Role and Responsibilities

Safety and health representative training courses are accredited by the Commission for Occupational Safety and Health in accordance with the Western Australian Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984. The list of accredited training providers is available from WorkSafe.

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Safety and health representatives play a key role in the promotion of safe work practices within the minerals industry.

Elected safety and health representatives receive a handbook as a day-to-day ready reference guide. The handbook, provided below, provides the following information:

Part 1:

• Why safety and health representatives are important
• The Acts and framework for occupational safety and health law
• Registration
• Notification
• Training
• Your functions as a safety and health representative
• Provisional improvement notices.

Part 2:

• Keeping records
• Employer’s duties to representatives
• Discrimination
• Safety and health committees
• Resolution of issues
• Right to refuse unsafe work
• Disqualification of safety and health representatives
• Information and support
• Contacts for further information.

A pamphlet on what health and safety representatives do is also provided below.

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The brochure below provides answers to the following questions:

• Why should we set up a Safety and Health Committee?
• What does a Safety and Health Committee do?
• How do we get a Safety and Health Committee?
• Who can be on a Safety and Health Committee?
• What if there is more than one mine in the group?
• What if the Safety and Health Committee is no longer needed?

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A guidance note issued jointly by WorkSafe and Resources Safety will assist employers and employees understand the various consultative mechanisms and procedures that apply for safety and health representatives, safety and health committees and resolution of safety and health issues, including consultation on PINs.

For more information download the Formal consultative processes at the workplace guidance note (PDF 746 kb).

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Safety and health representatives are elected for a term of two years to represent employees in an area, workplace or group determined during consultation before the election. This term starts ten days after the date of the election, so a safety and health representative’s term expires two years and ten days after election, unless re-elected before the expiry date.

Safety and health representatives also cease to hold their positions if they:

• leave their job
• resign from the position
• transfer from the area they were elected to represent: or
• are disqualified by the Occupational Safety and Health Tribunal.

In any of these circumstances, either the employer or the safety and health representative should notify Resources Safety so the database can be updated.

Fax  08 9358 8000

Email mineshreps@dmp.wa.gov.au

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