• The barriers to implementing worker engagement
• How and why we started engagement
• Planning for effective consultation
• What does and doesn’t work
• Benefits of the ‘Do Your Bit’ course & Safety Rep feedback

Status
Adversarial
Partnership
Power Sharing
Description
Organisation decides what its objectives are and imposes these on the workforce.
Organisation involves the workforce in devising its own safety management but retains final decision.
Workforce actively involved in day to day and companywide decision making.
We think we’re about here (2011)

• Health and safety often not seen by directorship as a priority
• Old school thinking – safety seen as cost not a benefit
(saving)
• Fear of organised resistance to corporate plans and insistence on inflexible working rules and conditions
• Representatives being pushed into roles
• Suspicion as to potential representatives motives to volunteer
• How much is it going to cost in relation to training and lost productivity?

How and why worker engagement started:
• Change in Directors allowing facilitation of committee
• Change in legislation (Corporate Manslaughter / H & S
Offences)
• Health and Safety Director appointed
• Directors responsibilities clarified in IOSH Directing Safely
• SMS in place - focus turned to PEOPLE
• Consultation with UCATT

• Buy in at Board level
• Effective consultation with specialists (HSE / UCATT)
• A passion and drive for continuous improvement
• Invite volunteers – DON’T appoint people
• Ensure balance of representation across all departments and levels of the business
• Being ambitious and realistic

October
2009
December
2009
January
2010
February
2010
April 2010
May 2010 -
Present
September
2010
November
2010
December
2010
March 2011
Worker Engagement
Timeline
New Safety Management System implemented
H & S Director Appointed / Worker Engagement highlighted
(strategy)
Initial consultation with UCATT
Board agreement reached regarding H & S Consultation
Committee
Companywide invitation for committee representatives sent
Committee formulated / monthly meetings
Site ‘Representatives of Employee Safety’ (ROES) appointed
ROES attended HSE ‘Do your bit’ training (successful passes)
Positive feedback given to Bardsley relating to ‘DYB’ course
ROES formally appointed

Barriers to implementing worker engagement and Site
Safety Reps at site level
• Representatives being appointed as opposed to volunteers
• Site operatives and contractors resistant to change
• Reluctance to impart information for fear of reprisal (culture)
• Representatives being seen as ‘Management Spies’
• Highlighting to the workforce that you are their representative
• Listening to general concerns from the workforce
• Liaison between operatives and management
• Impartiality

• Not to leave the ROES ‘high and dry’
• Educate and inform (file 14 SMS – H &S reference)
• Ongoing training by H & S Department
• Accompaniment on H & S Inspections
• Allow access to H & S Consultative Committee
• Publicise successes of Committee and ROES