Take part in consultation on safety reps, urges TUC

The TUC is urging all union safety reps to participate in the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) consultation on worker involvement.

As reported in last month’s Workplace Report, views on the consultation document Improving worker involvement – Improving health and safety (CD207) are being sought until 8 September 2006.

And the TUC has now published a briefing pack designed to help national unions, local branches and workplace safety reps to take part.

“We need as many responses as possible if we are going to get any change at all,” said TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson. “Unless we can show overwhelming support for the changes, nothing will happen. So your response may be crucial.”

The TUC is highlighting the following issues for submissions to the consultation:

* enforcement of the existing Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 – the HSE has never taken a case against an employer for breaching the regulations;

* changes making it easier for safety reps to get their legal right to time off to fulfil their duties;

* a legal duty on employers to respond to issues raised by safety reps;

* the right for safety reps to issue provisional improvement notices and stop the job in cases of serious and imminent danger;

* protection for safety reps against victimisation; and

* the power to appoint roving safety reps to cover all workers.

The HSE consultation document can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd207.htm

The TUC briefing pack is at www.tuc.org.uk/extras/HSC.pdf