There are various Health and Safety standards applicable to the workshops and studios you will be using as a student at UAL.
Take a look at the procedures and standards page. Further related guidance is set out below. There are also some template recording sheets available to download and adapt on the right-hand side.
Traffic light system for equipment and machinery
Equipment in workshops has been coded according to a traffic light system. The guidance is as follows (please note that some workshops just use red and green):
RED: STOP!
Only trained staff members can use this equipment. Students are not permitted to use the equipment at any time.
AMBER: Supervision required
Students can use the equipment but must get staff approval before each use. The staff member will supervise, and students may not use the equipment if no staff are within proximity.
GREEN: Proceed with caution
Students can use the equipment once they have had an induction, and are competent in its use. The ‘3 student rule’ applies and lone working is not permitted.
The 3-student rule
During extended hours students are permitted to work in supervised groups of 3 or more only. The 3 students must work in proximity at all times. For more details, please see the UAL policy on
Out of Hours and Extended Hours.
- As a rule of thumb, working in proximity means that groups of three must be within ear shot at all times
- To facilitate this, adjoining doors may be kept open provided they are not fire doors or marked ‘keep shut’
- Students are only permitted to use equipment that is marked as ‘green’ i.e. for unsupervised use
- A staff member may make up the third person so long as they are in proximity
- The 3 student rule applies to all students, including MA students
- The rule applies to all access, whether equipment is being used or not
- Students may only use equipment for which they have received an induction
- Who to contact in an emergency and where to find them
- Where the first aid box is and how to reach a first aider
- What the fire alarm sounds like and what to do if it goes off
- Reporting all accidents / incidents, no matter how trivial they may seem