Health, Safety and Environment - International Labour Organization

Manual 3:HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTFOR WORKER HS&E REPRESENTATIVESIntroductionGreater industrialisation has increased the hazards at work. To protect thehealth and safety of workers and local communities, unions need to ensurethat employers effectively manage occupational health, safety and theenvironment. As we have seen, sometimes managers are reluctant,unwilling, or unable to do this. In this section, we will look at some waysour unions can put pressure on management, to do what they should. Thenwe will look at some aspects of health and safety management.Activity – Getting things doneAIMSTo help us to: share ideas on the methods available to ensure that management take action decide on the steps for resolving HS&E problemsTASKIn your small group: share experiences about the methods you have used to get management toresolve HS&E problems list the steps you should take and the procedures you should follow tosuccessfully resolve an HS&E problemElect a spokesperson to report backGettingmanagementto actYou will have discussed several methods you have used to get managementto act. Improvements to HS&E are made in the same ways as all workergains — through education, unity, organisation and action. Worker HS&Erepresentatives and sometimes a local trade union committee are vitalparts of the mechanism for resolving HS&E concerns. It is the job of theworker HS&E representative and a local union committee to represent rankand file workers on HS&E issues.Some of the ways that you can get your employer to act include:Being organised careful preparation – prepare your case well encourage workers to raise problems with their supervisor and to keepyou informed follow up their complaints if there is no action raise issues in writing with management, make sure that you have yourmembers support, and a clear time limit agreed prepare reports that explain the problem113 Health, Safety and EnvironmentA Series of Trade Union EducationManuals for Agricultural Workers