The right to a safe student work environment
As a student at the Faculty of Medicine, you are entitled to a safe and secure student work environment during, for example, lectures, laboratory sessions, on your VFU/VIL placement and for other study-related components.
It might be important to be aware that the terms study environment and student work environment are used synonymously in many contexts. This is because students are largely considered to be the same as employees in the Work Environment Act. This means, among other things, that:
- You are entitled to a safe and secure student work environment.
- The University has a responsibility to work preventatively to keep students from becoming ill or getting injured while studying.
- You are obliged to exercise caution and adhere to the University’s rules and decisions regarding the work environment and safety.
Lund University has a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of harassment, abusive conduct, hatred, threats and violence.
The student health and safety representative must ensure that the work environment functions well and can request that measures be taken if there are shortcomings in the study environment or work environment.
For first and second-cycle studies, the vice-dean for education has the ultimate responsibility for the student work environment. The vice dean delegates the tasks to the programme boards of the respective programmes.
The Undergraduate Education Board has established a teaching staff member role with responsibility for HSE (HSE = health, safety and environment) in first and second-cycle studies.
The staff member with HSE responsibility represents the Undergraduate Education Board on matters pertaining to the health, environment and safety of students.
The student work environment coordinator acts as an aide to the teaching staff member responsible for HSE, and, if necessary, the vice dean for education regarding the student work environment at the Faculty of Medicine.
Contact
If you experience shortcomings in your student work environment, in the first instance you should contact one of the people below:
Course director
The person responsible for the course you are studying, e.g. one of the course management team or another member of teaching staff you have confidence in. During a VFU/VIL, placement, contact the supervisor at the location of your placement if possible.
Study counsellor
Contact details for your study counsellor
Student health and safety representative or student union
Contact details for the student health and safety representative and student union
If you do not receive the response or the support you expect, you can contact someone with an overall responsibility for your student work environment:
Contact details for staff with overall responsibility for your study environment