Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations
[ch 2: pages 20-21]The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 require employers to inform and consult with employees in good time on matters relating to their health and safety. Safety reps can use these regulations to investigate any aspect of violence that concerns the health and safety of employees, including stress from the fear of violence. (In addition, the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 require consultation with reps in workplaces where unions are not recognised.)
Public services union UNISON says that policies to manage and prevent violence should not be developed in isolation, but should instead involve proper consultation with employees and safety reps.
Detailed guidance on the Safety Reps and Safety Committees Regulations and other health and safety legislation can be found in LRD’s annually updated booklet Health and Safety Law (www.lrdpublications.org.uk/publications.php?pub=BK&iss=1831).