s) Safety training matrix in place at
4.4 Implementation and Operation school/ center level
4.4.1 Overview
Resourch, roles, responsibility,
SOPs to address various operational
accountability and authorityneeds, e.g chemical, biological,
4.4.2 Competence, training
Launched in and awareness
radiation handling, etc. Checked and April 2007
4.4.3 Communication,
Nationalparticipation and
enforces by NTU and School/ Centre programme, by
consultation
industry for level during inspection and audits industry
4.4.4 Step-by-step
Documentation approach to build
Audit mechanism and progammes
4.4.5 Control ofWSH Capability
documents and in particular,
RM.control By NTU & School/ Centre
4.4.6 Operational
Recognition and andSch/ Centre internal auditors priviliges for WSH
4.4.7 Emergency preparedness response
4.5 Checking effortsNo NTU OHS auditors or external joining or
4.5.1 subscription
Performance measurement auditors
fee and
4.5.2 monitoring
Review by management
4.5.3 Evaluation of compliance Imple management
NTU Senior
Incident investigation, nonconformity,
ment
4.5.3.
School Chair or Centre Director
corrective and preventive action WSH
Mana
Levels of
1 Incident investigation
4.5.3. Recognition
Nonconformity, correctiveBuild
geme
and Capability
nt in
2 preventive action Managing
Syste WSH RECINVO
4.5.4 Control of records m
(WSHMS Champions
4.5.5 Internal audit attends WSHMS OGNLVEM
4.6 Management review course) ENT
ITIO
Implement Risk N
Management

Build Capability in Risk Management recogn

(RM Champion attends RM Course) ized

Demonstrate Management Commitment

(CEO/ Top Mgt attends Workshop)
Safety Training
Generally description :
New hires safety induction (university & School level)
Basic core courses
Job specific
Mandatory by law

Emergency Preparedness
All officer are to astablish the emergency response plan
Simple for officer and more complex for high risk schollsand Research Centres
Provision for Liaison Officer, first alders & fire wardens are the basic
Other sesponse team may include: SCBA, chemical spill team
Emergency personel to be trained (internal or external)
Drill exercises to be conducted annually

Laboratory Setting
Measures Adopted :
All High Risk Group School/ Centres to adopt the SS 506 framework and align to
NTUs requirements. These include :
Conduct risk assessment prior to the activity
Safety responsibilities of all persons in the lab
Safety training & education
Safety procedures (to our best current knowledge for some works)
Laboratory equipment maintenance
Emergency preparedness
Inspection and audits (SS506 frame work audit 2016)
Continual efforts to sustain and improve

Tipycal safety journey of a researcher in NTU

managed under the School/ Centre OSHMS, include
provision of emergency preparedness
W ork
N ew ly joined A t w ork com p letion &
exit
Attend safety Using the Clearance by
induction required PPE Supervisor &
Undergo Adhere to School Centre
relevant safety established Safety training
topics training safety records kept by
Carry out risk procedures N TU (School
assessm en Refresher safety Centre)
training
Supervision of
w ork
Undergo safety
inspection &
audits
Review w ork risk
assessm ent
Safety Inspection and Audits
Safety inspection regime programme at high risk group (by tiers)
Audits (internal audit by School/ Centre plus from NTU)
External audits (for few Schools which are on the national audit
scheme, e.g. bizSafe or SS506 certification scheme)
NTU also carries out other technical audits, e.g. BSL 2 facility audits,
chemical audit, emergency plan audit, risk management, PFM audits,
radiation audits, etc)

Safety Outreach
Constant outreach events at NTU level, e.g. online quiz
Schools and Centres also carry out regular safety outreach events, e.g.
poster contest, roadshow, exhibition, quiz, etc
Appreciation lunch sessions various safety champions or members
Safety promotion award contest

Conculsion
Research & Teaching activities do come with inherent risk and requires
careful management of risk
Management of risks require the co-operation from all levels
Pratical maintenance regime in place for all facility system but may not
necessary prevent component level failure
Respective Offices to remind their users (student, tenants, contractors)
to observe safety rules diligently
Continuous training and education
Continual improvement to the safety management system