One of the widely recognised challenges to institutional arrangements for representing workers in workplace health and safety concerns workplace size. In virtually all surveys of the coverage of these arrangements, representation is shown to be increasingly difficult in smaller workplaces. In this respect regional safety representatives have been a success story in Sweden in supporting occupational health and safety in small workplaces since the mid 1970s. Unions may by law appoint them for all workplaces where there is at least one member of a trade union and where there is not already a joint occupational health and safety committee.
Based on the findings of several surveys undertaken in Sweden this chapter first describes the functioning of the regional representatives scheme, its support and why it has been successful. It goes on to analyse the extent to which labour market and economic changes in recent years have presented challenges to its operation anddiscusses its possible future development in the light of these challenges and their relevance internationally.