Emergency Management
The University of Western Sydney (UWS) acknowledges its legal responsibility, under the OH&S Act 2000, to show due diligence with respect to the health and safety of staff, students, visitors and contractors.
The University recognises that in an emergency, prompt and effective management will ensure that loss of life and property will be avoided, and business interruption will be minimised.
Whereas ultimate and overall responsibility for emergency planning lies with the Vice-Chancellor, at UWS all line managers are accountable to the Vice-Chancellor for ensuring that emergency management plans are developed and implemented in the workplaces under their control and that emergency controllers and wardens receive the necessary training and information to enable them to discharge their duties effectively.
Emergency Wardens (opens in a new window) (PDF, 19Kb)
Emergency Preparedness Program outlines a framework to enable line managers, in consultation with other stakeholders, to establish effective emergency management plans that are appropriate for their respective areas of responsibility.
Aim
The aim of the Emergency Preparedness Program is to enable management and staff to quickly and decisively respond to any emergency, which could:
- threaten the safety of persons, property or the environment
- interrupt or significantly diminish the capability of the University to undertake its usual business operations.
Objectives
Objectives of the Emergency Preparedness Program are:
- to facilitate a prompt, decisive and appropriate initial response to an emergency
- to provide a framework within which key people can develop the competencies required to effectively respond to an emergency
- to provide a mechanism for assuring the continued accuracy and relevance of these emergency procedures and the ongoing competency of key persons to effectively implement these procedures.
Emergency Defined
For the purposes of Emergency Planning, an 'Emergency' is defined as any event that could:
- jeopardise the safety of persons on or near a site owned or occupied by the University
- result in significant damage to property or equipment owned by the University
- significantly disrupt the normal business operations of the University or its contractors.
- death or catastrophic injury to a person/s on campus.
Types of Emergencies
Typical events which could impact the University include but may not be limited to:
- air-conditioning contamination
- animal hazard
- armed hold-up
- biological hazard
- bomb threat
- chemical spill
- civil disorder
- confined spaces emergency
- cryogenic emergency
- evacuation
- explosion
- fire - building
- fire - grass
- flooding/water leakage
- gas leak
- lift emergency
- medical emergency
- motor vehicle accident
- power failure
- radiation hazard
- release to atmosphere
- seismic disturbance
- storm
- suspicious packages and/or mail
- violent/threatening person.
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