The role of Health and Safety Representatives in COVID-19

工作场所健康和安全代表有合法权利代表工人在健康和安全方面的利益和关切，就潜在的危害和危险提出意见，并与健康和安全执行局或地方当局的健康和安全检查员接触（HSE，2020年）。在大流行期间，他们独立于管理层，但与管理层的关系对于评估和应对工人和公共卫生的风险可能至关重要。本研究确定了健康和安全代表在2019冠状病毒病期间发挥的作用、吸取的经验教训和未来浪潮或大流行的最佳做法。它审查了组织和部门机制和进程，以促进工人的发言权和代表权以及有效的社会对话和关于健康和安全的联合监管。它探讨了健康和安全代表在恢复工作和生产力方面发挥的潜在关键作用。它们不仅对独立风险评估和个人防护装备（PPE）的提供至关重要，而且对工作组织和工作场所人体工程学也至关重要，包括继续在家工作的挑战。它们对于保护心理健康、确保健康和安全措施覆盖所有工人群体以及工人对其组织保护其安全的能力的信心至关重要。在HSE和一系列工会的支持下，该项目借鉴了八个关键部门的案例研究，旨在探索大流行病期间生产力、公共卫生和工人健康与安全之间的平衡，重点是示范和未来的做法。

Workplace health and safety representative have legal rights to represent the interests and concerns of workers over health and safety, to make representations on potential hazards and dangers and to have contact with health and safety inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive or the local authority (HSE,2020). In a pandemic their independence from but relationship with management is potentially critical in assessing and addressing risk for workers and for public health.This research identifies the role that health and safety representatives have played during COVID-19, lessons learned and best practice for future waves or pandemics. It examines organisational and sectoral mechanisms and processes for worker voice and representation and effective social dialogue and joint regulation on health and safety. It explores the potentially key part health and safety representatives are playing in the return to work and productivity. They are not only essential to independent risk assessment and the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), but also the organisation of work and workplace ergonomics, including the challenges of continued home working. They are central to the protection of mental health, ensuring that health and safety measures cover all groups of workers and to the confidence of workers in their organisation's capacity to keep them safe. Drawing upon case-studies in eight key sectors, the project, supported by the HSE and a range of trade unions, aims to explore the balance between productivity, public health and worker health and safety during pandemics, with a focus upon exemplary and future practice.