Posted By Mike Craven Steve Don't believe that there is anything that says you can't do this - and I successfully combined two roles for several years - but I think its success depends (to an extent) on the Personnel concerned and the organisation. In the example I'm going to give, the trade unions and management "sides" enjoyed excellent working relationships, and the Safety Manager and trade union safety reps were good friends who had worked together for several years. In 1995, after spending 4 years as the trade union Branch Secretary, I "went back" to being a the union safety rep. As Branch Sec, I "enjoyed" full-time secondment/release from "normal" Post Office duties. However, the safety rep post was not full-time and my employer had to find other work when I was not on safety rep duties. There was a vacancy for a Health & Safety (Support) Officer working to the Regional Safety Mgr on a part-time basis Although I was not the main Safety Officer and part of my job was to provide clerical and admin support, I did substitute for the Regional Safety Mgr and carried out regular accident investigations, risk assessments, audits, etc on behalf of the "management side". It was agreed on my appointment that I would always (try to) make it quite clear to managers and staff what capacity ("official" or trade union) I was calling or visiting in, and that I would refer any potential conflict of interest to the Regional Safety Manager and another TU colleague. I never experienced any difficulties - possibly because I have always believed that we are all seeking a common aim as Safety prof's regardless of whether we belong to the management, TU or consultanct/advisory "side" In the five years or so that I combined the roles, only one person suggested (somewhat tongue in cheek) that I was "running with the fox, whilst hunting with the hounds!!" Mike Craven