Student Safety

This is your college - we want you to learn and have fun in a safe and healthy environment. For this we rely on you and everyone who works or studies here at Solihull College. The College Health & Safety Policy outlines responsibilities and arrangements for Health & Safety within the College. A copy of the Policy can be obtained from the library and Student information Centres.

In order to make sure that the College continues to be a safe place please remember and keep to the following:

• You must not interfere with or damage any equipment provided in the interests of safety e.g. fire alarms or extinguishers. Not only is it a serious disciplinary offence but the equipment may not be there when you need it.
• If you have any concerns regarding health and safety equipment or working practices then please speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.
• You must wear the appropriate protective clothing as advised by your teachers especially if you are working in workshops on using machinery or in laboratories. As well as wearing the correct clothing, you must keep long hair tied back and wearing suitable footwear. Personal property such as mains voltage electrical tools, specialist materials must not be brought onto campus unless permission has been obtained from the tutor or technician for the area where the equipment/materials are intended to be used. In the case of the Residences the Accommodation Officer must be consulted.
• As well as looking after yourself, you must not do anything which may cause injury to someone else i.e. indulging in horseplay, misusing equipment.
• You are expected to report all accidents, incidents, including near misses and other situations considered to be a health and safety matter to your tutor or a responsible person within the college.
• Workshops and laboratories may house machinery and hazardous substances. You must not attempt to operate the machinery, use the substances until you have received instruction on the safe methods and demonstrated competence to your tutor or the technical staff for the area.

The College is undertaking a major development programme of building works at the Blossomfield campus. Students are requested to observe all Health and Safety matters in relation to the construction works. Please be aware there will be construction traffic vehicles on the campus throughout 2010.

The Health & Safety Office is situated in The Lodge, Blossomfield Campus. The College Health & Safety Officer contact information can be found on the following Contact Details page.

 

Fire Alarm & Evacuation Procedures

If you discover a fire ACTIVATE THE ALARM. Break glass points are situated throughout the College.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIGHT THE FIRE.

If the alarm sounds (a continuous siren) leave the building. Do not stop to collect your belongings. Make your way to the designated assembly point. Do not stand near the building and do not re-enter the building until a member of staff has told you it is safe to do so.

 

First Aid

Details regarding First Aid provision are posted throughout the college. Lists of duty first aiders are held at Main Reception and appear regularly in Focus. If you need first aid assistance contact the Student Information Centre, who will call a First Aider for you. There is a First Aid room on all sites.

 

Smoking

Solihull College operates a NO SMOKING POLICY. We expect you to show consideration for others and not smoke within college. If you wish to smoke you must smoke in the outside-designated areas and to dispose of cigarettes in the appropriate bins. The Smoking Zones locations can be found on the Virtual Tour page.

 

Safeguarding - e-Safety

The College is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of its learners. We particularly want your online experiences to be positive, educationally meaningful and productive. Whether you are using a computer at home or at the College here are some useful tips that will help you keep safe online.

Top Ten Tips

1. Regularly change your password, don't make it easy to guess and don't share it with others.
2. Take care when using social networking sites; it's always a good idea to set your profile to private. Think before you tweet or blog, remember in most cases content you post can be read by everyone. Never agree to meet up with a stranger you have met online.
3. Avoid email scams, if it's too good to be true then it probably is. Never confirm your bank details via email and avoid opening attachments from unknown sources.
4. Protect your data - back it up and carry out regular virus scans. Be careful when using memory sticks or SD cards as they can be easily lost (make sure they don't contain sensitive data).
5. Make sure that your home wireless network is properly secured.
6. Be careful when disclosing personal details online, get into the habit of deleting your browsing history, temporary internet files, cookies and auto-fill passwords.
7. Invest in security software and keep your system software up to date.
8. When shopping online always use a reputable site, one that displays visible security features such as an 'https' address or a yellow icon padlock.
9. Consider your comfort when using technology. Adjust your seating and screen position to suit your personal needs. Avoid screen reflection and adjust brightness/contrast for added eye comfort. If you would like some guidance on adjusting your screen controls then please contact the Open Access Team on 7111. Remember too that constantly cranking up the volume on your MP3 player could cause long term damage to your hearing. Turn it down!
10. Take regular short breaks from the screen and shift your attention to other 'non-I.T.' work related tasks.