Posted By ken Parker Kevin, Having been a Trade Unions H&S rep for the past 20 years I would like to make the following points without being predantic: 1. Does your organisation have an H&S Committee in place in accordance with The Safety Representative and Safety Committees Regulations 1977? If it does, then I would suggest that the best venue for the rep resentative to air his/hers views would be thiat committee. Following on from this, almost all Trade Unions allow local negoitations at local levels. Failures to agree between Unions and Management at local level on any issue can then be forwarded to regional Level and finally to National Level. My point to that particular Rep would be that both Management and Trade Union were in place to create a safe working environment for all and not to score points. The trouble is we don't live in the perfect environment? Hope this helps. Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Ken Parker.

Posted By George Wedgwood Perhaps the confrontation arose because the Rep was not 'part' of the "management plan"! As with all consultation processes, it's not compliance with the law that determines success but people and methods. The Rep should be treated as one of the Team in developing a safety culture in the workplace and that person has a key role due to knowledge of the actual people and processes that create risk. The active H&S Committee should not only comprise Safety representatives appointed by their Unions, but also interested business unit employees, supported by their direct management. If those people are involved in their own business unit or Team safety plans and training programmes, they will naturally be more interested in cooperation and see the successes of active participation in overall planning. I sense that in this case, there is a 'need to know' ethic and the Rep feels out of the decision process, when in fact, if trusted (and that is a key attribute and aspect of team involvement) that person would treat confidences with respect and contribute actively to the management planning process. So, go on! Make your Reps part of the Safety Planning Team - and make them accountable for certian aspects of it - they will soon become contributing, highly respected members of the workforce, instead of whingeing annoyannces to management, who are simply out to block any decision not favourable to them! Call me if you need some examples of how we work at safety here at Powergen. Regards and a better New Year! George Wedgwood FIOSH, RSP

Posted By Lee Bennett Effective partnerships are the key to health and safety improvements, says HSC Chair: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/c00036.htm