TUC promotes safety reps' "proven track record"

Jocelyn Dorrell | News | HSP
20.10.2008

The TUC has launched a charter to promote the role of safety representatives in improving workplace safety standards.

Safety Representatives: A Charter for Change offers examples of how reps can make a difference in the workplace, drawing on research that links union-supported consultation with workers to lower rates of injury and disease.

The TUC cites government statistics that indicate safety reps prevent 8000-13,000 accidents and 3000-8000 work-related illnesses each year.
 
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said union safety reps "have a proven track record in reducing an organisation's serious injury record.

"A major extension of their role could therefore be the most significant development in occupational health and safety since the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act."
 
Barber said the charter's proposals will help employers fulfil their legal duties to consult with their employees on health and safety issues.

The charter is available on the TUC website.