The enviroment group at MedS

At the department of medicine, Solna (MedS) we strive for a good working environment for everyone’s safety, health, development and goals. Compliance with the Swedish Work Environment Act with provisions as well as KI’s work environment and health guidelines is of outmost importance.

To facilitate this objectives MedS has a Work Environment Group consisting of members covering different areas of activities at the department. The group includes representatives for different aspects of physical safety, representatives for environment and sustainability, representative for health promotion as well as representants of the divisions. The chairman of the group is Afsar Rahbar. The group meets 3-4 times per semester and is advisory to the Head of the department. The Deputy Head of MedS Professor Karin Loré has the responsibility and is part of the Work Environment Group and reports to the leadership group.

Representatives:

• Biosafety: Afsar Rahbar
• Fire safety: Afsar Rahbar
• Flammable goods safety: Afsar Rahbar
• Health Promotion: Marcus Lindgren
• GMM: Afsar Rahbar
• Chemical safety: Afsar Rahbar 
• Environment and sustainability work: Susanne Gabrielsson

Safety officers

• Marie-Louise Andersson     Centrala administrationen, D4
• Lina Marcela Diaz-Gallo    Division of Rheumathology - CMM
• Maria Eldh    Division of Immunology and Allergy, BioClinicum
• Iryna Kolosenko    Division of Respiratory Medicine, CMM
• Fredrik Wermeling    Division of Rheumathology, CMM
• Ekaterina Chernogubova    Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, BioClinicum
• Rodrigo Morales     Division of Immunology and Allergy, CMM
• Annika Reinhardt    Division of Immunology and Allergy, BioClinicum
• Fariba Foroogh    Division of Infectious Diseases, BioClinicum

The primary responsibility of the safety representative (skyddsombud) is to ensure that the workplace environment is safe and secure for all employees. They monitor health and safety standards and ensure that the employer adheres to the Work Environment Act’s requirements for systematic workplace safety measures.

Key duties of the safety representative include:

• Alerting the employer to any deficiencies in the work environment.
• Being informed by the employer of significant changes that could impact workplace safety.
• Contributing to the development of action plans based on inspections, employee feedback, and other risk assessments.
• Actively participating in incident reporting.

The Work Environment Act grants the safety representative several powers to help improve the work environment. If you identify any hazards or risks, you can always seek support and guidance from the safety representative. They are also bound by confidentiality, ensuring that any information you share is kept confidential.

Being elected as a safety representative is both an honor and a vital trust-based role from your colleagues, carrying the responsibility of fostering a safer and healthier work environment.

Would you consider becoming a safety representative?