Health and safety representatives
List of RMIT University Health and Safety Representatives (32kb, p4).
Email lilly.vasquez@rmit.edu.au to update your records on the list.
Health and Safety Rep training
Health and Safety Reps can undertake the 5-day training course at the following places:
Victorian Trades Hall:
Or through the School of Life and Physical Sciences:
The general duties of a health and safety representative at RMIT include:
- To represent fellow staff to ensure a health and safe workplace.
- To negotiate with management in the resolution of occupational health and safety issues.
- To monitor the implementation of published OHS Policies and Procedures.
- To keep a record of all incidents/ accidents and near misses and ensure that the RMIT Incident Report From is completed in such events.
From January 2004, a new academic structure was introduced making it necessary to review the University’s health and safety designated work group (DWG) structure. Under the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, DWGs are groups of employees at the workplace, with one member of the group elected to represent them in relation to health and safety issues. This structure forms the foundation for health and safety consultation within the legislation.
The Act legislates how DWGs must be formed and a consultation process across RMIT in early 2004 has been undertaken in line with these requirements. The next stage of the process is to ensure that where required, health and safety representatives for each DWG are elected. The Act states that:
- Section 44 - ‘The particulars of the designated work groups are to be determined by negotiation, in accordance with section 44, between the employer and employees.’
- Section 55(2) ‘A person shall ceases to hold office as a health and safety representative upon’ – (e) ‘the designated work group in respect of which the person was elected being varied under section 45’.
Therefore at RMIT where there has been a significant change in the composition of a DWG, an election for a health and safety representative is required.
Specified on the new DWG structure is whether there was a major change in the composition of the DWG and therefore whether there need to be a health and safety representative election for the DWG.
For further information please contact your Senior Advisor, Health and Safety in Human Resources ext 50600.