Safety Office
Safety Office enquiries number: 01865 (2)70811
Fax: 01865 (2)70816
Email: postmaster@safety.ox.ac.uk
Website: www.admin.ox.ac.uk/safety
Postal address: University Safety Office, 10 Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PD
Director of the University Safety Office: Mr Alan Kendall
PA to the Director of the University Safety Office: Miss Sarah Dennis
The Safety Office is responsible for providing health and safety and environmental protection advice and services to all departments and members of the University and for implementing management strategy and policies approved by the University’s Health and Safety Management Committee to enable the University to discharge its legal obligations in respect of occupational health and safety. The Office is also responsible for the implementation of a number of rolling programmes of health and safety improvements in the University, such as structural fire precautions, fume cupboards, containment facilities in laboratories handling dangerous pathogens and asbestos management. In addition, the Safety Office administers a mini minor works budget and provides some health and safety services, including hazardous wastes disposal, provision of safety signs, a safety library and fire alarm contract administration.
The Director of the Safety Office, Alan Kendall, reports to the Registrar and interacts with a wide range of staff in the academic divisions and departments as well as with other officers in UAS, in particular with the Director of the Occupational Health Service.
Profile of the Director of the University Safety Office
Alan Kendall graduated from Bath University with a degree in Chemistry and joined Rothamsted Experimental Station (now Rothamsted Research) to work on photosynthesis and photorespiration in wheat, work that included studying the effects of elevated temperature and carbon dioxide levels on metabolism. An early interest in health and safety grew from involvement in the civil service trade union movement and he became co-chairman of the Agricultural and Food Research Council’s Joint Safety Committee and Rothamsted’s safety officer.
He came to Oxford in 1992 to fill a new post of Assistant University Safety Officer and was appointed University Safety Officer in July 2001. He took up his current post in January 2006.
