Safety reps

Workplace risk assessment is too often treated as a simple tick-box exercise farmed out to outside consultants. It tends to look only at the traditional, visible risks and does not lead on to an ongoing social dialogue to improve working conditions. A survey of safety reps done in the United Kingdom found that fewer than 30% thought they were adequately involved in risk assessment, 44% were not at all involved and 27% were not involved enough. Risk assessment is often better in firms where workers' reps actively participate in it. In such cases, it covers a wider range of risks and results in more systematic preventive activities.

A participatory approach is more productive than an officialistic, rulebook-bound risk assessment. Working conditions contribute significantly to wide health inequalities. Workers with least control over their working conditions are more apt to face multiple risks. Participatory assessment can help to turn that trend around by giving a voice to those that currently lack one. They can inform changes to working conditions from their knowledge of what they are really like. Systematic participation by workers and workers’ reps at all stages of risk assessment ensures that all risks will be properly considered and makes it easier to draw up a workable prevention plan.

In 2006, the ETUI coordinated the EPSARE European research project (European Project on Safety Reps) which studied the role and effectiveness of worker representation in improving working conditions in several member countries, and resulted in reports being written in France, Italy and Spain. As part of the project, the ETUI also organized with the ETUC’s assistance two international conferences on participation by workers and their representatives in prevention (February 2008) and risk assessment (January 2009).