The Department of Medicine is committed to protecting the safety, health, and well-being of all its staff, students, contractors, and visitors in the workplace. To achieve this commitment, the department will embrace the NUS Safety and Health Policy.
We will make every reasonable effort to ensure that all our staff and students comply with the relevant occupational safety and health laws, regulations, and codes of practice in their work environments. We will regularly monitor and inform all our Principal Investigators (PIs) and their respective safety leads about any legislative changes.
We will provide adequate resources and support to all our staff and students to assist them in identifying potential hazards, conducting risk assessments, and implementing risk control measures before commencing any work. The PI is responsible for establishing emergency response procedures based on the risk assessments conducted by their laboratory team, aiming to prevent and reduce the occurrence or recurrence of work-related injuries and illnesses. Staff and students should be aware that they can withdraw from work situations they believe pose an imminent and serious threat to their life or health. PIs should ensure that staff and students are adequately empowered, without prejudice, to take this action when they feel it is necessary.
We will provide sufficient and/or mandatory safety training for all our staff and students to ensure their competence in their tasks. PIs are responsible for supervising their staff, students, contractors, and visitors on the job and identifying any training needs related to their work.
We will improve our safety performance by setting, auditing, and reviewing our occupational health and safety goals and targets through regular communication with our stakeholders. To enhance workplace health and safety awareness, we will assess and implement effective safety awareness programmes, such as training workshops, safety games, and safety poster competitions, for all our staff and students. Our Department Safety and Health Committee will routinely review and implement robust and effective safety and health programmes for all our staff and students each year. It is our duty to support, strengthen, and maintain a robust safety and health management system in our workplace at all times.
We are committed to fostering and advancing a positive safety and health culture by consistently improving the safety of our work environment for all staff and students in the Department of Medicine. This encompasses those involved in laboratory research and administrative support, through safety awareness programmes, training, and effective communication. We aim to continue developing a culture where safety and wellness are integral to everything we do.
Professor Anantharaman Vathsala
Head
Department of Medicine
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
27 February 2025