Introduction (320 words)

Safety representatives save lives. They prevent injuries and ill health, helping workers and making workplaces safer. In short, safety reps make a difference. ...

1. The union safety effect (1776 words)

Union safety reps have a dramatic, positive impact on safety at work. Their presence prevents thousands of major injuries every year, making unionised workplaces ...

2. The structure of health and safety law (2311 words)

It is vital for safety reps to know the law, as it provides them with rights and powers as well as imposing limits on ...

3. Safety reps and safety committees (4168 words)

The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SRSCR) give recognised trade unions the legal right to appoint workplace safety reps. They also set ...

4. Safety reps in action - safety, health and equality (2757 words)

Health and safety issues cannot be shut off from other concerns at work - and often overlap with those of inequality and discrimination. ...

5. Safety reps in action - the working environment (2153 words)

Any working environment - whether a factory, office or other establishment - contains a wide range of hazards, which employers have a duty to ...

6. Safety reps in action - hazardous substances (2374 words)

Hazardous substances are used in almost every workplace - factories, offices, building sites, shops, schools, hospitals, kitchens and gardens. The Health and Safety Executive ...

7. Safety reps in action - work equipment (1348 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 ...

8. Safety reps in action - physical hazards (1351 words)

There are a wide range of physical hazards in any workplace. ...

9. Safety reps in action - working time (1288 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 ...

10. Safety reps in action - workers' health (1173 words)

Safety reps face a number of issues that can be loosely grouped under the heading of "workers' health". Some are long-standing matters of health ...

11. Safety reps in action - stress, bullying and violence (1744 words)

Stress, bullying and violence are among the most important occupational health hazards affecting workers today. ...

Further information (394 words)

Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), Brandon House, 180 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LW. Helpline: 08457 474747. Textphone: 08456 061600. Web: www.acas.org.uk ...