RDRL and Supervisors

Pursuant to the provisions of D.M. no. 363 of 05/08/1998, “Regulation laying down rules for identifying the particular needs of universities and institutions of university education (….)” in the field of workplace safety, the content of Article 5 is set out below – “duties and responsibilities of the person responsible for the teaching activity or research activity in the laboratory”

1. The person responsible for the teaching activity or research activity in the laboratory, in carrying out that activity and for the purposes of risk assessment and the identification of the consequent prevention and protection measures, collaborates with the prevention and protection service, with the occupational physician and with the other roles provided for by the legislation currently in force.

2. The person responsible for the teaching activity or research activity in the laboratory, at the beginning of each academic year, before starting new activities and when significant changes are made to the organisation of teaching or research, identifies all persons exposed to risk.

3. In particular, the person responsible for the teaching activity or research activity, within the limits of their responsibilities and competence, must:

1. take action in order to eliminate or reduce risks to a minimum in relation to current technical progress, providing the employer with prior and comprehensive information;
2. take action, when activities are modified in ways that are significant for the health and safety of operators, to ensure that the document referred to in paragraph 2, Article 4, of Legislative Decree no. 626 of 19 September 1994 is updated on the basis of the risk assessment;
3. adopt prevention and protection measures before activities involving risk are carried out;
4. take action to monitor the correct application of risk prevention and protection measures;
5. attend the training and refresher courses organised by the employer with reference to their activity and the specific duties performed. 

Within the University, the role of the Person Responsible for the teaching activity or research activity in the laboratory (RDRL) will therefore be included in the hierarchical structure of the active roles in the safety organisational chart, between the following roles:

- Manager (or Head of Structure): a person who, pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1, letter d) of Legislative Decree 81/2008, implements the employer’s directives by organising the work activity and supervising it;

and
- Laboratory supervisor (or related space): a person who, pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1, letter e) of Legislative Decree 81/2008, oversees the work activity and ensures the implementation of the directives received, checking their correct execution by workers and exercising a functional power of initiative.

Please note that, if no identification is made, the responsibilities assigned to the RDRL will fall to the Head of Structure/Head of Department (see organisational chart on page 12 of the SGSS Manual).

Once identified, the RDRL is included in the dedicated training and refresher programme provided by the University, in accordance with the applicable legal requirements.

Pursuant to the provisions of Legislative Decree 81/08 “Consolidated Act on health and safety at work”, the content of Article 19 is set out below. “Duties of the supervisor” 

1. With reference to the activities indicated in Article 3, supervisors, according to their duties and responsibilities, must:

a) supervise and monitor compliance by individual workers with their legal obligations, as well as with company provisions concerning health and safety at work and the use of collective protective equipment and personal protective equipment made available to them and, where behaviour is identified that does not comply with the provisions and instructions given by the employer and managers for the purposes of collective and individual protection, intervene to correct the non-compliant behaviour by providing the necessary safety instructions. In the event of failure to implement the provisions given or continued non-compliance, stop the worker’s activity and inform the direct superiors;

b) ensure that only workers who have received adequate instructions have access to areas that expose them to a serious and specific risk;

c) require compliance with the measures for controlling risk situations in the event of an emergency and give instructions so that workers, in the event of serious, immediate and unavoidable danger, leave the workplace or the dangerous area;

d) inform as soon as possible the workers exposed to the risk of serious and immediate danger about the risk itself and the measures taken or to be taken regarding protection;

e) refrain, except in duly justified cases, from requiring workers to resume their activity in a work situation where a serious and immediate danger persists;

f) promptly report to the employer or manager both any deficiencies in work equipment and tools and in personal protective equipment, and any other dangerous condition occurring during work, of which they become aware on the basis of the training received;

f-bis) where deficiencies in work equipment and tools and any dangerous condition identified during supervision are detected, temporarily stop the activity if necessary and, in any case, promptly report the non-compliances identified to the employer and the manager;

g) attend specific training courses as provided for by Article 37. 

Once identified, the Preposto is included in the dedicated training and refresher programme provided by the Ateneo, in accordance with the applicable legal requirements.

Training is defined as “the set of activities aimed at teaching workers the correct use of equipment, machinery, plants, substances, devices, including personal protective equipment, and work procedures”.

Article 37, point 5, Legislative Decree 81/08 provides that “Training shall be carried out by an experienced person and in the workplace. Training consists of practical testing for the correct and safe use of equipment, machinery, plants, substances, devices, including personal protective equipment; training also consists of applied practice for safe working procedures. The training activities carried out must be traceable […].”