Journal of Research & Scholarly Output 2006 - Grimsby Institute of ...

1996). This legislation needs to be backed
up by comprehensive guidance for
organisations genuinely interested in
involving the workforce in all aspects of
health and safety at work.
Why a systems approach?
Taking into account the previously
discussed issues, there are many reasons
why organisations may have difficulty in
attempting to involve workers in health and
safety. So how do organisations go about
promoting WISH? Well, one point that is
glaringly apparent is that compliance with
statutory provisions alone will not engender
the levels of involvement needed to bring
about noticeable improvements in health
and safety performance. If organisations
are to truly reap the rewards of worker
involvement then it requires managing in the
same way as any other organisational
function. Taking this assertion on board, the
WISH Management Model has been
proposed as an adaptation of the HSE’s
familiar framework for successful health and
safety management (HSE, 1997),
advocating a systems approach to
managing WISH.
From the outset, a commitment to worker
involvement should be clarified within a
policy, ideally this should be distinct from
the general safety policy. The WISH policy
should include a management commitment
to involving the workforce in all aspects of
health and safety, from the development of
the safely policy itself, to an ongoing
involvement in risk assessments and the
improvement of safe systems of work. The
WISH policy is pivotal within the systems
approach and once it is in place, attempts
can then be made to organise the workforce
for effective worker involvement. The
organising stage will ensure that the
workforce has the levels of competency
needed to actively contribute to health and
safety at work. It will also involve making
sure that there are adequate mechanisms in
place for communicating information on
worker involvement. These organisational
requirements will be supported by effective
co-operation between all parties and control
over worker involvement practices. Once
the 4 Cs’ of worker involvement are in place,
the organisation will be on the right lines to
fostering a safety culture founded upon
worker involvement.
At the planning and implementation stage,
organisations need to identify where they
are in terms of worker involvement before
looking at the mechanisms needed to
promote greater involvement. It must be
appreciated that there is a clear spectrum of
worker involvement, with the provision of
information perceived as a very loose form
of worker involvement, right up to the polar
extremes of co-determination (Works
Councils) and self-management.
Consultation and participation are both
presented as forms of worker involvement
within the worker involvement spectrum,
with participation argued as a purer form,
permitting the active involvement of
employees at management decision making
level.
The mechanisms for involving the workforce
are wide and varied, however, what is more
important is that organisations look into
finding the balance of mechanisms that
‘best fits’ their organisation.
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