FAQs about election to the Health & Safety organisation at SDU

At SDU, health and safety representatives are selected by and from among their colleagues to fulfil the function of spokesperson for employees in collaboration with the head of the occupational health and safety group. At SDU, a local agreement has been entered into, which stipulates a term of office of 3 years. At the end of each term of office, elections for the upcoming term of office are held. The election of a new health and safety representative may be held in the event of reorganisation or if the health and safety representative is unable to carry out their duties.

Staff employed in the area covered by the health and safety group may stand for election as a health and safety representative. The election of a health and safety representative follows the rules for the election of a union representative. That is, employees who wish to stand as a health and safety representative must

• not be employed in a managerial capacity,
• have at least 9 months of employment at SDU (it is not a requirement that the 9 months be continuous),
• and not be employed as a student or apprentice.

A health and safety representative may be elected even if the candidate does not meet the seniority requirement of the union representative agreement if the employer finds an employee who wishes to be elected but does not meet this requirement.

Unlike the union representative, the health and safety representative does not need to be affiliated with a professional organisation. 
The health and safety representative may be both a health and safety representative and a union representative: in this case, the elections must be held separately.

The rules for electing a union representative can be found under §2 Circular on Union Representatives in the State, etc .(external page - in Danish only).

An employee who wishes to stand for election as a health and safety representative should make their interest known to the head of department, head of secretariat or head of division who initiated the local election. However, this manager may have appointed another person to coordinate the election. In such a case, candidacy should be reported to the person appointed by the manager. If there is any doubt about the election process, the local supervisor or current health and safety group should be contacted.

Health and safety representatives are elected by and from among employees in the area covered by the relevant health and safety group. All employees of the given unit who do not have a managerial capacity can vote. This also applies to apprentices, part-time employees, temporary employees, substitutes and interns.

Whether you are a supervisor is determined by a concrete assessment of the supervisor’s function and duties. It is not the job title of supervisor that determines whether the candidate is a supervisor in relation to the rules of the Working Environment Act. Thus, a supervisor may also participate in practical work, but a significant portion of their time is spent directing or supervising the work of others.

The election is held among the employees in the area covered by each health and safety group. There may be a group that covers an entire department or a unit that has several groups. Local elections proceed according to this model, with local adaptations:

1. The unit manager or other designated health and safety manager emails employees to inform them that it is possible to stand for election as a health and safety representative for the forthcoming term of office [time frame]. The email must clearly state what the eligibility criteria are, which health and safety group the candidate can run for and how to report candidacy. In addition, it is important to ensure that the registered candidates are eligible for election before the election continues. Relevant information can be found on the service page.
   
   
2. Employees declare their candidacy by sending an email to the head of department, head of secretariat or head of division. If a local contact person has been appointed, they will be informed about the candidacy. 
   On the basis of the manager’s email, employees can also choose to hold a meeting in which they discuss who wishes to run for the post of health and safety representative. If there are multiple candidates for the post, a contested election will be called (see section 3.b). If only one employee stands for election to the post, the employees may notify the manager by email that they have elected the candidate in an uncontested election (see section 3.a).
   
   
3.  There are three possible election scenarios:
   a. If only one candidate stands for election, they will be elected in an uncontested election (see section 3.a).
    b. If more than one candidate stands for election, a contested election will be held (see section 3.b).
   c. No candidates have stood for election to the post. It is important that employees meet and learn about the importance of health and safety work for well-being and safety at work. This information can be communicated by the acting health and safety representative or the entire health and safety group. 
   
   3.a In the case of uncontested elections, the head of the unit informs all relevant employees about the uncontested election.
   3.b. The process of the contested election is agreed locally. For example, a contested election may proceed as follows: The unit manager informs employees about who is running for the position of health and safety representative and that the employees concerned can cast their vote by email to the acting health and safety representative, the union representative or the local contact person. In this way, the final election result is unknown to the other candidates, colleagues and the unit manager. Only the person collecting the votes knows who voted for whom. In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by drawing lots. 
   
   
4.  The unit manager ensures that the election is approved by the chair of FAMU and the approval is subsequently communicated to the health and safety group.
   
   
5.  The unit manager then notifies the health and safety team of the employees’ choice via arbejdsmiljoe@sdu.dk

The newly elected health and safety representative:

• receives a confirmation when they are approved by management.
• is encouraged to report their election to their trade union, if any, with a view to receiving information and support from the union.
• participates in electing the health and safety representative for the subsequent elections to the faculties’ coordinating occupational health and safety committees (FAMU), the campus health and safety committees (CAMU) and the General Occupational Health and Safety Committee (HOAMU). 
• enrols in the mandatory health and safety training. The mandatory health and safety training must be completed within the first three months, and a copy of the course certificate must be emailed to SDU HR’s health and safety team at arbejdsmiljoe@sdu.dk. The health and safety team enters the course certificate in the health and safety representative’s personnel file.
  The choice of course venue is made by the individual manager in consultation with the newly elected health and safety representative. SDU organises mandatory occupational health and safety training at the beginning of a new term of office. The next training course will be held in the autumn of 2024.

The current term of office applies from 1 August 2024 until 31 July 2027.

The health and safety representative is protected from dismissal and from other deterioration of conditions in the same way as union representatives in the relevant or equivalent professional field. The health and safety representative shall not be disadvantaged by activities associated with the position. The rules on the protection of health and safety representatives follow the rules on union representatives agreed in the collective agreement in the relevant area. The rules for union representatives are set out in the Circular on Union Representatives in the State, etc. (external page - in Danish only).

As a rule, it is not possible to resign from office as a health and safety representative during the term of office. Colleagues cannot unseat the health and safety representative – the election is binding for both parties. If the health and safety representative ceases to be employed in the area in which they have been elected, their duties as a health and safety representative shall also cease. 

If you wish to resign as an occupational health and safety representative, please contact the health and safety team at arbejdsmiljoe@sdu.dk. The occupational health and safety team will subsequently contact the health and safety representative in order to clarify the possibilities of leaving the position. 

No, it is not possible to elect a substitute.

The task of the unit manager is to initiate the elections. The manager can motivate the employee group to have representation in the work environment collaboration, for example, by making known wishes for future collaboration on the working environment and examples of current and future tasks. The manager may not influence the individual choice, for example, by inviting or appointing individual persons to stand as a health and safety representative. The unit manager is also tasked with communicating the results of the employees’ choices to the health and safety team.

As a newly elected health and safety representative, you have the right to receive an offer of supplementary health and safety training corresponding to 2 days in the first year of your work as a health and safety representative and 1.5 days in each of the subsequent years of your work. It is possible to pool the offers: for example, in one year there are 3 days of training and in the following year there are no training days.

Every year, SDU has different offers of supplementary health and safety training:

• Annual general meeting of the health and safety organisation
• Ongoing offers regarding both the mental and physical work environment by SDU Staff Courses
• The Universities’ Health and Safety Conference is held every two years, and AEU – the universities’ joint continuing education programme (external page - in Danish only) also has other offers within occupational health and safety
• You can also find courses offered by your trade union or the supplementary health and safety courses offered by the Confederation of Danish Employers (external page).

You are encouraged to notify your union of your election. This will enable you to attend relevant courses and receive help and guidance with your role as a health and safety representative. Contact your union for details on how to report your election and what opportunities they can offer you.

Members of a health and safety organisation must have completed the compulsory health and safety training within the first 3 months of office. If you are a new AMR or AML and have not acquired a course certificate on a previous occasion, you must register for the statutory health and safety training. 

SDU offers two courses:

• course in Danish on 19, 20 and 23 August
• course in English on 19, 20 and 25 September 

In the courses, you will gain knowledge about important areas and rules in the legislation, insight into how to work with the working environment and the expectations that exist for members of the health and safety organisation, all with a focus on how SDU conducts its work on occupational health and safety. Courses also provide an opportunity to create local networking across SDU. 

In the event that both the AMR and the AML are new to the work with health and safety, it is our recommendation that both participate in the same course. The course is funded by the department/area in which the staff member is employed.

If you are new to working with health and safety at SDU but have a course certificate from a previous position, please send a copy of the certificate to arbejdsmiljoe@sdu.dk 

For those who are continuing their duties and have previously submitted course certificates to the health and safety team, there is no need to do anything further. 

If it is not possible to attend all three days of a course, you can complete a training course externally.

Once the choice of occupational health and safety representatives is approved by management, it is recommended that:

• you report your election to your union,
• you register as soon as possible for the mandatory health and safety training.

When you take office, you and the health and safety manager must hold a meeting as soon as possible. In the meeting, you will be introduced to the tasks, and you can agree on what should happen first. You will also discuss collaboration and roles in the health and safety group.

The health and safety team recommends that you:

• Read the introduction to the health and safety organisation on SDU’s Co-Determination and Involvement portal
• Familiarise yourself with the APV (workplace assessment) mapping and the time and action plan for your area, as well as the health and safety group’s annual discussion.

The faculties’ health and safety committees (FAMU) and the General Occupational Health and Safety Committee (HOAMU)

As a member of the health and safety organisation, you can contribute to the strategic work on occupational health and safety for your main area by joining FAMU and HOAMU:

• as a health and safety manager, you will be appointed by the head of the main area to sit on FAMU and HOAMU and 
• as a health and safety representative, you must be elected from among other employee representatives for the relevant main area. 

In August 2024, all health and safety representatives will be called to a meeting in which a closed election will be held for FAMU and HOAMU. Details of the elections will be set out in the invitation to the meeting.

All health and safety representatives are encouraged to participate actively in the elections so that those elected have a clear mandate. We also hope that many will stand for election and want to help shape SDU’s overall work on occupational health and safety.

Campus health and safety committees (CAMU)

 As a new element in SDU’s working environment organisation, coordinating health and safety committees have been established in the cities outside Odense. This is with a view to the prevention and management of campus-specific occupational health and safety conditions.

 As a member of the health and safety organisation, which covers employees and managers in the campus cities, it is possible to join CAMU. 

 From each main area that is represented in each campus city, one AML and one AMR can join:

•  the AML is appointed by the head of the main area, whereas
•  the AMR must be chosen from among other AMRs. 

 In August, the relevant AMRs will be called to a meeting in which a closed election will be held among the representatives. Details of the election will be provided in the invitations to the meeting.