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Section one : introduction

This is the fifth biennial TUC health and safety representatives’ survey. The survey is designed to provide the TUC and individual unions with information about who safety reps are, and their experiences and needs. The TUC and individual unions use the information to do more to help safety reps and to ensure that safety reps’ views and experiences are better reflected in public policy debates and the work of the Health and Safety Commission. Four thousand, five hundred and twenty one trade union health and safety representatives responded to the questionnaire online or by post during the late spring and summer 2004.

Some of the main characteristics about the safety reps who responded to questions about themselves include:

• just over one quarter are women (27%);

• seventy three per cent describe themselves as white and 2% describe themselves as black and ethnic minority; Afro Caribbean; African; or Asian. Twenty four per cent did not indicate their ethnic background;

• around one in seven (14%) are under the age of 35 years old; one in three (33%) are between 36 - 45 years old; and the largest group of respondents (around one in two - 48%) are in the age range between 46 -60 years old; one in twenty (5%) are over sixty years of age;

• six out of ten (61%) work in the public sector; with the largest groups coming from Local Government (9%); Central Government (11%) Education (12%); and Health Services (13%). The largest groups in the private sector come from Manufacturing (20%); and Transport and Communications (11%);

• one in five (21%) are based in workplaces with less than 50 workers. One out of six (17%) are based in workplaces with between 50-100 workers;

• more than eight out of ten responding (81%) have been working as safety reps for over one year, with over one in three (36%) working as safety reps for over 5 years;

• one half of those responding (49%) are union stewards as well as union safety reps, leaving the other half (51%) acting as specialised safety reps;

• respondents come from all over Britain, with the largest groups from the South East including London (20%); the Midlands (16%); Scotland (15%); and the North West (13%);

• seven out of ten (70%) responded by filling in a paper questionnaire and three out of ten (30%) responded online;

• most have access to the web either at home (68% compared with 56% in 2002) or at work (61% compared with 28% in 2002). Four out of ten (41% compared with 9% in 2002) have access at both home and work.

It was the first time that online returns could be made and 30% submitted online survey responses. Those making more use of online returns are:

• from workplaces with over 1000 workers (42%);

• from Energy & Water (46%); Local Government (39%); Leisure Services (38%) and Transport & Communications (38%);

• from London (40%); the South West (38%); and the North West (36%);

• in the 36 - 45 age bracket (35%);

• men (34%) compared with women (21%).

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