If you are a health and safety representative, you will find useful information here to help you do your work, and materials that you can use in your workplace.
Health and safety representatives have functions given by law.
- If you are a trade union-appointed health and safety representative, your functions are set out in the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977
- If you are a representative of employee safety, your functions are set out in the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996
Contacting HSE's Concerns and Advice team
If you are a trade union safety representative, you can contact the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about something that has either caused, or has the potential to cause, significant harm. You can do this by completing the Concerns and Advice form for safety representatives.
To use this you must:
- be a safety representative, appointed by a trade union under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977
- have tried to resolve the issue using your powers under those Regulations
If you are not a trade union appointed safety representative, but need to contact us, you can raise workplace health and safety concerns.
Once you have completed the form, you should save it and send it by email to [email protected].
If you do not have access to email, you can print the form off and post it to:
Health and Safety Executive
Concerns and Advisory Team
Redgrave Court
Merton Road
Bootle
L20 7HS
Guidance
HSE supports the vital contribution health and safety representatives and trade unions make to maintaining and improving health and safety in the workplace. We have provided the Trades Union Congress (TUC) with the Approved Code of Practice and guidance on the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 for training purposes.
HSE places great importance on worker involvement and consultation, which has proved to be key factor to improving health and safety in the workplace. We have guidance on worker involvement and consultation.
Whatever type of health safety representative you are, you need information and materials to help you do your work. You can find helpful information in our good practice guidance on consulting with representatives. It includes advice on:
- investigating accidents, hazards and complaints
- inspections of the workplace
You can use these forms to record the results of your inspection.
A Word version of forms F2534 and F2533 is also available.
Useful information
The TUC's website provides further information. This includes:
- how to help develop practical proposals for improving health and safety organisation in the workplace
- how to prepare and carry out a workplace health and safety inspection
You may also wish to find out more about the trade union effect.
Education employers and employees demonstrate that they recognise the contribution that partnerships make towards improving health and safety standards at work.
You can find more information about trade unions from: