Section 2(7) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 requires employers to establish a safety committee if they receive a request in writing from two or more safety representatives appointed by one or more recognised trade unions. The committee must be set up within three months of the employer receiving the written request. Communication between managers and workers is the key to an effective occupational health and safety management system. One way of providing a communication link, especially for employers who have a large workforce, is to set up safety committees, which meet on a regular basis to discuss health and safety issues and provide feedback. Section 2(7) of the HSW Act only applies where the request for a safety committee comes from safety representatives officially appointed by a recognised trade union. Employers are not under any specific legal requirement to set up a safety committee if this is not the case, although the employer may consider it good management practice to do so. Employers should be aware of the special rights and protection afforded to members of safety committees and would be well advised to seek professional advice before setting up such a forum. In any case, when dealing with an employee who is a safety representative, perhaps when wishing to discipline or dismiss such a person, employers should always take advice. Compensation levels in such cases is now unlimited and the decision of the Tribunal must be automatically unfair dismissal for reasons connected with the employees duties on a safety committee.