Workers' involvement in occupational health and safety in Britain

Britain's new Health and Safety at Work Act provides a basis for increased involvement of workers in the application and supervision of occupational health and safety measures, but the form this will take has not yet been spelt out. The authors examine the past and present situation with regard to such involvement and discuss the implications of the new legislation. The views of bodies with a major interest in health and safety at work are considered, and a distinction is drawn between political, social and economic approaches on the one hand and technical approaches on the other. A possible framework for workers' participation in safety is proposed and suggestions are made regarding the role of workers' representatives in this field