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Union Safety Reps Brown Book Bible To Be Replaced

The 'Brown Book' - Bible for all USRs is being replaced!As previously reported in October on this website new guidance was launched by the HSE on workers representation and involvement in health and safety, whilst at the same time the HSE website pages regarding workers involvement were updated.

At the October launch both the Health and Safety Minister Lord McKenzie and HSE Chair Judith Hackitt spoke strongly in support of Trade Union Safety Representatives and the benefits of better safety standards provided by actively involved Safety Reps. They also stressed the need for Employers to comply with the Law requiring consultation and involvement.

Promoting the new guidance, the CWU's National Health, Safety and Environment Officer Dave Joyce issued this week details of the guidance document and the history behind it.

His letter to CWU branches explains:

"Consulting Workers on Health and Safety" (L146) replaces L87 (also known as 'the Brown Book). It provides the new legal guidance and contains the 1977 Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations, the 1996 Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations, along with the Approved Codes of Practice and New extended Guidance. 

It is 74 pages long and costs £13.95 a copy. It is aimed at Employers, Safety Representatives and Trade Union Officials. Contents: Preface; Introduction; Part 1: Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (as amended); Part 2: Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (as amended); Appendices; References.

Detailing what led to this new document he explains:  

After 10 years of campaigning by the Unions, much debate and several Consultation Documents, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) had decided at its meeting that month (June 2007) that there will be no new additional rights for union safety reps but there would be new, extended legal guidance supporting Safety Reps.

Having given up hope of achieving the Unions major aspirations of demands such as Provisional Improvement Notices (PINs) and other key objectives, the TUC and all major Unions including the CWU made a last gasp attempt to at least get 'two new legal rights' for Safety Reps inserted into the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees (SRSC) Regulations.

These were:

* The formal statutory involvement of Safety Reps in Risk Assessments
* A statutory duty on employers and managers to respond in good time to safety representatives representations

These proposals were strongly supported in the formal consultation on the SRSC Regulations but against the weight of opinion in support of the changes the HSC rejected the proposals due to the opposition put up by the employers federations (CBI, IOD, EEF etc).

The TUC and major Unions expressed anger at the decision which flew in the face of overwhelming support for change expressed by respondents to the consultation exercise.

As mentioned above however, the HSC/HSE did however support the need for new revised and strengthened guidance to the SRSC Regulations in a revamped "Brown Book". That work has now been completed and the HSE have published the new legal guidance which replaces the old "Brown Book".

Good news for tyhose cost conscious, explains Dave, is that the TUC has negotiated with the HSE to publish a 'free' version for use by Trade Union Health and Safety Representatives and on Training Courses. It will contain the 1977 Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations, ACoP, New Guidance, and the Appendixes.

The CWU Health, Safety and Environment Department is awaiting a delivery of 1500 copies which will be distributed in due course.

Source: CWU LTB831/08

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