Content area
Full Text
Abstract: In our workplace, we can get involved in conflict situations countless times. One of the solutions to these conflicts can be conciliation, or otherwise mediation. It is special dispute resolution method, when a third party, who is the mediator, mediates between the two participants, with the consent of both of them. Mediation is nowadays integrated into our legal system as an alternative dispute resolution option. In this study, we tried to find a connection between mediation and occupational health and safety, including occupational health and safety representatives. The study is primarily based on secondary research, in which we are looking for opportunities to connect to occupational health and safety, but it also includes a questionnaire survey, which was carried out with the involvement of occupational health and safety representatives. With the help of the questionnaire, we tried to verify workplace conflicts related to occupational health and safety, as well as the awareness of mediation among occupational health and safety representatives. Last but not least, we tried examine the raison of preventive mediation to promote the activities of occupational health and safety representatives.
Keywords: occupational health and safety representative, mediation, preventive mediation, psychosocial risk
1Introduction
Conflicts are practically as old as life on Earth, from plants to animals to humans, every living being fights to obtain and maintain the available resources. We can be resolved conflicts in many ways, from quarrels to war [1]. Despite this, in the history of mankind we can already find sources pointing to a peaceful solution in Phoenicia, which can be found in different ways to this day, and have also been incorporated into the legislation of the countries [2].
But how can the occupational safety representative be connected to mediation, since mediation is a special conflict management method, where the two parties involved in the dispute settle the situation with the help of a third party accepted by all of them [3].
According to the interpretive provisions of the Hungarian Occupational Safety and Health Law, the occupational safety representative is "a person chosen by the employees who represents the employee rights and interests related to safe and healthy work during cooperation with the employer" [4]. They must represent the rights and interests of the employees, since they elected...