How to contact Health and Safety Representatives

To contact an HSR, use the contact details above or write an email to:

 rls [at] unitn.it

HSRs are required to comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 679/2016, the general data protection regulation, and to ensure the protection of trade secrets as regards the information included in the Risk assessment report (DVR).

Rights, duties and powers of HSRs

Through their HSRs, employees have the right to make sure that regulations aimed at preventing accidents and professional diseases and at promoting the identification and adoption of measures to protect health and physical integrity are implemented.

To ensure the safety of the workplace, employers (for the University, this means the Rector), their collaborators (heads of departments, executives, people responsible for safety), the designated doctor, qualified experts, and employees, must adopt a number of (technical, organizational and procedural) prevention and protection measures.

Objectives

The Health and Safety Representatives of UniTrento, in collaboration with the Rector's delegate for safety in the workplace and the Prevention and protection service and, in some cases, with Union representatives, are currently at work to:

• collect reports from colleagues and University staff. 
  RLSs define the actions that must be taken to solve problems while ensuring that whistleblowers remain anonymous, within their area of expertise;
• demand that University staff receive information, education and training on safety based on a proper training plan.
  Training, as required by law, must take into account the position, type of work, specific risks, gender differences, origin, education level and age of staff, while promoting an inclusive safety culture. University "guests" (including foreign ones) must also receive information on the practical aspects regarding risks in a given area of the University and on emergency procedures; 
• participate in the creation and maintenance of risk assessment documents prepared by the Prevention and Protection Service and verify their content. Verify that the procedural and structural amendments suggested in the documents are implemented;
• verify that emergency plans, evacuation drills and risk management procedures are in place in case of danger (earthquakes, fire, flooding, etc.), bearing in mind the specific requirements for people with permanent or temporary disabilities;
• encourage the dissemination of information on people designated as emergency management staff (first aid and fire emergencies);
• monitor the microclimatic conditions in working spaces for the physical and psychological wellbeing of employees (heating, ventilation, toilet facilities, cleanliness, lightning, signs, creation of a barrier-free environment, creation of a break room/lunch area, etc.);
• verify that all working environments are safe (basements, closed areas, surfaces, etc.);
• verify that machinery and collective (fume hoods) and personal (safety glasses, gloves, etc.) protection equipment work properly and comply with regulations in force;
• monitor work-related stress (organizational well-being), which can cause physical, psychological or social discomfort. This condition may be caused by a feeling of inadequacy or by the inability to satisfy the expectations of the employer. Stress-related disorders may worsen over time and develop into illness, harming the psychological and physical health of those affected. Their work performance decreases and this may lead to absenteeism, leaves of absence, transfer applications;
• encourage departments, centres and the University administration to organize meetings to provide staff members with information on work-related risks (including risks posed by external factors, like geopolitical risks) and on what to do to prevent incidents;
• verify that hazardous waste is managed and disposed of properly;
• address and solve the problems below:
  - electrical continuity at Povo2;
  - management of basement areas at Povo0
  - ensuring a security service at conferences, meetings, non-academic activities; 
  - ensuring the management and maintenance of areas surrounding University buildings; 
  - insurance policy for home working staff and staff employed under the "smart working scheme";
  -  design and implementation of spaces at University buildings where staff can have lunch;
  - monitoring of the proper organization of periodic health assessments for computer operators.
• participate in the creation and maintenance of a register of near-miss incidents to inform the employees about the behaviour which should be adopted to identify situations that might lead to accidents. Near-misses are incidents in the workplace that could have potentially caused an injury, ill health or the death of a worker. They suggest the presence of some form of risk, and the register will help prevent incidents. Employees are required to report any dangerous situation to the employer's delegate, to the head of the directorate or to his or her representative. Reporting will improve the assessment of potential risks and will provide the opportunity to learn from errors and to ensure better and safer working conditions.