Follow this link for a printable pdf version of the Health and Safety Policy Statement
Imperial College London is committed to pursuing excellence in everything it does and this includes the management of health and safety.
General Principles
1. Imperial College London pursues research, education and translation that has a transformational impact on society. The value and integrity of our mission is underpinned by ensuring that we pursue it with the highest regard for health and safety; this is of paramount importance and a vital component of our commitment to our whole community. We expect staff, students, visitors, contractors, and other employees who study, work at or visit Imperial to share this commitment: we are all responsible for our own and others’ health and safety.
2. We will take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of all persons who may be affected by our activities across all of our sites through:
a. Complying with all legal and regulatory obligations, plus proactively seeking out and applying best practice from multiple sectors.
b. Promoting a positive culture of health and safety by inducting, training and continually engaging with our staff, students, and visitors to continuously improve the safety of their study and working environment.
c. Providing, managing, and maintaining an overall environment at our workplaces, grounds and properties so that they are, so far as reasonably practicable, safe and that risks to health are controlled.
d. Providing and promoting systems of work, information, instruction, training, and supervision at all levels necessary to ensure that staff and students are competent to supervise or undertake their study or work activities and are aware of any related hazards and the measures to be taken to protect against them.
3. We will promote a positive health and safety culture for all of our activities. Ensuring health and safety at Imperial is a shared responsibility. Imperial has an extensive range of health and safety related policies with which we expect all staff, students, visitors and contractors to comply; you can find a list of the policies on the Safety Department web page. Where there are no existing institutional policies or guidance, we expect our staff, students, visitors and contractors to implement the highest relevant standards and, as a minimum, to comply with all relevant legislation. We will work with our staff, students, and contractors to develop systems which comply with best practice and mitigate risk, drawing on relevant research and guidance.
4. For colleagues undertaking business-related travel, Imperial’s travel guidance provides advice to help to ensure the wellbeing and security of staff whilst travelling. The guidance covers several matters, including travel health advice, travel insurance and accommodation safety, enabling colleagues to mitigate potential risks and optimise arrangements.
5. To support off-site working, Imperial has an Off-site Working Policy that takes into account the health and safety aspects of working away from our campuses. Risks must be assessed before travel and controlled to the same standard as would be required for work on Imperial property.
6. Imperial is a large and diverse organisation; therefore, every faculty, division and department must have written arrangements describing how they intend to comply with this Policy Statement.
7. When buildings are shared by multiple faculties, departments, divisions, or external organisations, all users are expected to work collaboratively to define clear health and safety responsibilities and formalise appropriate arrangements to maintain a safe environment for everyone.
The senior leadership of Imperial is committed to this Policy Statement and to the implementation and maintenance of the highest standards of health and safety across the University. We expect every member of Imperial to share this commitment and to work together to achieve it.
Professor Peter Haynes
Provost
October 2025
Revision History
June 2007: Issued
July 2008: Updated (signed by Rector Sir Roy Anderson)
January 2010: Updated (amended and signed by Acting Rector Sir Keith O'Nions)
March 2011: Updated (following external safety review)
May 2013: Updated (to reflect change of title to President & Rector)
Nov 2014: Updated (signed by Provost Prof James Stirling)
May 2015: Updated (inclusion of physical and psychological health, resigned by Provost Prof James Stirling)
December 2016: Updated (modified Section 7 concerning shared premises, resigned by Provost Prof James Stirling)
February 2019: Updated (revised and reviewed, signed by the new Provost Prof Ian Walmsley)
March 2021: Updated (revised and reviewed, signed by Provost Prof Ian Walmsley)
December 2023: Updated (revised and reviewed, signed by Provost Prof Ian Walmsley)
June 2024: Updated to include the Building Safety Act 2022
October 2025: Updated (revised and reviewed, modified last paragraph to remove the word 'welfare', signed by Provost Peter Haynes)