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What to consult about

By law, you must consult your workforce about:

  • any change that may substantially affect your workforces health and safety. Such changes may include:
    • new or different procedures
    • types of work
    • equipment
    • premises
    • ways of working (for example, new shift patterns);
  • your arrangements for getting competent people[112] to help you meet your obligations under health and safety laws, for example, appointing a health and safety manager.
  • information you must give your workforce[113] on the likely risks in their work and precautions they should take. Discuss with employees and representatives the best way for information to be shared[114]. Consider issues of language, literacy and learning disabilities if appropriate.
  • the planning of health and safety training[115]
  • the health and safety consequences of introducing new technology

See Consulting your workforce in health and safety L146[116] for more information on requirements to consult health and safety representatives and employees in existing health and safety legislation.

Good practice

Case study: British Telecom (BT)

BT has over 100,000 employees working in six different lines of business, spanning 170 countries. Full engagement is always a challenge, but BT sought to address health and wellbeing issues affecting their workforce by getting them involved...

Read the British Telecom case study[121]

Link URLs in this page

  1. Worker involvementhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/index.htm
  2. The basicshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/basics.htm
  3. Health and safety representativehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/hsrepresentatives.htm
  4. Overview - Preparehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/index.htm
  5. Talk to your employeeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/talktoyouremployees.htm
  6. Facts and figureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/factsfigures.htm
  7. Overview - What the law sayshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/law/index.htm
  8. Which regulations applyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/law/flowchart.htm
  9. 1977 regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/law/1977.htm
  10. 1996 regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/law/1996.htm
  11. Both regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/law/bothregs.htm
  12. Employment protectionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/law/empprotection.htm
  13. Overview - Gain commitmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/commitment/index.htm
  14. How to encourage employees to be health and safety representativeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/commitment/encemployees.htm
  15. Overview - Union-appointed repshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/union/index.htm
  16. Representhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/union/represent.htm
  17. Attend training courseshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/union/attendtraining.htm
  18. Contact with inspectorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/prepare/union/contact.htm
  19. Workforce-elected repshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/workerelectedreps.htm
  20. Overview - Elections for representativeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/elections/index.htm
  21. How many representatives?https://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/elections/howmany.htm
  22. How often will elections take place?https://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/elections/howoften.htm
  23. Encourage and involve employeeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/elections/encourage.htm
  24. Fair and open electionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/elections/fairandopen.htm
  25. Overview - Prepare-good practice tipshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/preparetips/index.htm
  26. Consult your workforcehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/preparetips/norep.htm
  27. Joint involvementhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/preparetips/jointinv.htm
  28. Don't decide for your workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/preparetips/decision.htm
  29. Reflect diversityhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/preparetips/diversity.htm
  30. Train your repshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/preparetips/reptraining.htm
  31. Give it timehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/preparetips/time.htm
  32. Shared perspectivehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/preparetips/training.htm
  33. Overview - Planhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plan.htm
  34. Factors to considerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/factorstoconsider.htm
  35. Overview - What to consult abouthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/whattoconsult.htm
  36. A competent personhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/competentperson.htm
  37. Risk assessmentshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/riskassessments.htm
  38. When to consulthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/whentoconsult.htm
  39. Overview - Traininghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/training.htm
  40. Training Providershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/trainingproviders.htm
  41. Planning checklisthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/planningchecklist.htm
  42. Overview - Plan-good practice tipshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/index.htm
  43. Scope of consultationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/consult.htm
  44. Consult employeeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/involve.htm
  45. Provide feedbackhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/feedback.htm
  46. Address health issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/healthissues.htm
  47. Involve employeeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/invemployees.htm
  48. Overview - Consulthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/consult.htm
  49. Overview - What your duties arehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/yourduties.htm
  50. Allow paid time offhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/paidtimeoff.htm
  51. Provide facilities and assistancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/facilities.htm
  52. Provide informationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/provideinformation.htm
  53. Overview - How to involve your employeeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/involveemployees.htm
  54. Consulting directly with employeeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/facetoface.htm
  55. Consulting indirectly with employeeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/indirectly.htm
  56. Where English is not the first languagehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/englishlang.htm
  57. Overview - Consulting with representativeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/representatives.htm
  58. Investigating accidents, hazards and complaintshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/accidents.htm
  59. Inspections of the workplace https://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/inspections.htm
  60. Overview - Set up a H&S Committeehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/hscommittees.htm
  61. How to set up your H&S committeehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/howtosetup.htm
  62. How your H&S committee will workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/agreeprinciples.htm
  63. Membership of your H&S committeehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/membership.htm
  64. More about membershiphttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/membership-cont.htm
  65. Frequency of meetingshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/frequency.htm
  66. What your H&S committee will dohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/whatwillhsdo.htm
  67. Decision makinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/committeedecisions.htm
  68. What resources will be neededhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/committeeresources.htm
  69. Overview - Consult-good practice tipshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/index.htm
  70. Recognise the rolehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/recogniserole.htm
  71. Different work patternshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/workpatterns.htm
  72. Preferenceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/preferences.htm
  73. Involve the representativehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/involve.htm
  74. Plan a programme of inspectionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/inspectionplan.htm
  75. Agree the number of representativeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/repnumber.htm
  76. Inspect togetherhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/inspecttogether.htm
  77. Consult specialistshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/specialists.htm
  78. Break down taskshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/breakdown.htm
  79. Involve a variety of peoplehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/committeereps.htm
  80. Think about minor incidentshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/minorincidents.htm
  81. Plan meetings in advancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/flexible.htm
  82. Communicatehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/communicate.htm
  83. Keep the datehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/keepdate.htm
  84. Address strategic issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/resolve.htm
  85. Agreementshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/agreements.htm
  86. Disagreementshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/consulttips/disagreements.htm
  87. Overview - Improvehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/improve/index.htm
  88. Monitoring performancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/monitorperformance.htm
  89. Reviewing progresshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/reviewprogress.htm
  90. Meet the challengeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/meetchallenges.htm
  91. Review checklisthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/reviewchecklist.htm
  92. Overview - Improve-good practice tipshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/improve/goodpractice.htm
  93. Signs of successhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/improve/success.htm
  94. Seek help https://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/improve/seekhelp.htm
  95. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/resources.htm
  96. Publicationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/publications.htm
  97. Overview - Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/resources.htm
  98. Devonport Docks https://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/devonport.htm
  99. Overcoming challengeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/overcomingchallenges.htm
  100. BT Group plchttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/btgroup.htm
  101. Springfield Fuelshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/springfield.htm
  102. UCATT North-Westhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/ucatt.htm
  103. University of Leedshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/leeds.htm
  104. Bristol City Councilhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/bristol-city-council.htm
  105. Researchhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/research.htm
  106. Lord McKenzie speechhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/mckenzie141008.htm
  107. Overview - Videoshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/assets/video/index.htm
  108. Judith Hackitthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/assets/video/judith-hackitt.htm
  109. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/usefullinks.htm
  110. a competent personhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/competentperson.htm
  111. risk assessmentshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/riskassessments.htm
  112. competent peoplehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/competentperson.htm
  113. information you must give your workforcehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/riskassessments.htm
  114. best way for information to be sharedhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/involveemployees.htm
  115. traininghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/training.htm
  116. Consulting your workforce in health and safety L146https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l146.htm
  117. The scope of consultationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/consult.htm
  118. Consult employees on key H&S issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/involve.htm
  119. Provide feedbackhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/feedback.htm
  120. Address health issues as well as safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/plantips/healthissues.htm
  121. Read the British Telecom case studyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/btgroup.htm
  122. Factors to considerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/factorstoconsider.htm
  123. When to consulthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/whentoconsult.htm
  124. Consulting employees on health and safety: A brief guide to the law INDG232(rev1) https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg232.pdf
  125. Involving your workforce in health and safety: Good practice for workplaces HSG263 https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg263.htm
  126. Consulting your workforce in health and safety L146https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l146.htm
  127. British Telecom case studyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/btgroup.htm

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2021-09-30