Responsibilities and roles regarding a healthy and safe study environment

DTU’s study environment and working environment sub-policies stipulate that a good study environment is a joint responsibility from senior management level to the individual employee and student.

The President’s Office has the overall responsibility for setting the framework and scope for DTU’s university units’ compliance with DTU’s policies and the legislation in force. Heads of department and directors in the individual university units are responsible for ensuring that DTU’s university units always comply locally with DTU’s policies as well as the legislation in force.

Centrally in DTU, a healthy and safe study environment is handled by the Corporate Work Environmental Committee (KAMU), the DTU Study Environment Committee (SMU) og Polyteknisk Forening (PF student association).

Locally in the individual university units, the primary players are the local work environmental committees and the student councils, which are rooted in PF.

In accordance with the legislation, there may be two student representatives on the Corporate Work Environmental Committee, and there may be two student representatives on the work environmental committees in the individual university units.

The function of student representative is handled by students who have the time and willingness to contribute actively to a good study environment and who are available to their fellow students, so that they can present their wishes and proposals for improvement of the working environment and the study environment.

Lecturers’ and supervisors’ special role

In accordance with the extended scope of the Danish Working Environment Act (Arbejdsmiljøloven), lecturers, supervisors, and other staff members with student learning responsibility are responsible for student safety in connection with practical classroom exercises.

This includes that they must:

• Ensure that the work is planned, organized, and performed in complete accordance with applicable health and safety standards.
• Adopt a critical position on whether the physical conditions support health and safety, including whether premises, machinery, and other technical aids are suitable for the exercise. 
• Ensure that the students are adequately instructed and informed about the applicable rules and risks before the work is commenced.
• Assess whether the students are able to work safely.
• Ensure that there is proper supervision of the students.

The students’ own role

The students themselves have a co-responsibility for ensuring a safe study environment through their behaviour and critical attitude, including by performing risk assessments and complying with the instructions they receive from lecturers and supervisors.