Health and Safety Executive Health and Safety Executive Why Worker Involvement? What are the benefits for my business? Paul Cook HSE Policy Adviser Worker Involvement and Inclusion Team

HSE aim Our aim is to help organisations develop a culture in which everyone accepts their rights, roles and responsibilities in relation to health and safety and works together to prevent ill health and injury.

What does worker involvement mean and why is it so important? The worker involvement process is the full participation of the workforce in the management of health and safety and includes: provision of information; instruction & training; engaging in consultation with workers; the full involvement of workers, is beyond compliance and at its most effective creates a culture where relationships between employers and workers are based on collaboration, trust and joint problem solving

Why Involve the Workforce? The Benefits: A way of helping employers manage health and safety in a practical way by increasing the resources they have available to : –identify workplace risks, –put in place practical controls, and –gain commitment from the whole workforce to these controls. The Law: Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Safety Reps and Safety Committees Regs 77 Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regs 96 Plus others (e.g. CDM 2007)

New representatives pilot Delegate: Invaluable – it does not have to be complicated. Its about talking to each other and solving problems together Manager: Safe workplaces are about trust, respect, cooperation and joint problem solving. The course has not only helped remove existing barriers to good worker involvement but has given employees a real sense of ownership

What might WI look like? Small Large Dynamic Stable Formal engagement with safety reps Committees Infrastructure Informal engagement with workers and safety reps Periodic consultation on a specific issue Simple systems Formal engagement with safety reps & workers Delegation of roles Daily discussions Informal engagement with workers Routine (e.g. daily walkabout) Simple system for solving organisational issues Size of org Rate of change of workplace conditions

Question to ask: Which benefits do you consider most powerful? Makes best use of everyones knowledge Business benefit in terms of lower rates of injury Good worker involvement often results in increased productivity, quality and efficiency Stronger commitment Greater co-operation Joint problem solving

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