


Planning checklist

  1. Use our chart to confirm which regulations apply to your workplace - in some cases both could apply.
  2. Ensure you and your representatives have enough time, resources, and facilities to consult and involve your employees.
  3. If you recognise a trade union, identify who the appointed health and safety representatives are and tell your employees
  4. If you have employees who are not represented by trade union appointed representatives:
    • decide whether you will consult your workforce directly as individuals if practical, or through elected representatives
    • arrange to hold elections if consulting through representatives.
    • make arrangements for training your representatives.
      If you have both trade union appointed representatives and representatives elected by your workforce, refer to both 3 and 4 above.
  5. Be clear on what you have to consult your workforce about.
  6. Arrange to consult your workforce in good time so that you can consider their input before you make a decision.
  7. Consider the most appropriate methods to consult your workforce - this could be a joint forum involving trade union appointed health and safety representatives and employee elected representatives if both sets of regulations apply in your workplace.
  8. Agree how you will respond to your employees or their representatives.
  9. Prepare material for consultations, for example, meeting agendas or intranet pages.
  10. Arrange processes to handle disagreements that could arise between you and employees or their representatives.

If you have both union-appointed and workforce-elected representatives, follow all the above.