Health and safety

As more is discovered about the monkeypox virus, this guidance highlights the need for reps and branches to negotiate for better sick pay as well as medical exclusion pay, and to be vigilant about discrimination.

Negotiating sickness absence agreements. – a guide for UNISON branches – updated January 2024.
Available as a PDF download only.

An A4 document outlining why domestic violence and abuse in a trade union issue and including a model agreement between branches and employer. Updated August 2022.

A toolkit for organising around work related stress

Guidance for UNISON members as more workplaces open and more staff return to their workplaces. Updated April 2022.

An invaluable guide for all Health and safety reps. This easy to read booklet will guide you through your rights and duties, give you some basic information on health and safety and point you to some other sources of information and support.

A booklet outlining the health and safety issues facing young people in the workplace

A leaflet outlining what you should do if you are experiencing violence at work

An A5 leaflet advertising International Workers’ Memorial Day. This is not year specific so can be used every year.

This guide for UNISON branches and safety reps explains how the GIG economy has affected the health and safety of UNISON members and how branches and safety reps can organise and campaign to represent and recruit members

A two sided A5 general health and safety leaflet with a join UNISON message. It highlights the fact that we have a network of trained safety reps who can deal with health and safety issues in the workplace. PDF only

A guide for young workers on bullying and harassment at work

A5 booklet on women’s health and safety that highlights some of the issues and how UNISON can help members deal with these issues

A leaflet aimed at encouraging members from the union’s self-organised groups to consider putting themselves forward to become safety reps.

Behavioural safety programmes try and claim that workplace injuries are the result of unsafe acts by workers. UNISON is very clear that this approach is not good health and safety management.

A leaflet for members on aches, pains and strains. Are you at risk of harm and what should your employer do?

A leaflet for UNISON members, stewards, and safety representatives on Slips and Trips – is your floor surface an accident waiting to happen? Updated February 2018.

A health and safety guide on lone working for members. 8pp A5 booklet.

Aches, pains and strains or asking our bodies to do too much can cause long term or permanent injury. This A4 poster aims to raise awareness amongst members and potential members. Available as a PDF for download only.

This information sheet aims to give safety reps a basic understanding of fire safety and fire risk assessments under the current law.

An A5 leaflet on the issue of the safety of cleaning materials and what UNISON is doing to keep staff safe.

A report looking at the issues around the safe use of chemicals when cleaning to combat superbugs. PDF only.

2017 UNISON stress survey: summary report and full data

Guardians of health and safety stickers. 15 stickers per sheet. Please order number of sheets required, not numbers of stickers.

Slips, trips and falls (STFs) are often seen as a joke, but they are no laughing matter. They occur all too
frequently and can cause some very serious injuries.

Most workplaces will contain some hazardous substances and employers must ensure that staff and visitors are not harmed by them. This guide helps you do that.

Booklet highlighting some of the workplace health and safety issues faced by disabled workers and advice on how they can be resolved or improved with the help of health and safety and equality legislation. Updated December 2016

Some employers are now talking about making workers more resilient. UNISON is very clear that this approach is not good health and safety management.

This guide explains that whilst “human factors” should be considered when managing health and safety, behavioural safety programmes tend to blame workers. The guide looks at common failures for these programmes, and how branches can oppose their introduction.

A4 poster promoting good health and safety practices in the workplace. Updated August 2015

A four page newsletter aimed at UNISON health and safety reps, branch health and safety officers and UNISON members with an interest in health and safety

This booklet is intended for use in education courses and other training situations to provide UNISON safety representatives with information about their legal rights. Updated 2015

Aimed primarily at UNISON health & safety reps, this explains what asbestos is, the threat it poses to workers and the public, what UNISON is campaigning for and what branches and members can do to support the campaign and protect their members

UNISON evidence is response to call for evidence for triennial review of HSE. This is for information and aimed primarily at UNISON Safety Reps.

Guidance on safe working at height and with ladders, checklist and employers duties. Audience – safety reps and members.

This factsheet about the superbug MRSA highlights prevention and control measures in the workplace. It is aimed at branch officials, stewards and safety reps.

Guidance for safety reps explaining how to give employers formal notice they are not complying with health and safety legislation in respect of an identified workplace hazard.

Explains the legal requirement on employers to ensure people can move freely and with ease at work and what action branches can take where this is not the case.

The problem with noise, assessing risk, and other regulations applying to noise.

This briefing is intended to alert branches to some of the issues they should consider where gloves are concerned.

Spells out what is expected of employers to comply with their legal duty to provide adequate and appropriate first-aid in the workplace.

This Information Sheet features: Symptoms, causes and prevention, including the legal protections for people working with hazardous substances and what employers must do to avoid risk to staff.

Information about the problems associated with using display equipment, and of the legal duty on employers to provide workers with eye tests and rest breaks.