Lousy working conditions need repair - become an occupational safety representative
Occupational safety representatives are the spokespeople for all the workers on issues that have to do with health and safety.
Workers have the right to influence their working conditions. Therefore, it is good to have a person at every workplace in the services sector - a occupational safety representative - that represents the workers in matters that have to do with health and safety.
Hurry, psychosocial stress, inadequate introduction to the work, unfair treatment and unsuitable tools are threats to occupational safety in the services industry.
According to law, an occupational safety representative should be chosen if there are more than ten people working at the workplace. PAM’s work environment expert Erika Kähärä points out that even smaller workplaces can chose workers’ representatives for occupational safety matters.
“In workplaces with occupational safety representatives, working conditions are better. There are many ways to improve your own and your colleagues working conditions, and therefore it pays to stand for election to become an occupational safety representative”, says Kähärä.
The basic job of the occupational safety representative is to promote healthy and safe work together with the employer and to supervise that the employer fulfils their legal responsibilities in matters of occupational safety.
PAM provides training (in Finnish) for occupational safety representatives in the services sectors.
Read more about the election of occupational safety representatives