The following employees have been appointed as the Safety Representatives by their Trade Union:
| Safety Representatives |
|---|
| Unison John Wakeman Phone: 6158 Email: jwakeman |
| Unite Colin McAuley Phone: 3974 Email: ccmcau |
| UCU Kevan Wilding Phone: 3583 Email: kwilding |
They represent employees on health and safety and can assist any employee who has a health and safety concern (you do not need to be a member of their Union to ask for help).
The University is committed to working positively with the Union appointed Safety Representatives to achieve the University's goal of a supporting, safe and healthy work environment for all. This web page describes the rights and functions of Safety Representatives so that Heads of Department and managers are clear about what they need to do to support a positive working relationship.
Find out more about trade unions at Essex at www.essex.ac.uk/unions
The following are functions, not responsibilities. Managers cannot direct employees to carry out health and safety tasks in their role as union appointed Safety Representative.
Safety Representatives attend Health and Safety Committee and Safety Advisory Group. They may also be asked to comment on new documents or attend meetings dealing with specific issues that have a health and safety impact on staff. Heads of Department and Managers need to ensure that they consult the Safety Representatives when planning changes that may affect the health and safety of staff under their control.
Safety Representatives also represent employees in meetings with the enforcing body. If an HSE inspector arranges to visit the workplace, the Safety Representative should be informed and given the opportunity to meet the inspector.
Safety Representatives may wish to investigate complaints made by an employee and should be allowed time and facilities to do this. A management representative can accompany the Representative during investigations. They are entitled to investigate RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) reportable incidents, provided it is safe for them to do so. The University would also support their investigation of any safety incident.
HSAS provides Safety Representatives with anonymous information on accidents that take place on the University. They can request further details about the incident; however the permission of the injured person must be sought before their details are disclosed.
Safety Representatives should normally provide notice to the appropriate manager in writing of any concerns they have about health and safety following their investigations.
Safety Representatives are entitled to inspect workplaces provided they have given reasonable notice, in writing, of their intention to do so. They can also carry out an inspection following an accident or dangerous occurrence.
The Code of Practice on Managing Health and Safety requires that Heads of Department ensure that regular formal health and safety inspections are carried out of the areas under their control. Inspections should normally be carried out at least annually. There is benefit in joint management / Union inspections and so a Safety Representative should be invited to join the inspection team. To arrange this Heads of Department should advise the Safety Representatives of the three Trade Unions (UCU, Unite and Unison) at least 2 weeks before the proposed inspection date, so that they can agree which Safety Representative will join the inspection team. Following the inspection a copy of the inspection report must be sent to the Safety Representative.
Safety representatives are entitled to:
If you need to contact a Safety Representative and are not sure which one it is best to approach, you can e-mail them all, and they will agree which one of them would be best placed to deal with the issue.
To find out more about the roles and rights of Union Appointed Safety Representatives you can contact HSAS or refer to the following HSE Publications:
