Safety and Risk Management Committee (SRMC)

Senate reviewed its committee structure during 2009. At its meeting on 21 September in 2009 under item 3.2 Senate approved the suggestions made by the Working Party on the new committee structure. It established a new Safety and Risk Management Committee. The existing Audit & Risk Management Committee was disestablished. The Audit function was vested with the new Finance and Audit Committee.The new committee's role was to monitor and advise Senate on matters relating to the safety of staff, students and others who have occasion to be present on the University's campuses and specifically to the maintenance of occupational health and safety standards and practices and compliance with health and safety laws and regulations as they apply to the University.The committee will regularly review occupational health and safety reports prepared by management and may request reports on specific matters as it sees fit. The committee also has responsibility for ensuring the effective management of risks in areas within its remit and for monitoring non-financial risk matters generally within the University unless they are dealt with by another committee of Senate. The Committee held its first meeting on 15/6/2010.In 2017 the role of the Committee is to support and advise Senate in respect of:- WHS, environment and risk management matters and related risks arising from the activities and operations of the University and affiliated entities; and- Non-financial risks generally within the University unless they are dealt with by another committee of the Senate.The Senate Safety and Risk Management Committee (SRMC) monitors and advises Senate on matters relating to work health and safety (WHS) including compliance with work health and safety legislation as it applies to the University. The Committee also monitors and advises Senate on environment-related risk and compliance with environment-related legislation as it applies to the University.The Committee will monitor and advise on specific matters on the request of the Senate or areas in which it feels that additional governance is required.The SRMC maintains oversight of the effectiveness of the risk management framework in general, ensuring the effective management of risk in areas within its remit and for monitoring non-financial risk matters generally within the University unless they are dealt with by another committee of Senate. The SRMC allocates the management of specific risks to other relevant committees of Senate.In respect of health and safety matters, the SRMC will:1. Make recommendations to Senate to assist it to demonstrate its commitment and to discharge its responsibilities in relation to WHS; 2. Review WHS risks and the effectiveness of implementation of the Safety Management System; 3. Review WHS-related legislative developments to ensure that they are being effectively incorporated into the University’s policies and procedures; 4. Reviews outcomes of WHS audit activities; 5. Request reports on specific WHS risks; 6. Annually review the WHS responsibility matrix to ensure it reflects accountability of managers, and 7. Undertake site visits and periodically invite presentations from areas identified as having a high WHS risk. The purpose of these visits and presentations is to reinforce the effectiveness of the commitment, culture, resources and systems to manage WHS. In respect of environment matters, the SRMC will:1. Make recommendations to Senate to assist it to demonstrate its commitment and to discharge its responsibilities in relation to environment matters; 2. Review environment-related risks and the effectiveness of measures in place to manage or control their impacts; 3. Review environment-related legislative developments to ensure that they are being effectively incorporated into the University’s policies and procedures, and 4. Undertake site visits and periodically invite presentations from areas identified as high risk. The purpose of these visits and presentations is to ensure the effectiveness of the commitment, culture, resources and systems to manage environment issues. In respect of risk management matters, the SRMC will:1. Review recommendations from the relevant committee of SEG in relation to the risk management and compliance framework; 2. Work with the relevant committee of SEG to oversee the effectiveness of the risk management framework and University-wide risk register, specifically that it enables the timely and effective identification of material risks to the University; 3. Determine strategies to mitigate risks and to identify emerging risks; 4. Undertake focused discussion of specific risks allocated to the Committee; 5. Review the allocation of specific risks for different categories of risk; 6. Receive and review reports on the risk profile and exposure; 7. Allocate management of specific risks and relevant mitigation controls to the Senate, or a committee of Senate, and ensure the risks are being appropriately managed and monitored; 8. Review and note the General Insurance Renewal report and make recommendations as appropriate, and 9. Oversee and monitor the legislative compliance framework of high risk legislation to ensure appropriate management of compliance issues In December 2017 Senate resolved to establish 4 committees to assist it with the exercise of its functions effective from 1 January 2018; the Safety and Risk Management Committee ceased to exist. Part of the WHS functions of the committee  became the function of the Work Health and Safety Committee (WHS) of the University Executive.