The responsibilities of a Workplace Health and Safety Representative can vary widely and depend on what each organization or legislation designating such a position determines to be those responsibilities.
The role of a health and safety representative is different in each company or workplace.
They are responsible for their own acts or omissions, to comply with the health and safety regulations in place and for the safety of themselves and others in the workplace
The primary federal agency governing health and safety in the workplace in the us is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But there are many other agencies that have responsibilities in this regard.
There is no fundamental difference between a person designated as a "health and safety representative" and one designated a "representative of employees safety" - unless a specific employer or organization assigns differing responsibilities to the two.
The primary purposes of the health and safety regulations are to establish minimum requirements for health and safety in the workplace and to explicitly establish the health and safety responsibilities of employer, employee and government.
In the US, national workplace safety regulations are the responsibility of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), within the Department of Labor In Canada, national workplace safety regulations are the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour, but national responsibilities are very limited in scope and most responsibilities reside at the Provincial level. In the UK, national workplace safety regulations are the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Most countries place this responsibility within their Ministries of Labor or Health.
The section of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that defines the responsibilities of a worker is typically referred to as the "Worker Obligations" or "Worker Responsibilities" section. This section outlines the duties and obligations that workers have to ensure their own health and safety, as well as that of others in the workplace.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act governs health and safety in the workplace in Ontario.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created in 1970 and is part of the United States Department of Labor. It is governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act which sets standard of health and safety which both employers and employees must adhere to by law. The OHSA is responsible for enforcing the act.
In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive responsible for safety in the workplace. In the US the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Coast Guard, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have responsibilities in this area. In Canada the Provincial Ministries of Health or Labour generally have this responsibility, although certain industries are regulated by the Federal Ministry of Labour.
The purpose of this training is to let people know the responsibilities regarding the safety of the employees and workplace visitors. Most workplace training course covers the significance of classifying and regulating possible workplace environment. This course will guide you to be aware on how to apply health and safety assumptions properly in the workplace that will comply with the law.
In the US there are still some grounds on which an employer is permitted to discriminate. Among them is "not doing a good job" and "misuse of company resources." Being a health and safety representative does not insulate you from the consequences of poor performance, etc. However, an employer is not permitted to discriminate against any employee for raising reasonable concerns about health and safety in the workplace, and a health and safety representative would be expected to do that, perhaps more than other employees.