Process of becoming a safety rep

Three steps to become a safety rep 

Nomination

You first need to be nominated by the CSP colleagues in your workplace and then get elected. This can be as straightforward as a show of hands at a meeting or you could send around an email. 

We can assist you with the simple election process – contact your CSP organising officer.

Accreditation

Once elected, you need to be accredited by the CSP, so please complete the accreditation form

Accreditation means you receive formal recognition and authorisation from us to act in the capacity as a CSP safety representative. It is vital that you are accredited as soon as possible after your election.

Induction and training

We ask our safety reps to respond promptly when we notify them of upcoming induction courses.  Reps should receive this offer shortly after their accreditation confirmation.  They can also expect updates about other training courses and regional training days to further develop their required skills and knowledge in the role.

Now you are a safety rep

Once accredited as a safety rep you have a legal right to time off from work to carry out your role and to attend training.

A word of caution: your manager may record your attendance on safety reps courses as study leave. Technically it's not, and this shouldn't affect your rights to take study leave for clinical courses in the future. If this happens, contact your senior negotiating officer immediately.

Please make sure you check that our Employment Relations and Union Services (ERUS) team has received and actioned your form, and that your management has been informed of your new status as a rep.

New safety rep checklist

• Check with your personnel or human resources (HR) department that they have been informed of your accreditation.
• Arrange a handover of any relevant documents from the previous safety rep. They will also be the best source of information on any local issues, so don't be afraid to ask for advice.
• Check you have the details of any meetings you'll need to attend.
• The training team will allocate you a place on the next available safety reps induction course, which is a combination of online and in-person training.
• Make sure you have received dates for regional training days from the organising admin support. Dates of the regional training days will also be posted on to iCSP under your regional reps network.
• You will receive a welcome letter from the organising admin support for your region, which will include the contact details of your regional safety rep and senior negotiating officer who are both there to support you.  Make contact with them to introduce yourself, as well as contacting the local stewards. 
• You'll be automatically registered with your region's iCSP network once you’ve been accredited.
• Map your workplace: find out which colleagues are CSP members and which are not. As a CSP safety rep, you can only represent paid-up members. If there are physios or assistants in your workplace who aren't yet members of the society (or members of another union), try to recruit them.

• Tell all your members that you are now their safety rep.