In the lead up to harmonisation of work health and safety laws,
many were worried about the provisions included in the Work Health
and Safety Act about health and safety representatives (HSR),
particularly the potential for HSRs to misuse their new powers and
create workplace disruptions.
HSRs now exist in all Australian states and territories. While
Western Australia and Victoria have had HSRs for some time, the
harmonised states have only recently seen their introduction. There
is very little evidence to suggest that HSRs have been abusing
their powers and creating large-scale workplace disruptions as
initially feared by some organisations.
Unfortunately, some managers have over-reacted to the involvement
of their HSRs.
