A new report published by Britain's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shows the significance of trade union training in stimulating and supporting the workplace activities of trade union health and safety representatives. Health and safety representatives engage in increased health and safety activity following training, while representatives perceive training as a significant aid in overcoming barriers to their workplace actions, the report found.
The study, The impact of trade union education and training in health and safety on the workplace activity of health and safety representatives, was prepared by Dr David Walters et al of the Centre for Industrial and Environmental Safety and Health at South Bank University.
It identifies the "experience based, student-centred, collective ethos of the pedagogy of labour education as fundamental in developing and reinforcing a worker-centred approach to health and safety". It sees such an approach as providing union representatives with the "confidence and skills to enable them to engage effectively in participatory health and safety management".
Health and safety representatives make an important contribution to improving workplace health and safety performance. Training is a significant support likely to further promote the effectiveness of health and safety representatives.
The report is based mainly on a survey of 5,800 health and safety representatives selected from TUC records. Some 1,400 completed questionnaires were returned, 48 telephone interviews and 85 face-to-face interviews with safety representatives were conducted. Training provided by, or on behalf of, trade unions constituted the major experience of training undertaken by the respondents. Almost 80 per cent found their training supported their workplace activity.
The report found that it is likely that training "acts as a stimulus" for the initiation and development of health and safety workplace activities. The report "argues that the content, context and means of delivery of trade union education are the keys to understanding the high value placed on it by its recipients". In particular, the emphasis of trade union training on worker centred participation in occupational health and safety management is seen as essential to the "character, quality and success" of training.
The report points to three criteria which, when met, enhance workers' participation in helping detect and abate work hazards:
opportunities to investigate issues and to communicate with other workers;
channels for dialogue with management - such as regular meetings and answers to questions on existing problems and on the occupational health and safety consequences of planned changes; and
adequate training and information.
"In theory, such conditions might exist in non-unionised forms of participation but they are more usually dependent on trade union support, both within workplaces and from the outside," says the report. Many health and safety representatives were critical of employers and managers, with a lack of time for health and safety representative duties a recurring theme. However, many reported the support of management.
Management support included: proactive management; management taking notice of safety representative views; good consultative procedures; active safety committees; and the provision of facilities for safety representatives. The report outlines the main workplace achievements of representatives after attending health and safety training.
These include: tackling hazards (63 per cent); exercising rights (59 per cent); involving/informing workers (59 per cent); and influencing employer (57 per cent).
Achievements in tackling hazards include: stopping the use of a dangerous substance; improved manual handling procedures; reporting dangerous machinery; achieving repair and upgrading of ventilation system; and insisting members get adequate breaks.
Examples of rights exercised include: inspections being undertaken; health and safety inspections at the start of each shift; investigation of hazards; and investigating and following up complaints from members. Examples of involving and informing members include: running health and safety open days for staff; pushing for support staff to receive health and safety training; and getting management to supply information to members.
Influencing employer outcomes include: getting involved in risk assessments; meeting with management; ensuring management put health and safety higher up the agenda; and agreed safe systems of work.
jmarms@irish-times.ie
