Both of these roles are fundamental to achieving a positive and effective health and safety environment at a workplace. It is hardly perfect. It can at times be cumbersome. It often doesn't work as well as it should. But we can come up with no better method for getting results.
Workers have three fundamental rights in health and safety.
They have the right to know, the right to participate and the right to refuse. The worker has a stake in what happens at the worksite. If the worker has a legitimate right to know and to participate, then there needs to be a structure bringing that right to life. It found that joint participation and empowerment were crucial determinants for the success of a health and safety program. We do not shy away from constructing frameworks for these tools and requiring employers to follow them.