- Electrical equipment
All appliances should conform to a British Standard and all electrical appliances and items should only be used with a standard UK specific insulated plug.
If you are coming from overseas you are advised to bring the minimum of electrical equipment because it may not conform; this applies to leads adaptors and plugs as much as to appliances. Using too many electrical appliances at once can cause a fault and trip the electric meter in your room.
UK connector adaptors, for mobile phones, laptops, iPads etc. can be purchased online from an Apple Store or Amazon (but be aware of cheap imitations – these have been known to catch fire).
If you have a television in your room, you will need to purchase a TV licence for it.
Student kitchens are provided with some cooking appliances. Please do NOT bring microwaves or hobs.
It is recommended that students from overseas (including Europe) do not bring items such as rice cookers; these are easily purchased in the UK. (Please note that rice cookers and other cooking equipment including toasters, electric hob / plates and deep fat fryers must NOT be used in your rooms – only use in the kitchens).
College and student equipment will be tested by an electrician. You will be given notice of this portable appliance testing (see below for PAT Portable Appliance Testing).
- Candles
Candles, tea-lights, incense burners or anything else that has a naked flame is forbidden in all College bedrooms and kitchens. We do not allow candles even for decorative purposes in student rooms. The only exceptions are in the College Hall, the Principal’s Dining Room and Pavilion Meeting Room
See Fire Regulations and Precautions below for more information
- CCTV and access control
The College operates both CCTV and Access Control within its grounds.
Copies of the Policy Documents are available on the College Website.
- Open water (pond)
The College has a pond located close to Sidgwick Hall. It is a historic feature of this part of the garden which commemorates the first Principal. It is the home for plants and wildlife. We very much hope people will enjoy visiting this more formal part of the College gardens. Please see the attached risk assessment.
- Fire doors
Many corridor doors, all student bedrooms and kitchens have fire doors fitted.
All fire doors have signage “Fire Door Keep Shut”, or “Fire Door Keep Locked” for some cupboards.
These fire doors must NOT be propped open!
If you find a door propped open, for example, by a door wedge, or fire extinguisher, please remove the item and CLOSE the fire door.
If you find a fire door is constantly being propped open, please report this anonymously to Porters@newn.cam.ac.uk
If the individual(s) responsible for propping open fire doors is identified, a fine of up to £250 will be charged.
You should report any badly fitting fire doors, ie they should not have gaps that you can see through, they should have brushes (cold smoke seals all around) and they should have self-closers on them.
If you notice an ill-fitting fire door please report it using the online maintenance reporting system (RMS) https://app.casc.cam.ac.uk/rms_live/
- Fire regulations and precautions
The Domestic Bursar is the College Fire and Safety Officer and is the “Responsible Person” for fire safety in the College
The Buildings Manager is the Deputy College Fire & Safety Officer and is qualified (NEBOSH National Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management) to prepare and review the College Fire Risk Assessments. If you wish to see a copy of the Fire Risk Assessment for your building or area, please email the Domestic Bursar: domestic.bursar@newn.cam.ac.uk
The Head Porter and team of Porters are responsible for the day to day management of the College fire alarm systems (including refuge points & evacuation chairs), fire drills, response to alarms and the fire alarm weekly testing regime.
All freshers (undergraduate or postgraduate) living in College accommodation must attend a compulsory fire and safety induction training session at the start of Michaelmas Term.
Unannounced Fire Evacuation Drills will take place during Michaelmas and Lent Terms each year
The Fire Bells in the Postgraduate houses are tested every Saturday morning between 1030am and 12noon; and in the main College between 11am and 12noon on Sunday mornings
If the bells continue to ring for more than five – ten seconds, it is safe to assume it is a genuine fire and so you should evacuate immediately
In the main buildings we have two alarm sounds: an intermittent alarm (pre-alarm) and a continuous alarm (evacuation alarm)
Misuse of firefighting equipment, fire detection heads, break glasses, fire evacuation chairs and/or propping open fire doors, will lead to a £250 fine, and possible disciplinary and/or criminal prosecution.
YOU SHOULD KNOW
You should know where YOUR TWO QUICKEST ROUTES OUT OF THE BUILDING are.
You should know where YOUR ASSEMBLY POINT is.
IF YOU DISCOVER A FIRE
RAISE THE ALARM by smashing the nearest break-glass
ROUSE YOUR NEIGHBOURS on your way out of the building by shouting “FIRE!”
LEAVE THE BUILDING QUICKLY
IF THE RED ‘GRAB BAG’ IS STILL THERE WHEN YOU EXIT THE BUILDING, bring it with you, and be prepared to begin checking off those rooms confirmed by the resident as evacuated, until the Duty Porter arrives
REPORT TO THE ASSEMBLY POINT and wait for your name to be called from the nominal roll.
DO NOT USE LIFTS AS A MEANS OF ESCAPE
DO NOT OPEN A DOOR IF THE DOOR PANEL FEELS HOT (check with the back of the hand)
INFORM THE PORTERS’ LODGE IMMEDIATELY of the fire and its location.
IF YOU HEAR THE CONTINUOUS FIRE ALARM
SHUT WINDOWS AND DOORS
LEAVE THE BUILDING QUICKLY
IF THE RED ‘GRAB BAG’ IS STILL THERE WHEN YOU EXIT THE BUILDING, bring it with you, and be prepared to begin checking off those rooms confirmed by the resident as evacuated, until the porter arrives
REPORT TO THE ASSEMBLY POINT and wait for your name to be called from the nominal roll
DO NOT USE LIFTS AS A MEANS OF ESCAPE
DO NOT OPEN A DOOR IF THE DOOR PANEL FEELS HOT (check with the back of the hand)
INFORM THE PORTERS’ LODGE IMMEDIATELY of the fire and its location
IF YOU HEAR THE INTERMITTENT FIRE ALARM
You do not need to evacuate immediately but if you wish to:
You must leave via the most direct route out of the building, not via another area or building
If the alarm changes from an intermittent to continuous alarm you MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY and go to your ASSEMBLY POINT
- Fire grab bags
Fire Grab Bags are located near the main fire exit in each building.
- Each Grab Bag is marked with the building the pack is intended for
- Please familiarise yourself with where the Fire Grab Bag for your area is located when you are walking around
Action to take
- On hearing an alarm sound and an evacuation commencing, the first person to exit the building is to take the fire grab bag with them. This Grab Bag contains amongst other things, a clipboard holding a register of your building’s rooms and a pen
- If on exiting the building, even if you are not the first person out and you see the grab bag is still there, take it with you to the assembly area
- Once safe in the assembly area, use the room list on the clipboard to tick off the rooms confirmed by the resident as evacuated, until the porter or a member of staff arrives
- Use of the other items contained in the Grab Bag (Torch, whistle, and Hi-Viz tabard) should be considered during an evacuation, depending on the conditions and situation.
If you have a disability (mobility, visual or hearing) that would hinder your ability to safely evacuate your accommodation you must inform the Head.Porter@newn.cam.ac.uk so plans can be put in place.
- Fire evacuation chairs
There are fire evacuation chairs in the Dorothy Garrod Building, the Library Basement, and the Lucia Windsor foyer.
Members of staff have been trained in the use of them and are to be used in conjunction with any Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) for those individuals with accessibility needs.
- First Aid
All the College Porters are fully qualified first aiders; many members of staff are also fully qualified first aiders.
If you require assistance, please ring the Porters’ Lodge on 01223 335 700.
If you need to dial 999 for an ambulance to attend the College, please inform the Duty Porter as they may need to direct the ambulance service.
There are basic first aid boxes in the Health Centre, Iris Café and various College departments with a main bag of equipment at the Porters’ Lodge along with a defibrillator.
See also College Nurse.
- (PAT) Portable Appliance Testing
Your rent includes basic Portable Appliance Testing.
Items that fail the test or that do not have the correct UK plug will be removed from the student room by the testing electrician, or any authorised member of the College staff who may enter a student room (or kitchen) and observe that an incorrect plug or adapter is being used.
Appliances which fail the test will be taken to the Buildings Manager. A note or an email to the owner will advise the reason for removal of the item and what action is recommended. In some instances it may be possible to replace a non-conforming plug.
For those items that fail to comply to UK standards and where a student refuses to have the appliance modified to meet the UK standard, the item(s) will be stored in the College and returned to the student either when her course is finished, or when the student removes the item from the College premises.
Please note that fridges which fail the test must be disposed of according to Health and Safety regulations. This is likely to incur a substantial extra charge.
- Run, Hide, Tell - 'Stay Safe' guidance
The new Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill requires those responsible for certain publicly accessible premises to take steps to reduce the risk of harm.
There are no specific threats to Cambridge at present but an incident could happen in College, in the wider University or in the city. This general guidance is relevant wherever you are.
'Stay Safe' principles
The 'Stay Safe' principles (Run, Hide, Tell) set out by the UK Government provide some actions to consider in firearms or weapons attacks and the type of information that police officers may need in the event of an attack.
· RUN – If you can, run to a place of safety. Find the best protection available, out of sight does not mean out of danger. If you can locate the attackers and the direction in which they are travelling, run away from the danger.
· HIDE – Limit access and secure your environment. Lock the doors and remain as quiet as possible. Turn your mobile phone to silent.
· TELL – Contact the police via 999 then the Porters’ Lodge 01223 335 700, giving them all the information you have about the attackers and what kind of weapons they have.
We recommend that you watch the following information videos:
How to React to Firearms or Weapons Attacks (youtube.com) - 6 minutes
How to Identify and Respond to Suspicious Behaviour (youtube.com) - 5 minutes
How to Identify and Deal With Suspicious Items (youtube.com) - 4 minutes
This type of incident is very rare. If you have any concerns please talk to your Tutor or email the Domestic Bursar and/or Head Porter.
- Safety and security
The Domestic Bursar is the College Fire, Health and Safety Officer. The College also has a Safety Committee which meets termly. The College has a detailed set of policies, procedures, codes of practice and inspections to ensure it is a safe and secure environment for all members of, and visitors to the College
Any students who are concerned about the safety or security of the site, including the grounds and car parks, should via email contact both the Domestic Bursar at domestic.bursar@newn.cam.ac.uk, and Head Porter at head.porter@newn.cam.ac.uk.
For more information on student wellbeing https://www.studentwellbeing.admin.cam.ac.uk
If you discover a break-in or see an intruder in the gardens or surrounding area, notify the police immediately, by telephoning 999, and then at once notify the Porters’ Lodge on 01223 335700.
- Windows and Window Restrictors and dangers to young children
The 70 perimeter bedrooms windows on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Dorothy Garrod Building have restrictors installed to allow an opening of up to 15 cm. The College has also installed window catches on students’ windows on the first floor and above in all our other buildings. These will allow casement windows to be opened 20 cm wide, and will allow the bottom pane of a sash window to be pulled up 20 cm. (The top page of a sash window will still be able to be pulled fully down.)
The College acknowledges that the 15cm and 20 cm aperture distance does not comply with the 10 cm aperture distance guidance in Approved Documents K (Building Control Regulations). However, the Building Control Inspector has stated that they are satisfied with the 20 cm aperture on the 1st & 2nd floors windows provided that the College is aware of the deviation and provides a management strategy for this.
The College management strategy is that no children under the age of 5 should be left unsupervised in any of our rooms on the 1st or 2nd floor and the College does not allow any residents under the age of 16 to stay in our student or guest rooms.
Safety and security
