Key actions in co-operating effectively
Leaders
- Gain commitment from your managers to consult and involve the workers
- Show commitment to involving workers by being visible, communicating and listening to concerns, and jointly solving problems
- Allocate resources to allow effective consultation to take place
- Discuss with employees and representatives the best ways for information to be shared. Consider issues of language, literacy and learning disabilities if appropriate
Managers
- Find out how your workers want to be consulted. How you consult will be affected by:
- the size and structure of your organisation
- the diversity of your workforce
- the type of work carried out
- trade union representation
- people who work offsite
- the nature of the risks present
- Think about how you will share information - remember to consider contractors and those who may have language barriers
- By law, you must consult your workforce about any change that may substantially affect their health and safety. Such changes may include:
- new or different procedures
- types of work
- equipment
- premises
- ways of working, eg new shift patterns
- your arrangements for getting competent people to help you meet your obligations under health and safety laws, eg appointing a health and safety manager
- information you must give your workforce on the likely risks in their work and precautions they should take
- planning of health and safety training
- health and safety consequences of introducing new technology
- Formulate plans to ensure the workforce is consulted (either directly or through their representatives) in good time on issues relating to their safety. This will mean workers feel health and safety is a part of normal work activity, not something that is left to ‘specialists’
- Decide what your procedure will be if there are disagreements
- Have shift-workers and part-time workers been considered?
- Make sure you make contact with external services, if needed, when formulating your emergency procedures
Competence
- Make sure you are familiar with the legal requirements to consult and involve workers
- Plan joint health and safety training sessions for managers and workers so they can share views and experiences
- Managers should be confident about speaking to workers
- If your workforce has appointed safety representatives, you must ensure they are provided with paid time, when necessary, to have training that enables them to carry out their role
- Make sure workers know what to do in an emergency
