The Power of RCN Health and Safety Reps

International Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April, is an important day in the health and safety calendar where workers across the globe remember those who have died or have been seriously injured or made ill due to a workplace accident or occupational exposure.  It also provides an opportunity to focus efforts on preventing work related ill health and injury.

Nursing is a rewarding profession, but it is not without its risks to our physical and psychological health and wellbeing.  As a workforce many of us are still experiencing the health impacts of the COVID pandemic, some of us are working in crumbling and unsafe buildings, work related violence is on the rise and then there is the risk to our mental health from working under extreme stress, trying to provide safe care.

This is where the RCN Health and Safety Reps come into play. Working with stewards and learning reps, RCN Health and Safety Reps can help protect members at work by pressing for improved working conditions and working environments.

The role, backed by regulations giving you time off to carry out the role and allowing you to inspect workplaces, attend Health and Safety Committee meetings and be consulted on matters affecting members health and safety, is primarily focused on improving the health, safety and wellbeing of our members rather than patient safety.  However, we know that where members are physically and psychologically safe at work, the outcomes for our patients are better.  

If you are passionate about improving something in your workplace, be it access to decent rest facilities and hot food on a shift; improving the personal safety of you and your colleagues when working alone in the community; safer and well-lit car parks or even better support for colleagues who are experiencing difficulties with the menopause at work, then the health and safety rep role is for you.
These are just some examples of initiatives that RCN Health and Safety Reps have driven forward in their workplace. Armed with learning and development including an understanding of health and safety laws and knowing how to access RCN resources, the role supports you to negotiate improvements whilst working in partnership with your employer. 

So, if you are passionate about protecting and improving the health, safety and wellbeing of your colleagues and the wider nursing workforce, why not get active? You will reap the benefits professionally and personally. 

Find out more by visiting RCN reps | Royal College of Nursing