Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd

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Safety reps

Safety representatives play an important role in promoting and monitoring safe working practices throughout the nuclear industry.

Health and safety representatives are appointed by recognised trade unions to represent employees in consultations with employers. They in turn can establish a formal safety committee.

Research has shown that workplaces with trade union recognition have fifty percent fewer accidents than those without. Trade union safety representatives do make a difference because they:

• Help to reduce injuries at work
   
• Lead to reductions in the levels of ill-health caused by work
   
• Encourage greater reporting of injuries and near-misses
   
• Make workers more confident
   
• Help develop a more positive safety culture in their organisation
   

The rights and functions of health and safety representatives are contained in the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (as amended by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations).

Safety representatives:

• Represent employees in consultation with the employer on measures to ensure health and safety in the workplace
   
• Take part in investigations into potential hazards and dangerous occurrences and to examine the causes of accidents at the workplace
   
• Investigate complaints by employees
   
• Make representations to the employer on complaints and other general matters of health, safety and welfare
   
• Carry out planned and requested inspections (safety tours, sampling, surveys etc)
   
• Represent employees in consultation with any enforcing authority
   
• Receive information from HSE inspectors
   
• Attend joint safety committee meetings in his/her capacity as a safety representative
   

The safety representatives' committee at Dounreay includes safety representatives from contractors working on site. Joint meetings are held between safety representatives and both management at regular intervals to discuss and resolve safety issues.