Noise Policy

The Trustee Board has devolved day-to-day responsibility for Health, Safety and Welfare to the Managing Director.  

The MD, and those acting on their behalf, will ensure:  

• Ensure that adequate arrangements are in place to achieve compliance with the policy; 

• MD delegates responsibility for undertaking aspects of these duties through line management & identified roles. 

The Managing Director will delegate to the membership of the leadership team the following responsibility:  

• Monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of Health and Safety activities and the Union’s Health and Safety Policy and associated policies and procedures, and for ensuring that, at the strategic level, performance standards and timescales are adhered to;  

• Chairing the Students' Union's Health and Safety Committee and ensuring it has the time, facilities and resources to carry out its business effectively;  

• Keeping under review this Health and Safety Policy and the Health and Safety performance of the Students' Union.

The FHSM is appointed by the MD to undertake the following: 

• A suitable & sufficient risk assessment is made where noise exposure is likely to be equal to or greater than the lower action value; 

• Suitable information, instruction & training is provided where noise exposure is likely to be equal to or greater than the lower action value; 

• Hearing Protection Zones are identified and marked where noise exposure is likely to be equal to or greater than the upper action limit. 

Health and Safety is a delegated line management responsibility requiring managers to undertake operational Health and Safety duties identified in this policy. Imperial College Union Line Managers to undertake the following: 

• Lead by example by following policies and challenging inappropriate behaviours, should check that staff have received information and encourage them encourage new staff to read and follow the guidance provided; 

• Hearing protection is provided in line with this policy & that reasonable steps are taken to ensure it remains in good repair; 

• Reasonable action is taken to ensure hearing protection equipment remains in good repair; 

• Where noise exposure exceeds the exposure limit value, the activity is stopped until the cause can be identified & control measures implemented sufficient to reduce the exposure to below the limit.

Individual members of staff, students and visitors have a legal duty to co-operate and comply at all times with the ICU Health and Safety Policy, instruction and training provided. Staff and students are responsible for: 

• Cooperate and enable implementation of this policy; 

• Wear hearing protection in Hearing Protection Zones in compliance with any information, instruction & training provided; 

• Take care of hearing protection issued to them in compliance with any information, instruction & training provided; 

• Report to their line manager or supervisor any concerns they have with control measures implemented to manage noise or vibration exposure. 

The Students' Union, whilst an independent charity in its own right, is an integral part of the Imperial College community and could not exist without the College. The Union and College work in partnership to ensure that adequate measures are in place to ensure health, safety and welfare within the Union. The Union is committed to working with the Imperial College London Safety department and where appropriate, ensuring that the Union's Health and Safety Policy, Codes of Practice and arrangements are in accordance with the College Health and Safety Policy, Codes of Practice and arrangements. 

The Union is in an unusual position in that whilst colleagues work directly for the Students' Union their contracts of employment are with the College. Whilst the Union accepts its duty of care and responsibilities, the College also has a duty to ensure, and support, the safe management and operation of the Students' Union.