The Health, Safety and the Environment (HSE) department is VU Amsterdam’s certified internal occupational health and safety service. The department advises and supports the organisation in designing its business processes and working conditions in such a way that employees have a safe and healthy working environment.
Please note: Health, Safety and the Environment does not offer emergency support. If you require emergency medical attention or mental health support, contact your GP or 112. If you feel unsafe and need assistance, call the emergency number: 22222 or 020 598 22 22. If you are in a difficult situation and need someone to talk to, you can also make an appointment with the occupational health physician or staff welfare officer.
As an employee of VU Amsterdam, you may call on HSE for, among others:
- Consultation with the occupational health physician
- Consultation with the occupational social worker
- Consultation with the confidential counsellor for employees
- Advice on occupational hazards, from psychosocial workload to hazardous substances
- Advice on workplace ergonomics
- Advisory consultation for prescription computer glasses
Health, Safety and the Environment’s experts offer advice and support and provide internal supervision in the following areas:
- Sick leave counselling according to the internal management model (occupational health physicians)
- Working conditions
- Building and fire safety
- Hazardous substances and laboratory safety
- Accidents
- Policy development in relation to prevention, working conditions and safety
- Sustainability and the environment
- Animal research (through the joint Animal Welfare Body Amsterdam UMC–VU)
- Research involving Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
- Radiation applications (through the Joint Radiation Protection Unit)
In addition, Health, Safety and the Environment’s services also include a number of operational tasks:
- Training and instructing the in-house emergency response and first aid officers
Further information on specific products, services, and whom to contact may be found on the Health, Safety and Environment contact page.
The department consists of the following teams:
- health and safety advisors
- occupational health physicians
- occupational social work
- animal welfare
- core experts
- secretariat
- technical support group
Help, support and advice
If you have questions or concerns and need someone to talk to, or if you need help or advice in dealing with a conflict situation, you have a range of options for support at VU Amsterdam. Visit the page Help, support and advice.