At the last Joint Safety Advisory Committee meeting (JSAC), UNISON and BUCU safety reps reviewed the papers which are considered at the University Health and Safety Executive Group (UHSEG)—in one of the reports, our safety officer noted that accidents and incidents had been going up, but that in the same report, the number of accidents and incidents reported in the accompanying appendix was ZERO. We discussed the high number of accidents and incidents in a certain part of the University, as well as the apparent lack of health and safety oversight for several thousands of members of Professional Services staff who sit outside of the College structures (which each have their own safety committee).

For the third time this academic year, we pointed out that the Occupational Health Advisory Group (OHAG) has not met since 2024, and we have asked that the UHSEG Chair appoint an academic chair to OHAG so that the group can convene. The trade unions take an especial interest in the OHAG because our members rely on Occupational Health to get the Reasonable Adjustments they need to flourish in their work. There are two elements to Occupational Health which the HSE has identified for employers to concentrate on. The first element is identifying causes and contributing factors to ill health in the workplace, determining what action is required to prevent staff being made ill by work based on risk assessments, and introducing control measures to prevent ill health. The second element is to make sure that people with health conditions, who have a disability, or who have an impairment, are not unreasonably prevented from staying in work, and that adaptations in work are made so that staff can flourish in their work.

As required by national health, safety, and welfare legislation, employers must provide a safe workplace and must assess risk at work. While some employers may envisage that they are meeting their legal requirements by having a single safety officer or a safety policy buried in Sharepoint, this is not adequate to actually ensure health and safety at work. BUCU and UNISON are asking for robust safety committees and safety advisory groups that are fit for purpose. We have a right to protection from hazards in the workplace and employers must take steps to ensure that they know about the hazards.

We need safety reps!

Everyone can become a safety rep.
Health and safety is everybody’s responsibility.
Safety reps hold employers accountable to keep the University community safe. The current HSE inspection of the university over workload and work related stress is evidence that management alone cannot be trusted with your health, safety and welfare. Union health and safety reps provide a strong independent voice.

While you do not need to have technical knowledge about health and safety to be an effective safety rep, UCU provides health & safety training so that you are conversant with the essential legislation and your rights and powers as a union rep.

Safety reps have the strongest protection of all trade union representatives and it is a statutory requirement that safety reps are entitled to whatever paid time off is reasonably necessary for them to do the job effectively, including time for training.

As a safety rep, you can choose one or more of these options:

• conduct a regular safety check of your department and report to the BUCU health & safety Officer;
• represent BUCU on your local College or department safety committees;
• represent BUCU on a safety advisory group that you take an interest in (i.e. Biological Safety Advisory Group, Hazardous Materials Safety Advisory Group, Fire Safety Advisory Group, Radiation Safety Advisory Group, and Occupational Health Advisory Group);
• provide consultation on different safety guidelines and policies on behalf of UCU.

You will play a valuable role in ensuring the safety of the University community, and when viewed correctly as critical friends of management, your work can be recognised as part of Citizenship in promotion applications.

You will always have the support of fellow committee members and safety reps in all your work as a safety rep. BUCU health and safety reps also work very closely with Unison reps. For more information about what safety reps do and are entitled to, please see this guidance by UCU. Any questions about being a safety rep, please contact our branch administrator or get in touch with our safety officer Dave Watton.

Notes:

According to the SRSC 1977, employers must permit time off with pay during working hours for safety reps to carry out functions.

BUCU has an agreement with the university for all health and safety reps to be entitled to (0.1 FTE) statutory time off. However, if you find that you need more time in your safety rep role because your area is high risk, you are certainly entitled to more statutory time.