Contents on this page:

• General responsibility for work environment and fire safety management
• Responsibility in the allocation of duties
• Period of validity
• Allocating duties in practice
• Documentation
• Following up on the allocation of duties
• Revocation of duties
• Allocation of duties from a dean/equivalent 
• Allocation of duties from a head of department/equivalent
• Registration of documents

General responsibility for work environment and fire safety management

As head of a public authority, the Vice-Chancellor of Lund University has overall responsibility for ensuring that the work environment and fire safety meets the requirements of current legislation. 

The Vice-Chancellor’s responsibility in this matter cannot be delegated, but the Vice-Chancellor is able to delegate certain duties associated with work environment management to managers, team leaders or other employees.

Responsibility in the allocation of duties 

When an employee is allocated a task, they take on operative responsibility. Work environment responsibility requires active participation and efforts to eliminate or reduce the risk of occupational injury and illness.

It is important that the scope of any allocated tasks is adapted to the role and capabilities of the employee chosen to perform them. Regardless of whether work environment duties are allocated to managers or individual employees, the person selected to perform the duties must have the knowledge, authority, and scope to complete their tasks. 

The person allocating duties is always responsible for following up on the allocated tasks and ensuring that the person to whom they are delegated is in a position to perform the tasks. If, as a manager, you assign tasks to an individual employee (for example, responsibility for a chemical storage facility), these tasks become part of an employee’s duties, but responsibility for the work environment remains with you as the manager.

Period of validity 

The allocation of duties applies until further notice, although not beyond the end date of the employee in question’s current assignment/employment or beyond which they have the scope to carry out the duties. If any of the parties change their role or leave their job, the allocation of duties must be updated. 

Allocating duties in practice

The person who is allocating duties to someone else needs to go through and explain what the allocation of duties involves. Use the correct template as the starting point. The following should be covered:
a) What tasks are being allocated and what these involve
b) What powers the employee being allocated the tasks has to make relevant decisions
c) What resources the employee being allocated the tasks has in order to perform the tasks (budget, staff, equipment and time)
d) What knowledge and skills the employee being allocated the tasks has at their disposal 
e) Information about what the employee being allocated the tasks should do if there are limitations in the scope to accomplish the tasks 
f) Information about where to find the University’s rules, procedures and supporting materials
g) How follow-up should take place and what feedback is expected

Documentation

The correct template for the allocation of duties should be prepared and filled in digitally, before being signed.

In the “Reallocation of duties in work environment and fire safety management” template, the duties to be allocated must be marked clearly. If other duties are to be added, or clarifications needed, use the notes section in the template. If necessary, it is possible to add your own appendix to the document in order to clarify or specify duties to be allocated.

Both parties should sign the document and keep one original copy each. 

Specifications for document registration: Allocation of duties in systematic work environment management and systematic fire safety management at the (faculty/department/equivalent) valid as of (YYYY-MM-DD). The recipient of the duties is entered as the counterpart in the case file.

Download the template for the reallocation of duties to dean/equivalent (Word, new tab)

Download the template for the reallocation of duties (Word, new tab)

Download the template for the revocation of duties (Word, new tab)

Following up on the allocation of duties

There should be ongoing follow-up – at least once a year – between the person allocating duties and the employee set to perform them. This could be at the annual staff appraisal.

Revocation of duties

If the person allocated duties cannot complete a specific task due to limitations in scope, they must inform the person who allocated the duties as soon as possible. The person who allocates the duties should initiate a dialogue about the reasons why the task in question cannot be completed and together the two parties should plan how the scope can be improved.

If, despite this, the employee allocated the duties still cannot complete them, then they should be returned to the person who allocated them. Should the scope to complete the task change, the task can be reallocated.

The template for the revocation of duties can be found above, under the title Documentation.

Allocation of duties from a dean/equivalent 

The dean and other managers directly subordinate to the Vice-Chancellor may, for all or part of their area of responsibility, allocate tasks in the field of systematic work environment management and systematic fire safety management to the head of department/equivalent. 

In the case of allocating duties in departments that are common to several faculties, consultation between the relevant deans/equivalents is required on the duties to be allocated and how supervision is to be carried out. The allocation of duties must be confirmed by all concerned.

The template for the reallocation of duties can be found above, under the title Documentation.

Allocation of duties from a head of department/equivalent 

Heads of department/equivalent may, for all or part of their area of responsibility, sub-delegate tasks to directly subordinate managers within their unit. These subordinate managers may, if necessary, and with the approval of the head of department/equivalent, sub-delegate duties to directly subordinate supervisors or employees with duties relating to systematic work environment management and systematic fire safety management. 

The template for the reallocation of duties can be found above, under the title Documentation.

Registration of documents

Series: STYR

• Specifications for document registration: 
• Administrator (person responsible for registering)
• Department (equivalent)
• Choose type: 1.1.2. strategic operational management
• Save
• Write the registration number on the document
• Scan the document into W3D3 once it has been signed by all parties
• Finish and file the document