Occupational Health & Safety
The Elder Conservatorium of Music is committed to providing a safe work and study environment for our staff and students as far as is reasonably practicable. We strive to uphold the University of Adelaide’s Occupational Health and Safety policies.
It is the responsibility of each employee to take reasonable care to protect his/her own safety at work. With this in mind the Conservatorium has collated the following information for staff about important OH&S matters. We hope that all staff and students take the time to familiarise themselves with this information.
Associate Professor Carl Crossin OAM - Director, Elder Conservatorium of Music
Local Induction Materials
- ECM OHS Local Induction: For full time staff (both ECM and AMEB), casual staff, postgraduate students, AMEB Examination Supervisors and AMEB Examiners, photocopier technicians, instrument repairers, piano movers etc
- Local Induction Checklists by area (please read in conjunction with the ECM OHS Local Induction): Elder Building, Hartley/Schulz Buildings, Madley Building
Local Information
- ECM OHS Personnel List: For information about first aid officers, fire wardens and evacuation procedures in your local area
- Ear protection:
- Disposable earplugs are available free of charge for all ECM staff and students at the Hartley Music Office
- For those interested in investing in reusable musician's earplugs see these pamphlets for the Telex Hearing Centre (who are offering a significant discount to ECM staff and students) and GN ReSound
Guidelines
Guidelines for Manual Handling
ECM Guidelines for Ensemble and Performance Setup: For those staff and students involved in the setup of Ensembles for both rehearsals and concerts, and for those involved in the setup of performances
ECM Guidelines for Classroom Setup in Schulz 1004: For those staff required to move tables and chairs in the setup or packup of Schulz 1004
Guidelines for Field Activity
Field Activities include a wide range of off-campus activities including concerts by student ensembles. As part of preparation for a field activity, the activity coordinator should complete the following:
- Consult the HUMSS Field Activity Assessment Tool to determine whether the planned activity is a low risk or medium-high risk activity
- If it is a Low Risk activity, use the HUMSS Low Risk Field Activity Protocol to record required information and to otherwise ensure that the activity complies with University requirements
- If the field activity involves a student concert or workshop at an off-campus site, refer to the ECM Guidelines for Off-Campus Concerts and Workshops
On-Campus Events:
If you are planning on serving alcohol at an event you will need to download and fill in an Application to Serve Alcohol
For events that are non-standard (standard events include lectures and concerts that take place in performance venues) you will need to fill in an Event Safety Management Plan. You can download a template for a plan here
General Information
- For more information about health and safety please see the Human Resources OH&S webpage, which includes information about Workstation Ergonomics, the Employee Assistance Program (which offers free short-term counselling for staff) and more
Noise Risk and Minimisation
The Elder Conservatorium of Music is committed to providing a safe work and study environment for our staff and students. One of the projects we are currently engaged in focuses on risks to hearing posed by exposure to music-related noise. We are trialling a number of best practice measures aimed at minimising these risks.
Ian O'Brien Visit and Report
In 2012 Ian O'Brien, a Queensland-based professional musician, audiologist, and leading researcher in the area of orchestral noise, came to the Elder Conservatorium and gave a pair of very well-attended educational talks to students and staff. He also took noise measurements at various locations in a number of our larger ensemble rehearsals. The results of these measurements, as well as recommendations for minimising undue exposure to noise in both ensemble and studio settings, are collated in Ian's Report to the Conservatorium (May 2012).
During 2013 the Conservatorium will be implementing and/or trialling a number of recommendations from the O'Brien Report in both its large ensemble and studio music environments. These include:
- engineering controls (e.g., use of risers and acoustic shields to protect players in high-risk locations within ensembles, use of acoustic wall tiles to help deaden sound in studios);
- administrative controls (e.g., use of structured respite and lower practice volumes at certain points in rehearsals, keeping within maximum noise levels with the aid of dosimeters in studio environments, increasing awareness of noise and hearing risks through educational campaigns).
- personal protection (encourage the use of personal ear plugs where other measures are not adequate to keep noise levels within a safe range)
Super Forum
A focal point of the joint 'Super Forum' to be held in Semester 1/Week 4 (Thursday 28 March) will be a noise awareness/minimisation presentation organised by Steven Knopoff in his role as Associate Dean OHS for the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences. The presentation will include some highlights drawn from both the above documents as well as information about latest developments in the area of personal hearing protection. Brief contributions will also be made by some of our students and staff who are already experienced in the use of personal hearing protection.
