Take the lead and become a workplace rep

SoR union health and safety reps make a huge difference. Research has shown that workplaces with health and safety reps experience about half the number of serious injuries of those without reps in place. This is because health and safety representatives know the workplace, are supported by their union and are better trained. Union health and safety reps help promote a good safety culture and allow employees to raise issues that concern them.

Being a health and safety rep can be a very rewarding experience and they will be offered high-quality training and support by their union. Perhaps the most important role that a representative plays (other than the legal ones, see below) is simply being there and talking to members regularly about their concerns.

Most employers value the work that health and safety reps do. Good employers encourage employees to take on the role and recognise the work they do by taking it into account during performance appraisals and when considering promotions.

Reps’ legal functions

If you are a trade union health and safety representative then, by law, you can perform certain functions (these are not legal duties):

• Investigating potential hazards and dangerous occurrences at the workplace and examining the causes of accidents at the workplace.

• Investigating complaints by any employee relating to health, safety or welfare at work.

• Taking up health, safety or welfare issues with the employer.

• Carrying out inspections at least four times a year or following any substantial change.

• Representing workers in talks with the employer or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or other safety enforcement agencies and getting information from them.

• Attending meetings of safety committees where the rep attends in their capacity as a safety representative in connection with any of the above functions.

• If at least two health and safety representatives request in writing that they want a safety committee to be set up, the employer must do this within three months of the request.

Employer’s legal duties to reps

The employer also has certain legal duties. They must:

• Consult health and safety representatives in good time on any health and safety matters, including any changes to the workplace or work organisation.

• Give representatives the information necessary to enable them to fulfil their functions or to respond to any consultation. This should include the risks arising from their work, the measures in place or proposals to control these risks, and what they should do if they are exposed to a risk, including emergency procedures.

• Give health and safety representatives the paid time they need to carry out their functions and to undergo training in those functions and pay any reasonable costs involved with that training, including travel and subsistence costs.

• Provide any facilities and assistance that health and safety representatives will need to carry out their role – this may include access to a phone and quiet area, a lockable cabinet or desk, intranet facilities, a photocopier and a notice board.

Rep liabilities

It is important to know that the law says it is the employer that is responsible for health and safety, not the health and safety rep, who has no legal duties placed upon them. This means that a health and safety rep has no greater liability in law for health and safety breaches than any other employee.

The role of the union health and safety rep and the duties of the employer are laid down in law and in guidance produced by the HSE.

If your employer does not comply with their health and safety duties or their duties towards reps, they will be committing an offence. Health and safety inspectors from the HSE or the local authority may enforce the regulations. If the employer fails in their duties to you as a rep, you should approach your union for support and advice because most of these issues are best resolved through discussion between the employer and the union. However, an employment tribunal can provide legal redress if discussions between the rep and the employer break down.

Industrial relations representative

At the SoR, our trade union roles ask only for passion, advocacy and a drive to improve the landscape for our profession and those within it. Do you have these qualities?

The industrial relations (IR) rep is a role you will hopefully have come across during your time in post or on previous clinical placements. These reps are key to shaping radiographers’ experiences at a local level and feeding this vital work into our wider network, continually strengthening the profile and integrity of our profession and contributing to the excellent reputation we hold as an allied health professions union.

IR reps are skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate – qualities you may already hold but which will be bolstered by a comprehensive training and support programme. Many new professionals are beginning to step into these roles, recognising the benefit of leadership at every level and using their enthusiasm and communicative strengths to effect positive changes in their workplace.

Let’s hear from Damien Magee, a new professional and a former member of the SoR Student Forum.

So what is an IR rep?

SoR IR reps help our members to raise concerns in the workplace or assist them in a wide range of processes, from organisational change to disciplinary investigations.

Our reps know the workplace. They are supported by regional officers and are offered high-quality training. Using partnership working, they can often resolve issues quickly and avoid the need for a formal process.

Being a representative for the SoR can be an enriching experience. However, perhaps the most crucial role that a representative plays is simply being there and talking to members regularly about their concerns and suggesting ways to resolve them.

Most employers work with our representatives through staff-side organisations that bring representatives together from all unions to meet director-level employers at partnership forums to discuss and agree on local policy within the trust that directly affects our members.

Good employers recognise the work our reps undertake and often consider this when interviewing candidates for promotion.

The duties of IR reps

Trade union reps are entitled to paid time off to carry out their duties. These can include:

• Attending staff-side meetings with reps from other unions.

• Attending joint meetings with senior director-level management.

• Negotiating meetings, for example, on organisational change, the Working Time Directive and flexible working.

• Representing members at disciplinary or grievance hearings.

• Advising members of their rights.

• Attending regional committee meetings.

• Attending members’ meetings to keep them up to date with SoR work on a national and regional basis.

• Liaising with the regional officer to let them know what is going on, particularly if you have a problem.

Union learning representative

The SoR recognises that it has an important role to play in supporting the education, lifelong learning and the personal and professional development of our members. The union learning representative (ULR) role is an important part of the support we provide.

Radiography is continually evolving to meet service demands and to keep pace with technological and medical change. So radiographers must ensure their knowledge and skills are kept up to date to demonstrate their fitness to practice, to improve their career prospects and, most importantly, to improve the quality of the care they provide to patients.

ULRs are well trained and well placed to provide support, encouragement and guidance to colleagues. It is a role that will develop according to your needs and those of the members you serve. The following list is not exhaustive but the role may include:

• Developing a culture of learning in the workplace.

• Offering advice and identifying the learning needs of members.

• Planning and supporting members’ CPD.

• Working to improve access to learning and resources.

• Supporting members to use CPD Now so they can plan, undertake and record their CPD in accordance with the CoR’s recommendations and satisfy the needs of their employer and the Health and Care Professions Council.

There are also some added benefits – research has shown that increased workplace learning increases skill, productivity, job satisfaction and staff morale, and makes a positive impact on recruitment and retention.

The ULR induction course

We aim to give all new ULRs the confidence, tools and skills to enhance the learning culture of their workplace. This is easier said than done but the feedback we receive from ULRs is very encouraging. The course continues to evolve but the core elements of the programme are:

• Your rights as a union learning rep.

• Learning in organisations.

• Preparing and conducting a learning needs survey.

• An in-depth examination of CPD Now.

• Supporting members to prepare a CPD portfolio.

• An exploration of CPD resources.

• Accreditation.

• Practical presentation skills.

• An introduction to leadership training.

• Preparing an action plan for your workplace.

As well as improving members’ learning opportunities and educational prospects, you will also develop your own skills and knowledge and will be recognised as an asset to the service.

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