LRD guides and handbook April 2011

Safety reps in action

Introduction (476 words)

There are around 150,000 safety reps appointed and supported by trade unions. This booklet makes the case for trade union safety reps. As well as ...
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1. The union safety effect (2,290 words)

Union safety reps have a dramatic, positive impact on safety at work. Their presence prevents thousands of major injuries every year, making ...
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2. The structure of health and safety law (4,035 words)

At the time of writing, the government has announced an “immediate review” of health and safety regulation (see Chapter 1). The ...
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3. Safety reps and safety committees (5,391 words)

The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SRSCR) give recognised trade unions the legal right to appoint workplace safety ...
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4. Safety reps in action — safety, health and equality (3,198 words)

Health and safety issues cannot be shut off from other concerns at work — and often overlap with those of inequality and discrimination. ...
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5. Safety reps in action — the working environment (4,993 words)

Any working environment — whether a factory, office or other establishment — contains a wide range of hazards which employers have a ...
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6. Safety reps in action — hazardous substances (2,704 words)

Hazardous substances are used in almost every workplace — factories, offices, building sites, shops, schools, hospitals, kitchens and gardens. ...
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7. Safety reps in action — work equipment (2,038 words)

Most workers use some form of equipment at work, and many suffer injuries and ill health when it is not utilised as part of a safe system of work. ...
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8. Safety reps in action — physical hazards (1,961 words)

There are a wide range of physical hazards in any workplace. Manual handling injuries can arise from any activity, including lifting, lowering, ...
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9. Safety reps in action — working time (1,019 words)

Unions have long argued that working hours should be cut in the interests of health and safety, yet workers in the UK still work some of the longest ...
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10. Safety reps in action — workers’ health (1,884 words)

Safety reps face a number of issues that can be loosely grouped under the heading of “workers’ health”. Some are long-standing ...
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11. Safety reps in action — stress, bullying and violence (1,709 words)

Stress, bullying and violence are among the most important occupational health hazards affecting workers today. ...
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Further information (101 words)

Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), Brandon House, 180 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LW. Helpline: 08457 474747. Textphone: 0845 ...
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