Health and Safety Consultation
The law requires that the University consults with employees before implementing changes that may affect their health and safety and with regard to risk assessments that cover their work activities.
This website outlines how consultation on health and safety takes place in the University.
What is meant by consultation?
Consultation involves not only giving information to employees, but also listening to them and taking account of what employees say before making any health and safety decisions.
Why is consultation important?
Employees need to be involved in health and safety decisions that affect them and the risk assessment process. Their input is valuable in helping to identify health and safety concerns and develop safe workplaces and systems of work that are practical and have their support. It means that adjustments needed to address legitimate concerns can be planned and budgeted for.
Consultation is also a legal requirement under The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations and Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations.
How does consultation take place?
Most consultation takes place at a local level, with the group of employees that will be affected by the change. For changes that affect a large number of employees or the University as a whole, formal consultation takes place via recognised Trade Unions
- Local Consultation: Most consultation takes place through including health and safety on the agenda of team meetings. Team meetings can also be used by employees to discuss any concerns they have about health and safety issues affecting them or the team. If you do not have team meetings, check with your manager how consultation and communication on health and safety takes place.
- University wide consultation: takes place through the Health and Safety Committee or directly with Safety Representatives from Unison, Unite and UCU. The Safety Representatives represent all employees on health and safety, not just their members.
Consultation must take place “in good time.” This means before making any decisions involving equipment, processes or work organisation which could affect employee health and safety.
How do I raise a health and safety concern?
Where you have health and safety concerns, you should raise them directly with your manager. Alternatively you could speak to your Departmental Health and Safety Officer (DHSO) or Health and Safety Liaison Officer (HSLO) (See link below). Employees also have the right to raise health and safety concerns with a Safety Representative, who can take the matter up on their behalf.
What are Safety Representatives?
They are employees, appointed by the trade union they belong to, to represent employees on health and safety. They can assist any employee who has a health and safety concern (you do not need to be a member of their Union).
For more information on Safety Representatives and details of how to contact them follow the link below. The contact details of Safety Representative can also be found on the Health and Safety Law poster displayed in your workplace.
What is the Health and Safety Committee?
The University has a Health and Safety Committee, Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and specialist sub-committees (covering ionising radiation, non-ionising radiation and biological safety) through which consultation on matters that affect the University as a whole take place. You can find out more about the committees, including their membership, terms of reference and minutes of past meetings by following the link below.
Commenting on University Policies and Standards
The Health and Safety Advisory Service (HSAS) welcomes feedback on the Policies and Standards it produces. You can give feedback any time and we will consider it when the document is next reviewed.
Find out more about how we consult on Policies and Standards and see documents currently undergoing consultation on our Consultation Documents site (link below)
Further information
- Safety Representatives: Find out who the University’s Safety Representatives are and the rights and role of Safety Representatives.
- Health and Safety Committee and Sub-Committees: Terms of reference, membership and minutes of meetings.
- Consultation Documents and Consultation process
- Departmental Health and Safety Contacts: Find out how to contact your DHSO or HSLO
- HSE Worker Involvement Find out more about the law and good practice relating to consultation with employees