Fredrik Kringberg – HSEQ Manager at Jernbro
− I really want to emphasize that Jernbro’s work environment representatives has an incredibly important role in our overall work environment work and quality work. The role contains three important parts. Above all, they have an advisory role, as they have deep knowledge of safety and the working environment with which they can support both managers and colleagues. It can be about how to work systematically and safely so that everyone feels safe and good at work and can leave work unharmed after finishing work.
− The representatives also have a supervisory role. By that, I mean that they should look at whether there are the right conditions to work safely and that we actually follow our routines in a correct way regarding, for example, risk assessments and the use of protective equipment. The third part is that the they also have a formal role, which means that they can actually intervene if they see something that doesn’t feel safe or directly wrong.
− All Jernbro’s representatives do an incredibly good job in the various safety committees and in the ongoing work. I am grateful that we have them, because they have an important role and contribute a lot. However, it is important to remember that all employees should feel that they have a mandate to stop if they themselves are involved in or see an unsafe relationship or behavior. By saying “stop, back off, think about it” you can, for example, convey that the protective equipment needs to be reviewed.
Fredrik wants to encourage more people to find out what it means to be a work environment representative. The reasons are that more representatives are often needed and that it is developmental for both specialists and those who have the ambition to become a manager. With regard to the latter, Fredrik believes that you benefit greatly from the experience when you move on as a manager, because the work environment representative role means leading and coaching in an important area – work environment.
Mikael Färnström – work environment representative at Jernbro in Avesta
Mikael has had the role of work environment representative throughout his employment at Jernbro, which is about 10 years now.
– As a work environment representativ, I control the work environment in the Avesta workshop. It can also be checking that the machines have protection, that lighting is present, works and is replaced if necessary and that welding extraction works optimally. I usually stress the importance of keeping things in order, for example, cables, hoses and tools. The role also means that I take part in safety rounds and safety meetings. I usually prepare by going over certain points with the supervisor.
In his role as a mechanic, Mikael is often away on projects and then it is important to follow the rules that apply there. When working with customers, he also checks the work environment, but together with the customer’s work environment representative. This means that in new places, he needs to report any risks for new people, which, in turn, means that a work environment representative has contact with many people.
– Being challenged to collaborate and communicate with others is one of the reasons why I recommend others to apply for the role. Another reason is that it is educational, as you learn a lot about protection and safety.
– I think that everyone helps each other to maintain a good level of the working environment. There is also good communication with the managers, who, for example, see it as important and self-evident to have the right protective clothing.
Saman Nazif – work environment representative at Jernbro in Skåne
Saman Nazif is a maintenance mechanic at Jernbro in Malmö and was elected work environment representative when he started at Jernbro in 2016.
− I am a representative for the Jernbro colleagues in Malmö, Trelleborg and Helsingborg and in the surrounding area, but also at a customer. For me, the role means informing colleagues about what is right and wrong and what is legal in the current workplace. I usually emphasize that it is important that we have all the necessary protective equipment and that they must be approved and inspected.
For Saman it is also important to speak up if you, for example, discover something that is broken and ensure that it is discarded and a new one is ordered. This, so the next person is not injured. It is about being attentive about both the person’s own safety and that of colleagues.
− Being a work environment representative is also a lot about sharing as much information and knowledge as possible from the union’s safety training and internal meetings.
Saman discusses issues that come up with other representatives at Jernbro, but also with the union. What the employees ask about is, for example, what applies to weekly rest and inconvenient working hours. The role can also involve mediating between different parties, participating in site changes, security patrols and alerting new employees that he is a representative.
− I enjoy being a work environment representative, because it is an important job and I contribute to safety at work.
