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Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977

Legislation

Introduction

The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 came into force on 1st October 1978.

The Regulations are not available electronically, except as contained within the. Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, L146, Consulting workers on health and safety.

Part 1 of L146 contains the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SI 1977/500), as amended by:

  • the Employment Rights (Dispute Resolution) Act 1998 Chapter 8;
  • the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2051);
  • the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/1513);
  • the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/1840);
  • the Police (Health and Safety) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/860);
  • the Quarries Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/2024);
  • the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/3242);
  • the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Consequential and Supplementary Amendments to Secondary Legislation) Order 2006 (SI 2006/594); and
  • the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (SI 2005/1541).

Part 2 of L146 contains the related legislation, the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/1513), as amended.

The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (as amended) prescribe the cases in which recognised trade unions may:

  1. appoint health and safety representatives;
  2. specify the functions of such health and safety representatives; and
  3. set out the obligations of employers towards them.

When appointing health and safety representatives, the trade union will inform the employer of the group or groups of employees represented.

For example, they may say a health and safety representative will represent:

  1. only their own members;
  2. all the employees in a particular category; or
  3. employees who are not members of a trade union recognised by the employer, but are part of a group of employees for which a union is recognised.

If union health and safety representatives cover only their own members, or employees are not members of a group that unions have agreed to cover, then the employer needs to make arrangements to consult these employees either directly or through representatives elected by them for this purpose under the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996.

Content of the Regulations

  1. Citation and commencement
  2. Interpretation
  3. Appointment of safety representatives
  4. Functions of safety representatives
  5. Employer's duty to consult and provide facilities and assistance
  6. Inspections of the workplace
  7. Inspections following notifiable accidents, occurrences and diseases
  8. Inspection of documents and provision of information
  9. Cases where safety representatives need not be employees
  10. Safety committees
  11. Power of Health and Safety Commission to grant exemptions
  12. Provisions as to [employment tribunals]
    • Schedule 1: Pay for time off allowed to safety representatives

HSE ACoPs and Guidance

All HSE documents are available to purchase or to freely download from the links below.

Also refer to: