How to hold local occupational health and safety organisation elections at AU

This page is a suggestion for ways to clarify the election process for electing occupational health and safety representatives to occupational health and safety groups and committees.

Only employees can stand for election, and as an employee you must have worked at AU for nine months in order to stand for election as an occupational health and safety representative.

All employees, including apprentices/trainees, part-time staff, temps and interns, are eligible to vote.

Election of occupational health and safety representatives to the occupational health and safety groups (AMG)

Uncontested election:

If there is only one candidate for the occupational health and safety group, that person will be elected.

Contested election:

When there is more than one candidate, an election will be held among the people standing.
The election may be held as part of a staff meeting or at a special gathering of employees within the area covered by the occupational health and safety group.
The local occupational health and safety committee (LAMU) can define the rules for the election, including provision for postal voting.
The actual voting must take place without the manager present.
Candidates may be elected by a show of hands or by a secret ballot.
To ensure a transparent and fair election, the employees may agree on a suitable number of election officers.
Votes may also be submitted electronically if the department/school/unit has the capacity for this.
ALL employees in the workplace should be aware of the election and have the opportunity to vote.

Election of occupational health and safety representatives from occupational health and safety groups (AMG) to local occupational health and safety committees (LAMU)

Occupational health and safety representatives will be elected to the LAMUs by and from among the occupational health and safety representatives in the occupational health and safety groups covered by each LAMU.

If there are as many places for occupational health and safety representatives in the LAMU as there are occupational health and safety representatives in the occupational health and safety groups (e.g. 4 occupational health and safety groups and 4 places for occupational health and safety representatives in LAMU), the occupational health and safety representatives will join the LAMU automatically.

If there are more occupational health and safety representatives in all of the occupational health and safety groups than there are places for occupational health and safety representatives in the LAMUs, the occupational health and safety representatives will elect the number of representatives by and from among themselves to match the number of available places in the LAMUs. The same rules can be applied here as for election to the occupational health and safety groups.

Election of occupational health and safety representatives from LAMU to Faculty Occupational Health and Safety Committees (FAMU)/Administration Occupational Health and Safety Committee (AAMU)

Occupational health and safety representatives for FAMU will be elected from among the occupational health and safety representatives in the LAMU who belong under FAMU / AAMU. The same rules can be applied here as for election to the occupational health and safety commitees LAMU.

Rules for the election procedure

There are no specific rules in the Danish Working Environment Act on the actual election procedure, and neither has AU drawn up any guidelines in this area. Therefore, it is up to the individual unit to ensure that the election of occupational health and safety representatives is conducted properly and fairly.

The guideline on ‘Cooperation on health and safety’, chapter 10 (In Danish) provides more information on the election of occupational health and safety representatives.