Union Participation in Occupational Health and Safety

Recent Australian legislation has established a consultaive-participatory ap-proach at the workplace and a tripartite policy-making process at state and national levels for occupational health and safety. This paper presents the findings of a survey of union officials on unions ’ participation in occupational health and safety matters. Data are presented on: occupational health and safety resources and activities; occupational health and safety information dissemination; common occupational health and safety issues; health and safety representatives (election, training, effectiveness, turnover and discrimination); relations with management on occupational health and safety; relations with the government advisory and en-forcement agency; industrial disputation on occupational health and safety issues; and views on the functioning of the new legislation. Several unions have full-time occupational health and safety officers and are examined more closely. Some specific problems are identified but, in general, unions are supportive of the new approach to occupational health and safety. During the 1970s rank-and-file workers in Australia became increasingly active with regard to occupational health and safety issues, with campaigns dealing with hazardous chemicals, asbestos, noise and repetitive strain injury (Pearse & Refshauge, 1987). This activity, and concern about lack of information on occupa-tional health and safety, led to the formation of Workers Health Centres and Workers Health Action Groups in New South Wales and Victoria in 1977, and in other states soon after. Unions became increasingly involved in occupational health and safety. The first full-time union occupational health and safety officers in Australia ’ wer