Worker Representation and Workplace Health and Safety, By David Walters and Theo Nichols, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, 177 pp., ISBN 978-0-230-00194-7.

The subject of this excellent book – workers representation in workplace health and safety – is relevant to both policy and practice. The growing share of precarious forms of work makes consideration of effective forms of worker representation increasingly important. In this vein, this book helps to reinstate occupational health and safety (OHS) as an industrial relations matter rather than a technical and/or managerial exercise. It is also refreshing because it embeds the discussion in sociological theory; an approach not typically adopted in literature addressing prevention in OHS. By reviewing existing evidence (both quantitative and qualitative) and conducting well organized case studies, the authors’ objective was to determine the most effective arrangements for worker representation and consultation concerning workplace health and safety. They also wanted to establish optimal conditions for these arrangements and investigate the means by which they do protect workers. They fulfilled these objectives in a way that is relevant to the British legislation – where employee representation in health and safety is restricted to recognized trade unions – and on an international basis. The quality of the book is derived from the solid scientific experience and social reflection of the authors. David Walters is Professor of Work Environment at the Cardiff Work Environment Research Centre, Wales, UK. He has published quality studies on workers role in OHS, both in the UK and in Europe, and on OHS regulatory and inspectorate strategies which aim to address changes in the world of work. He is also the editor of a relatively new scientific journal, Policy and Practice in Health and Safety (2003). Theo Nichols is Distinguished Research Professor, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, also at Cardiff University. He has previously made a key contribution with his work “The sociology of industrial accidents” (1997) and has written many articles on work organization. Both authors’ work offer impressive examples of the richness of articulating solid sociological theory and well exploited empirical data. In Part 1, Chapter 1 exposes “The Development of Statutory Measures on Worker Health and Safety Representation” in the UK, placing it in its historical, social and political context. It also examines the development of European directives and suggests that these represent an example of a general tendency towards a “process” approach to managing OHS where “consultation” has a central role but not always “representation.” Distinguishing between direct and representative participation, the authors illustrate, using evidence, the barriers to the effectiveness of direct participation, unless workers have sufficient power and resources. Thus, individual workers rights (like the right to refuse) are essential but often have limited impact, especially in smaller enterprises. Looking at the UK requirements on workers representation in OHS and at the limited implementation of the EU directives on that matter, they thus conclude that “representatives in workplaces that do not recognise trade unions are disadvantaged in terms of the rights they may exercise, and workers in such workplaces are also more likely to experience so-called direct representation or, in other words, to lack any (collective) representation in health and safety at all.” (p. 23). Despite differences in industrial relations and OHS regimes, this conclusion suggests that there are weaknesses in many countries requirements, especially in the context of declining levels of unionism. Worker participation may then only occur if it seems good for business, but not because it is a right. Chapter 2’s literature review on the effectiveness of representative worker participation is extensive, providing an enlightening summary of the main findings of the English-based quantitative and qualitative studies on the subject, including studies from outside the UK (other European countries, Scandinavia, Australia, United States and …