To describe the measures to be implemented to provide and maintain as far as practicable an environment that is safe and without risks to health for staff and students engaged in After-Hours Work/Study.
This procedure applies to all Schools/Colleges/Directorates/Centres where After-Hours Work/Study (as defined below) is conducted, and to all staff and students who wish to engage in After-Hours Work/Study.
Note: This procedure is to be read separately to, and does not displace, the relevant provisions of the University’s industrial instruments including those provisions concerning overtime, additional hours and shift work, which supervisors and staff must adhere to if work outside of ordinary hours is proposed.
After-Hours Work/Study: activities related to work or studies undertaken by FedUni staff or students on University premises on week-ends, public holidays and – on weekdays – outside the hours of 8.00am to 6.30pm. It does not include timetabled classes; access to 24-hour computer laboratories or to libraries; study in student residences; activities of contractors, commercial tenants or customers; construction work on designated building sites; social or sporting events held after-hours on campus; or any activity taking place off-campus (work/study-related functions, excursions, work placements or field work).
Authorised/authorisation: In this procedure, staff and students who engage in After Hours Work/Study must be authorised by their Supervisor/Manager (i.e. the procedure seeks to avoid situations where After-Hours Work/Study takes place without the knowledge and approval of the relevant Supervisor/Manager). For Senior Staff, Teachers, Lecturers and administrative staff at or above HEW5 level conducting Very Low and Low Risk After-Hours Work, this authorisation is automatically granted owing to their seniority. In other cases, authorisation to conduct After-Hours Work/Study can take many forms depending on circumstances (e.g. level of risk) and should be specified by individual Schools/Colleges/Directorates/Centres in the documented local process they enact to meet the provisions of this procedure.
Available: means that a person is able to:
- detect effectively and promptly (e.g. by visual, electronic or other means) that a person engaging in After-Hours Work/Study needs assistance; and
- proceed to the scene of the incident and provide direct and prompt assistance.
Present: means that a person is:
- in the immediate vicinity of another person engaging in After-Hours Work/Study;
- able to readily see and hear that person; and
- able to provide immediate assistance.
Supervisor/Manager: any employee of the University – irrespective of their position title – who plans, organises or supervises the activities of other employees or students on behalf of the University. It includes Senior Managers.
General Precautions for All After-Hours Work/Study
- Take reasonable care for your own health and safety and for the health and safety of others.
- Know and comply with all relevant OHS policies, procedures and practices, including those relating to incidents and emergencies.
- Ensure your Supervisor/Manager has granted you authorisation to engage in After-Hours Work/Study.
- Carry your FedUni identification card whenever present on University premises after-hours.
- Save applicable Security phone number within your mobile phone.
- You are also advised to let another person (partner, family, housemate, etc.) know your whereabouts and the time you are expecting to return home. Give that person the phone number of Security at your Campus, and ask him/her to contact Security if you do not return on time.
If your After-Hours Work/Study is not one of the Very Low or Low Risk activities listed in the Appendix, you must also (prior to the work/study):
- Conduct a HIRAC Review in accordance with the Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control Procedure. This review must also consider the training and experience of the individual(s) involved in the proposed work/study as well as any known medical condition or impairment they may have. Additional training and instruction may be necessary before a particular individual commences After-Hours Work/Study.
- Submit to your Supervisor/Manager your HIRAC Report including details of the risk control measures you will implement to eliminate or minimise risks.
- Obtain written authorisation to conduct the work/study from your Supervisor/Manager.
Based on the results of the HIRAC Review, the additional OHS precautions you must adopt are:
Medium Risk After-Hours Work/Study
Ensure that another person (authorised student or a staff member) is available throughout your After-Hours Work/Study to render assistance in case of incident.
Note: The presence of children in Medium Risk After-Hours Work/Study is prohibited.
High Risk After-Hours Work/Study
Undergraduate and Honours students: High-Risk After-Hours Work/Study is prohibited.
HDR students: Ensure that a competent staff member is present throughout your High Risk After-Hours Work/Study to render assistance in case of incident.
Staff: Ensure another competent staff member or HDR student is present throughout your High Risk After-Hours Work/Study to render assistance in case of incident.
Note: The presence of children in High Risk After-Hours Work/Study is prohibited.
Extreme Risk After-Hours Work/Study
After-Hours Work/Study assessed as Extreme Risk is prohibited.
Deans/Directors
- Ensure local processes are developed and maintained within your School/College/Directorate/Centre to achieve compliance with this procedure.
- Ensure information regarding this procedure and local processes is provided to relevant staff and students.
Supervisors/Managers
- Ensure you are familiar with this procedure and local after-hours processes, and comply with them.
- Ensure that the staff and students you supervise receive the information, instruction and training necessary for safe After-Hours Work/Study; and that they hold the competences needed for all tasks performed after-hours.
- Review any HIRAC Report submitted to you for Medium and High RiskAfter-Hours Work/Study, assess it, and decide whether to endorse it or require amendments to it.
- Ensure the staff and students you supervise who take part in After-Hours Work/Study are authorised and supervised as required under this procedure, and that they observe all other relevant OHS policies, procedures and practices.
Staff and Students
- Comply with all applicable provisions of this procedure and any local after-hours processes.
Comply with all other relevant OHS policies, procedures and practices during After-Hours Work/Study.
The After-Hours Work/Study Procedure will be communicated throughout the University via:
- an Announcement Notice under ‘FedNews’ website and through the University Policy - ‘Recently Approved Documents’ webpage to alert the University-wide community of the approved Policy;
- inclusion on the University Policy, Procedure and Forms website.
This procedure will be implemented throughout the University via an announcement in Fed News and information sessions.
Schools/Colleges/Directorates/Centres must keep the following records for 3 years:
- HIRAC Reports for Medium and High Risk After-Hours Work/Study; and
- written authorisations to conduct Medium and High Risk After-Hours Work/Study.
Examples of after-hours work/study at various risk levels and associated requirements
The examples of Medium and High Risk After-Hours Work/Study provided below are for illustrative purposes only. A properly conducted HIRAC Review that takes individual circumstances into account may find a risk level different from those shown in the table.
| Risk Level | Examples | Requirements |
| Very Low and Low | Administrative, academic or intellectual work/study such as reading, writing, typing, analysing data, marking examination papers, etc, in an office or giving a class/lecture with no practical component in a general classroom environment |
General Precautions For All After-Hours Work/Study Presence of children subject to Children in University Activities Procedure |
| Medium |
Practical, physical or manual work/study such as:
|
General Precautions For All After-Hours Work/Study HIRAC Report submitted to supervisor/manager and approved, outlining risk control measures Written authorisation from supervisor/manager Lone work/study prohibited (another person must be available) Presence of children prohibited |
| High (adapted from AS2243.1) |
Practical, physical or manual work/study involving substances, equipment or processes that are widely recognised as dangerous, such as:
|
Prohibited for undergraduate and Honours students For staff and HDR students: General Precautions For All After-Hours Work/Study HIRAC Report submitted to supervisor/manager and approved, outlining risk control measures Written authorisation from supervisor/manager Lone work/study prohibited (at least one of the people present must be a competent FedUni staff member) Presence of children prohibited |
| Extreme | Inherently dangerous activities with a risk level that cannot be reduced to High or lower through the adoption of risk control measures | Prohibited for all staff and students |
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