Safety representative

"In a workplace where at least five employees are regularly employed, one or more safety representatives (health and safety representatives) must be appointed from among the employees. Safety representatives must also be appointed at another workplace if the working conditions so require. Substitutes should be appointed for safety representatives. Safety representatives are appointed by a local employee organization that is or usually is bound by a collective agreement in relation to the employer. If there is no such organization, safety representatives are appointed by the employees."

Since Uppsala University has collective agreements with the relevant employee organizations, it is the employee organizations that consequently appoint safety representatives.

The main safety representatives are elected by the safety representatives and appointed by the relevant local employee organization.

The term of office for safety representatives and chief safety representatives is normally three years and usually ends on December 31.

Tasks of the safety representative

The safety representative represents the employees (of the institution/equivalent) in health and safety matters and shall promote a satisfactory working environment. To this end, the representative shall monitor the protection against ill health and accidents within his/her area of responsibility and ensure that the employer complies with the requirements of legislation.

• Safety representatives shall participate in the planning of new or modified premises, equipment, work processes, work methods and work organization, as well as in the planning of the use of substances that may cause ill health or accidents.
• Safety representatives shall participate in the preparation of action plans.
  
• The employer shall inform the safety representative of any changes of importance to the working environment conditions in the representative's area.

The main safety representative's tasks

• The main safety representatives at Uppsala University are organized in safety areas. There are currently seven safety areas at Uppsala University.
• The main safety representative coordinates the safety representatives at the departments/equivalents within the safety area.
• The main safety representative represents all employees within a safety area.
• The main safety representative can take the place of the safety representative if there is no safety representative at the workplace.
• The main safety representative attends safety rounds if the safety representative is not available.
• One of the main safety representatives (coordinator for the main safety representatives) is a member of Uppsala University's central safety committee.

Tasks of the student safety representative

• Student safety representatives are appointed by the students. The responsibility for ensuring that students are aware of their right to elect a safety representative lies with the principal of the education program.
• The student safety representative represents the students who are members of the union and monitors the work environment within their work environment area.
• Student safety representatives are represented in Uppsala University's central safety committee for work environment.
  
  

If there are deficiencies in the work environment and the safety representative has requested that the employer address them but no action has been taken, the safety representative may refer the matter to the Swedish Work Environment Authority. The safety representative may then submit a formal request for corrective action under the Work Environment Act, known as a Section 6:6a request. More information on how to submit such a request is available here.

If there is an immediate and serious danger to the life or health of employees, the safety representative has the right to suspend work. Student safety representatives are not permitted to suspend work. Here is more information about suspension of work.

According to the Work Environment Act (1977:1160), Chapter 6. 8 §, there must be a safety committee at a workplace where at least 50 workers are employed. The guidelines for Uppsala University's central safety committee for the work environment describe the committee's tasks and composition. Individual work environment matters are handled in the line organization, i.e. by your head of department/equivalent or the next level up.

Composition - Uppsala University's central safety committee for work environment

Guidelines for Uppsala University's central safety committee for work environment (in Swedish)

Notification of a new safety representative/main safety representative is submitted on the form Notification of safety representative.
The safety representatives at Uppsala University are divided into seven areas:

1. Ekonomikum, Gamla torget, Gustavianum, kv Munken, Musicum och UUB
2. Blåsenhus, Engelska parken, SCAS och Segerstedthuset
3. Botaniska trädgården, EBC, Geocentrum och Linnés Hammarby
4. Biomedicinskt centrum
5. Akademiska sjukhuset och Rudbecklaboratoriet
6. Campus Ångström
7. Campus Gotland

Within each area, one of the safety representatives is appointed as the main safety representative, who is then assigned this as his or her safety area.

Notification of a new safety representative/main safety representative is submitted on the form Notification of safety representative (in Swedish) pdf, 131 kB..

The form is filled in by the safety representative who provides "personal details", the safety area/workplace concerned and who is being replaced. When a main safety representative is appointed, an extract from the minutes of the appointment must be attached.

The completed form is printed out and sent to the main trade union organisation of the elected safety representative as pre-printed on the form. The main trade union organisation keeps the original and sends a scanned copy as a PDF to lon@.uu.se.

Please note that incomplete forms will be returned to the trade union organisation for completion. This also applies to completed forms that are not signed by a trade union organisation.

When the HR department receives a fully completed notification, the information will be updated on MI.

In case of re-election of SO/HSO, the form for renewed period is submitted as above.

Deregistration

Deregistration is done on the same form as for new election of a safety representative or chief safety representative: Notification of safety representative (in Swedish). pdf, 131 kB.

The cancellation is scanned and a PDF is sent to the main safety representative concerned who signes it and sends it to lon@uu.se

Student representatives and/or student safety representatives should be involved in matters concerning the working environment for students. Contact details for the respective student union's student safety representatives:

Uppsala teknolog- och naturvetarkår, UTN: soc@utn.se

Farmacevtiska studentkåren, FaS: soc@farmis.se

Gotlands studentkår, Rindi: studier@rindi.com

Uppsalaekonomerna, UE: vordf.utbildning@uppsalaekonomerna.com

Juridiska föreningen, JF: Utbsek@jf-uppsala.se

Uppsala studentkår: vice@uskar.se

Programs at Gamla torget: ordf.sam@uskar.se

Programs at Ekonomikum: komm.sam@uskar.se

Programs/departments at Engelska parken: ordf.hum@uskar.se

Programs at BMC: vice.med@uskar.se

Programs at Blåsenhus: ordf.lara@uskar.se

The HR department in collaboration with the building department offers safety representatives employed at Uppsala University to take the University's internal safety representative training. The training is a basic training and covers three days.

In the basic training, we go through the regulatory structure for the work environment, including the Work Environment Act, the regulation on systematic work environment management (SAM) and other current regulations as well as internal policies and guidelines for Uppsala University. The role of safety representative including rights and obligations, physical work environment, organizational and social work environment and risk management are other important parts of the training.

Training program for safety representatives 2024 (in Swedish)

E-learning training programs

Digital training programmes on health and safety legislation, the role of safety representatives and practical health and safety work.

Training for student safety representatives

A basic training for the university's student safety representatives is held annually. The training consists of two hours.

The training is given in collaboration between the building department, the HR department, student health and the student unions. The training contains the same elements as the safety representative training (see above), but in a shorter form.
The Buildings Department also provides basic laboratory safety training for student safety representatives working in the laboratory area. The training lasts two hours.