Members' health and safety

Advice for UCU members on health and safety in the workplace.

If you have a health & safety problem

Your local safety representative at department, site, branch/LA, college or university should be your first port of call for any health or safety query or problem. Elected by the union locally, they have the knowledge, are able to access training with paid leave, get paid facility time and have direct access to the union's officials and health and safety advice line. They are part of the local procedures agreed with your management, with statutory rights, to deal with health and safety.

If you are not sure how to contact your local safety rep you can use our local contacts finder to contact your branch/LA.

Factsheets

You will find some factsheets containing basic information on a number health and safety issues below - these are only introductions and are not a substitute for talking to your union rep.

In this section:

• Health and safety law
• Health and wellbeing
• Working environment
• Hazards

Safety Representatives & Safety Committees Regulations 1977

This publication contains the Regulations, Approved Code of Practice and Guidance on trade union safety representatives appointment and functions, and the duties imposed on employers to support those functions and other safety reps activities.  Copyright release for this UCU-badged version of the Safety Representatives & Safety Committees Regulations has been given to the TUC, and permits affiliated unions to reproduce it for educational purposes.

 TUC Safety representatives and safety committees (.pdf) [923kb]

Health and safety law 

 Your health, your safety: A guide for workers (.pdf) [104kb] HSE/TUC leaflet

 Health and safety law: What you should know (.pdf) [64kb] HSE leaflet

Health and wellbeing

 Sickness absence questions (.doc) [147kb]

 What to do if you are involved in an incident or injury at work (.doc) [164kb]

 How long can you be expected to work without being given a break? (.doc) [146kb]

 Stress: employer liability (.doc) [150kb]

 Long-term sickness absence (.doc) [143kb]

 A guide for new and expectant mothers who work (.pdf) [628kb] - HSE booklet

 If you believe that you are being bullied, the chances are, you are (.doc) [144kb]

 What to do if you are being bullied or harassed (.doc) [163kb]

 What to do if you witness bullying or harassment (.doc) [157kb]

 Guidance for those accused of bullying or harassment (.doc) [160kb]

 Who listens? Bullying in further and higher education (.doc) [159kb]

Worksmart: your health at work - TUC site with FAQs on a number of workplace health issues

Worksmart FAQs on RSI

Worksmart FAQs on voice loss

Worksmart FAQs on back posture

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Working environment

 Mouse Infestation (.pdf) [95kb]

 Working with VDUs (.pdf) [112kb]

 Smokefree workplaces (.doc) [171kb]

 Teleworking (.doc) [158kb]

 Out of 'site', out of mind? (.pdf) [83kb] IOSH guidance on teleworking

 Working alone in safety: Controlling the risks of solitary work (.pdf) [37kb] - HSE leaflet

 Temperature and ventilation (.doc) [164kb]

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Hazards

 Asbestos in the workplace (.doc) [164kb]

 Read the label: How to find out if chemicals are dangerous (.pdf) [101kb] - HSE leaflet

Worksmart FAQs on chemicals