The elections to the occupational health and safety organisation at Aarhus University are held every third year. The election begins 27 November 2023, where employees can register as occupational health and safety representative for an occupational health and safety group in ones own department or unit. The period for the new occupational health and safety organization begins 1. March 2024. Find the time scedule here.
Occupational health and safety representatives are elected for three years at a time. The current period expires 29 February 2024, and managers at all levels decide the framework for the future occupational health and safety organisation in cooperation with the staff members on the committees via a local election manager. How to hold local occupational health and safety organisation elections.
All employees can vote and stand for election in the election of occupational health and safety representatives. Managers are appointed to the occupational health and safety groups and occupational health and safety committees by their senior managers.
The occupational health and safety representatives are elected by and from among the employees in the workplace.
Managers cannot vote in the election of occupational health and safety representatives or stand for election as occupational health and safety representative. You are regarded as a manager ‘when your work exclusively or primarily is to manage or supervise the work in a company or part thereof on behalf of the employer’.
Local occupational health and safety committees help set a good framework for the election.
Employees must have been employed at AU for at least nine months before they can stand for election and be elected as occupational health and safety representatives. Regarding terms of employment, the election of occupational health and safety representatives follows the rules for election of union representatives.
Please note: An occupational health and safety representative is not required to be member of a trade union. (DK)
According to the legislation (7.2.9. Occupational health and safety representative), there are no alternates in the occupational health and safety groups. Therefore, alternates for occupational health and safety representatives are not elected at AU.
If the occupational health and safety representative is absent for a continuous period of at least four months, a new occupational health and safety representative may be elected.
According to the ministerial order, it is not a requirement that an alternate for the occupational health and safety representative is elected. However an organisation can decide to do more than the law requires.
Limited use of alternates for occupational health and safety representatives is recommended at AU. If management decides that alternates are required, the following should apply:
The faculty is responsible for informing the alternates about these matters.
Based on the management’s decision, there may be alternates in the Local Occupational Health and Safety Committees (LAMU), the Faculty/Administration Occupational Health and Safety Committees (FAMU/AAMU) and in the Main Occupational Health and Safety Committee (HAMU). However, the alternates must be elected from among the already elected occupational health and safety representatives.
Note that the term of office of the staff representative ends on the 29 February 2024, when a joint AU election will be held. If necessary, contact your occupational health and safety contact person for advice. If it is not possible to elect an occupational health and safety representative, the supervisor and the chair will work alone until the staff have elected a representative at a later time.
Every third year the normal election for occupational health and safety representatives takes place.
There can also be a need for elections in other time periods. If the elected health and safety representative resigns from the position goes on leave or sickleave for more than 4 month, a new election can be made within the 3 year period. An elected health and safety representative cannot resign from the office or be overthrown from the office as the regulations says (in Danish) AT vejledning F.3.3 stk 10.1
If an occupational health and safety group is not represented, AU encourages interested employees to stand for election as a staff representative (occupational health and safety representative).