A safety, health and environment representative, usually shortened to SHE rep, is an employee appointed to represent colleagues on health and safety matters in their workplace or section. In South Africa the role comes from the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which requires employers above a certain size to designate health and safety representatives in writing and sets out what those representatives may do.
This guide covers SHE rep duties and responsibilities, how the role works in practice, and how it differs from a safety officer. It sits in the Security Safety duties and responsibilities cluster, part of the wider job duties guide.
What Does a Safety Health and Environment Representative Do?
A SHE rep is the eyes and voice of employees on safety. They inspect their designated area, raise hazards, take part in incident investigations, attend health and safety committee meetings and represent colleagues in discussions with the employer and, where relevant, with an inspector.
The role is a designated function held alongside a normal job, not a full-time safety post. It is important to understand that a representative does not carry the employer’s legal duty to provide a safe workplace: that duty stays with the employer.
Key Safety Health and Environment Representative Duties and Responsibilities
- Conducting regular inspections of the designated workplace or section.
- Identifying and reporting hazards, unsafe conditions and unsafe practices.
- Recording inspection findings and following up that they are addressed.
- Participating in incident and accident investigations in the designated area.
- Attending and contributing to health and safety committee meetings.
- Raising employee health and safety concerns with the employer.
- Making representations on any matter affecting the health and safety of employees.
- Accompanying an inspector on an inspection of the workplace where applicable.
- Checking the effectiveness of health and safety measures in the designated area.
- Encouraging safe working practice and correct use of protective equipment among colleagues.
- Keeping colleagues informed of committee decisions and safety changes.
- Completing the training provided for the role and keeping it current.
The exact functions are set out in the legislation and in the written designation. Read both, because the designation may narrow the area or the scope.
Daily Tasks of a Safety Health and Environment Representative
The role runs alongside a normal job, so the pattern is periodic rather than daily.
- Daily: stay alert to hazards in your area and raise anything immediate with the supervisor straight away.
- Weekly or monthly: conduct the scheduled inspection of your designated area and complete the checklist.
- After the inspection: submit findings, agree corrective actions and timeframes, follow up outstanding items.
- At committee meetings: present findings from your area, raise employee concerns and review incident trends.
- After an incident: participate in the investigation and contribute to the findings and recommendations.
Safety Health and Environment Representative Skills and Competencies
- Hazard awareness: recognising risk in a workplace you see every day and have stopped noticing.
- Willingness to raise issues: the role has no value if concerns go unreported.
- Record keeping: written findings, dates and follow-ups, so patterns are visible.
- Communication: representing colleagues clearly to management and reporting back honestly.
- Working knowledge of the legislation: enough to know what may be required and what may not.
- Credibility with colleagues: people must be willing to bring concerns to you.
Safety Health and Environment Representative Duties by Workplace or Industry
Construction
Inspections focus on fall protection, scaffolding, excavations, plant and protective equipment, and the site changes constantly as work progresses. Construction sites carry additional regulatory requirements and a higher frequency of formal appointments.
Manufacturing and Warehousing
Duties centre on machine guarding, lock-out procedures, materials handling, housekeeping, chemical storage and noise. Inspections follow a fixed area and checklist.
Mining
Mining operates under its own health and safety legislation with its own representative structures, duties and training requirements. Do not assume the general workplace position applies unchanged; check the applicable mining legislation.
Offices, Retail and Schools
Lower-risk environments still require representatives where the employee threshold is met. Duties focus on emergency and evacuation readiness, first aid and fire equipment, electrical safety, ergonomics and incident reporting.
Safety Health and Environment Representative Duties for a CV
A SHE rep designation is worth listing even when it was not your main job, because it shows responsibility beyond your role. Use the duties for a CV guide for the method.
- Served as appointed health and safety representative for a department of 90 employees.
- Conducted monthly inspections of the designated area and closed out all findings within agreed timeframes.
- Participated in incident investigations and contributed to corrective action plans.
- Represented employee safety concerns at the monthly health and safety committee.
Related Job Roles and Responsibilities
- Safety Officer duties and responsibilities: the full-time safety role, distinct from the representative function.
- Security Officer duties and responsibilities: site security rather than occupational safety.
- Security Guard duties and responsibilities: static guarding and access control.
- Job description duties and responsibilities: for employers documenting the designation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Safety Health and Environment Representative Duties
What are the duties of a SHE rep?
Inspecting the designated area, identifying and reporting hazards, recording findings and following them up, participating in incident investigations, attending health and safety committee meetings, representing employee concerns, accompanying inspectors where applicable, and promoting safe working practice.
What is the difference between a SHE rep and a safety officer?
A SHE rep is an employee designated to represent colleagues on safety alongside their normal job. A safety officer is a full-time role responsible for administering the safety management system, running risk assessments, inductions, permits and the safety file.
Is a SHE rep liable if someone is injured?
The duty to provide a safe workplace rests with the employer. A representative carries out the functions in the legislation and the written designation. If you are unsure what your designation covers, ask for it in writing and read it, and seek advice on anything significant.
Does a SHE rep need training?
Yes. Representatives should be given the training and facilities needed to perform the functions, and employers normally arrange a formal SHE representative course. Keep a record of the training you complete.
This page is general information, not legal advice. The Occupational Health and Safety Act, its regulations, any sector-specific legislation such as mining health and safety law, and your written designation govern the role and take precedence over this guide.
Last reviewed: 1 September 2026