Trade union health and safety representatives
If your employer recognises a trade union and the union has appointed a safety representative (SR), your employer must consult the SR.
If there is no recognised union, your employer must either consult you directly or, if a representative of employee safety (RoES) has been elected, consult the RoES or you directly.
Your SR will give you confidential help and advice. They can also help you solve problems and have legal duties, which include:
- representing workers in talks with the employer, or the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), or other safety or environmental enforcement agencies
- investigating complaints, possible hazards and dangerous incidents
- carrying out regular inspections of the workplace
- taking part in workplace risk assessments
A representative of employee safety has less legal authority than that of an SR. Their duties include:
- representing the interests of workers to the employer in consultation with the HSENI and other safety, or environmental enforcement agencies
- speaking to the employer about hazards at work and other health and safety issues
Employers duties
Your employer has a legal duty to:
- consult about anything that may affect health and safety in the workplace
- give you, if you are being consulted directly, or your SR or RoES, the chance to state their views
They must take account of these views when making a decision. Your employer must consult on:
- changes in working practices or procedures that could affect your health and safety
- arrangements for using qualified people to help the business comply with health and safety legislation
- information to be made available on health and safety risks in the workplace
- planning of health and safety training
- health and safety issues with new technology
If your employer doesn't consult as the law requires, they're committing an offence.
Appointments
How do you become a safety representative?
If your trade union is recognised and you want to become a safety representative (SR), speak to your branch secretary about how to get yourself elected or appointed to represent the workforce. You’ll normally need two years’ experience of working in your job or in similar work. As an SR, you have the right to:
- the use of a phone and office equipment to perform your role
- reasonable paid time off work to meet staff and other reps and to carry out inspections
- time off for relevant training and to be paid for the time off if it’s during normal working hours
Your employer is required to provide you with and pay for relevant training in health and safety matters. If the training is during your normal working hours you have the right to time off with pay.
Protection
The rights and functions of safety reps do not place any legal duties on them. This means that a safety rep has no greater liability in law for health and safety breaches than any other employee.
If you report something, are you protected from being penalised for it?
Under the law you are protected as a safety 'whistleblower' if there has been:
- a criminal offence
- a breach of a legal obligation
- a miscarriage of justice
- a danger to the health and safety of any individual
- damage to the environment
- deliberate covering up of information about any of these
Resources
- Safety representatives and safety committees
(This publication is under review. Please note that some of the legislative references are out of date)