What is ‘Out of Hours’ in DCU?

The DCU ‘Out of Hours’ Policy permits authorised persons to access their laboratory or office outside of normal working hours. All arrivals and departures out of hours must be recorded via the web login.

‘Out of Hours’ working is defined as follows

Any Laboratory / Experimental work undertaken outside of 9am-5.15 pm Monday – Friday

Any other work undertaken outside of 7am-10pm Monday – Friday and during the hours of 9am -6pm on Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays.

Who is entitled to be in DCU out of hours?

Authorised Staff and Postgraduate students only are permitted to be in DCU out of hours.

What is an Authorised Person?

An authorised person is a person as defined above who has had risk assessment of their activities completed and documented, has gained ‘out of hours’ approval of Academic Supervisor / Head of School / Unit Manager as appropriate, has attended safety induction and whose name has been notified to Security by the School / Unit Safety Officer or Head.

If I am carrying out experimental practical work in the lab what is ‘out of hours’?

‘Out of Hours’ for experimental / practical work is after 5.15pm and before 9am Monday – Saturday and 9am – 6pm Saturday & Sunday & Bank Holidays

If I am in my office or doing computer work only in a lab, what is ‘out of hours’

‘Out of Hours’ for office work or computer work in a lab is between 10pm and 7am

How do I log in to the Out of Hours Log in System

By accessing the University Health and Safety web page either through menus from the DCU Home Page or by following the direct link http://www.dcu.ie/safety/

I am denied access to log in – what do I do?

Firstly, ensure that you have entered your 8 digit ID number and name exactly as it appears on your ID card.

If you are a postgraduate student, there may be a problem with your registration. Please check with Student Records in Registry.

If you are staff or visitor there may be a problem with your ID number. Please contact Computer Services Helpdesk to check.

What is ‘lock-up’

Lock up is a period whereby there is no out of hours access for the safety and security of all on campus. During lock up exceptional access can only be granted with the written permission of the Vice President for Research and notification in advance to Security.

What are lockup hours

Lock up hours are from 6pm Saturday to 9am Sunday and from 6pm Sunday to 7am on Monday. On a Bank Holiday Monday, lock up hours are as for Sundays.

There will also be lock up hours over the Christmas and Easter periods and these will be notified in advance by Security.

How do I gain access during lock up

Access during lock up is available in exceptional circumstances only. Written permission must be obtained from the Vice President for Research and notified to Security.

How do I gain access out of hours

Normally you should be able to gain access to buildings via swipecard or PIN number. Where these do not exist on buildings, please contact Security to gain access.

What are the rules governing computer laboratories

Computer laboratories may be used by staff, students and visitors up to10pm Monday - Friday. They may be used on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6pm.

Can I let others in ‘out of hours’

You must not let in any other persons into the building ‘out of hours’. They must contact Security themselves to gain access

How do visitors get authorised for after hours access

Visiting staff or postgraduate students must complete the same process to become an authorised person. Please contact the Academic Supervisor or local Safety Officer in your School/Unit to complete.

If I encounter a problem after hours how do I get help

Please contact Security on the emergency telephone number of 5999. If you are unable to reach a phone activate a Fire Alarm Break Glass Unit.

What do I do if the Website is unavailable due to technical problems?

In the unlikely event of this happening, please contact Security at ext. 8990.

What do I do if I forget to logout?

You must contact Security at ext. 8990. This should only be exceptional and records are kept of these calls. Repeated failure to log out may result in your out of hours access authorisation being withdrawn.