Your workplace needs a safety rep. CSP safety representatives improve and protect their members' health, safety and wellbeing at work.
On this page:
What do safety reps do?
Being a safety rep is a key role as they:
Represent
- Advocate for members at health and safety committee meetings
- Get consulted on managers' risk assessments and plans that affect members' health and wellbeing
- Feedback members' concerns to their employer
Inspect
- Carry out vital health and safety workplace inspections
- Survey to identify pressures and hazards confronting our members
- Investigate incidents to improve procedures, training and to keep members safe
Organise
- Share health and safety information with members and managers
- Network with your steward, other safety reps and the CSP
- Recruit members
Why become a CSP safety rep?
There are trade union safety reps in all kinds of organisations, and they have legal backing.
Webinar about CSP voluntary roles (we discuss safety reps about around 12:21)
As more decisions are made locally, CSP members want to take more control of workloads, reduce stress, and make our work healthier and safer.
CSP safety reps are key to this aim and can help prevent members from getting injured and ill from work.
As a CSP-accredited safety rep you would have a legal right to:
- Inspect your workplace
- Tell your employer about any hazards you find
- Ask your employer to conduct a risk assessment and come up with a solution
- Be involved yourself in risk assessments
- Be advised and consulted in advance about any changes at work that could affect members’ health and safety
- Represent CSP members at joint health and safety committee meetings
What's it like to be a safety rep?
Watch Mike Burton talk about being a CSP health and safety rep and why you should do the role, too.
Support for CSP safety reps
There is training and support available from the union. There is also a CSP online learning tool: Getting Started – First Steps for Safety Reps.
CSP safety reps are a key part of the society as a trade union. Safety reps and CSP stewards are supported by staff from Employment Relations & Union Services (ERUS) to improve working conditions for all CSP members, both locally and nationally.
A safety rep on your team is a great idea. Read full details of the role, and contact your organiser for more information.