RDRL and Supervisors

Pursuant to the provisions of D.M. n.363 del 05/08/1998, “Regulations laying down rules for the identification of the particular needs of universities and higher education institutes (….)” in the field of workplace health and safety, the content of Article 5 is set out below – “duties and responsibilities of the person responsible for teaching activity or research activity in the laboratory”

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

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

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

1. take action in order to eliminate or reduce risks to a minimum in line with current technical progress, giving prior and comprehensive information to the employer;
2. take action, whenever activities significant for the health and safety of operators are modified, so that the document referred to in paragraph 2, Article 4, of legislative decree 19 September 1994, n.626, is updated on the basis of the risk assessment;
3. adopt prevention and protection measures before risk-related activities 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 own activity and the specific duties carried out. 

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

- Manager (or Head of Structure): a person who, pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1, letter d) of D.Lgs. 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 D.Lgs. 81/2008, oversees the work activity and ensures the implementation of the directives received, checking their correct execution by workers and exercising an appropriate power of initiative.

Please note that, if no identification is made, the responsibilities assigned to the RDRL will rest with the Head of Structure/Director of the 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 requirements of the regulations currently in force.

Pursuant to the provisions of D.Lgs. 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 on health and safety at work and on the use of collective protective equipment and personal protective equipment made available to them and, where conduct not compliant with the provisions and instructions given by the employer and managers for the purposes of collective and individual protection is identified, intervene to correct the non-compliant conduct by providing the necessary safety instructions. In the event of failure to implement the instructions given or continued non-compliance, stop the worker’s activity and inform the direct superiors;

b) verify that only workers who have received adequate instructions enter 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 dangerous area;

d) inform as soon as possible 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 deficiencies in work tools and equipment and in personal protective equipment, and any other dangerous condition that arises during work, of which they become aware on the basis of the training received;

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

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

Once identified, the Supervisor 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, installations, substances, devices, including personal protective equipment, and work procedures”.

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

Those who have already completed training courses on health and safety at work, at this University or with another body/company/employer in Italy, may independently check the validity of their certificates by consulting the following document: “certificate verification”