health & saftey rep having to get tough with staff

[keithposty]

i am writing this to the forum in my capacity as HEALTH AND SAFTEY REP

due to our ongoing revision etc i have had to put various H&S on the back burner on the understanding they will be sorted when the revision has been implemented in the office.

thanks to myself and my partner the revision process is going noware but the H&S issues cannot be ignored any longer.

my main problem is the obstruction of fire exits by staff placing empty yorks outside the doors when they have loaded their van.

i have told them until i am blue in the face and i am getting no support from management.

i will now have to use statute provision to force royal mail in my office to comply with their legal obligations. staff will be educated or warned once and if they persist the conduct code may have to be used for failure to obey a managers instruction

i am ashamed that in my capacity as a union rep i have to resort to these measures but i to have to abide by statute provision and i would be failing in my responsabilities as a H&S rep if i allow this to continue and an incident occured

i have just had to deal with a collegue who submitted an LS3 for an accident on just this issue at another office

please people, can anybody give me an allternative as i can see managrment using this issue for conduct code discipline and i do not want to be put into a situation where i will be representing them and my capacity as a H&S rep telling me otherwise

[Ahebban]

Hi Keithposty .. each and every Unit H&S Rep will have come across this dilemma at some point. My advice is not to isolate yourself from colleagues, however good your intentions might be. The emphasis is, and always will be, on RM having a duty of care to its staff, whether by law, policy or whatever.

Personally, I would advise management at your DO that you are going to disagreement over the issue on H&S grounds, and get your Area HS Rep onboard so that you have the support you need from CWU. That is what the IR Framework is there for, be it a Delivery or H&S issue.

You also have the option of contacting your local Council H&S Inspector whom will have the powers to issue instructions to RM on the matter and woe betide RM if they fail to comply with him over such a blatant H&S violation.

Good Luck!

[keithposty]

ime glad you can see the problem i am facing

i am not their to police , thats the managers job, but if i do nothing i will still lose the respect from my collegues

at the end of the day

the law is the law and has to be complied with

[woofwoof]

ime glad you can see the problem i am facing

i am not their to police , thats the managers job, but if i do nothing i will still lose the respect from my collegues

at the end of the day

the law is the law and has to be complied with

make a call to the local fire chief ask him to do an inspection at a certain time let him make the managers take notice after all you have warned them

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I am not a H&S rep but is there an option of snow storming management over it/ IE leave a paper trail pointing out failures, then management would be under pressure to comply.

[Glenno]

my main problem is the obstruction of fire exits by staff placing empty yorks outside the doors when they have loaded their van.

i have told them until i am blue in the face and i am getting no support from management.

keithposty
Hi mate I am also H&S Rep, have come across issues like this in the past and the best advice that I can give you is to clearly spell out your intentions to the Members/ Colleagues possibly at a WTLL and that it will not be acceptable to carry on in the same vain and if neccesary it WILL lead to a Conduct Code,,,,also speak to Local MNGT and state that you will not hesitate to contact the Area H&S Rep ( protocol ) before calling in the HSE,,,good luck

[celerycelery]

Ive told our h and s rep that he is to do his work like yourself and highlight problems to manager but not actually name names as i felt this would cause friction between members if they thought the h&s rep was "grassing" on them. Then if he sees it happening again or nothing gets done raise the issue with me the rep and ill take it further against the manager.

[Lounge Lizard]

"my main problem is the obstruction of fire exits by staff placing empty yorks outside the doors when they have loaded their van." - but is there a history of fires in that office or any likelihood that there will be one in the near future ?

[fishtank]

Get a line manager to keep them clear.
Make it his special task and make a little badge for him and a gold star chart for the wall.
Call him the York Clearance Fire Safety Compliance Champion Pillar.
He'll eat it up....it's the future.

[General Mannerheim]

"my main problem is the obstruction of fire exits by staff placing empty yorks outside the doors when they have loaded their van." - but is there a history of fires in that office or any likelihood that there will be one in the near future ?

Yeah they will be burning all their safety and bullying and harassment posters.

[Himaggen]

Email the DOM, CC'd to DSM and ASR, stating that you will afford them one week to eradicate their problem after which you will direct any further non compliance to the EHO.

This puts the problem on the DOM, not directly with your Members.

[keithposty]

thanks people

word document sent to DOM,ASR, AND DSM

lets see what tomorow brings

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Get a line manager to keep them clear.
Make it his special task and make a little badge for him and a gold star chart for the wall.
Call him the York Clearance Fire Safety Compliance Champion Pillar.
He'll eat it up....it's the future.

I think the title

Fire-safety - Uniform Clearance Keeping

Universal Pillar Supervisor is more accurate -

[brothermagrew]

Would have thought that as your problem arises from immediately after vans have been loaded then your manager urgently needs to review his or her yard risk assessment. Remember your Area H&S Rep is there to supposedly give you support, advice and assistance when required. He or she can then take the matter up directly with the DSM or as a last resort report it to the enforcing authorities after having exhausted the internal procedural communication route.

Best practice is to of course write to your manager (leaving a documented paper trail) making him or her aware of the problem and highlighting their failure to implement immediate corrective measures.

[dvbuk55]

Get a line manager to keep them clear.
Make it his special task and make a little badge for him and a gold star chart for the wall.
Call him the York Clearance Fire Safety Compliance Champion Pillar.
He'll eat it up....it's the future.

Please sir can I be coffee machine monitor, empty tray monitor and bags on the floor monitor too and I want a gold star for each.