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Health and Safety committee : Its members, functions, Process, factors, effectiveness

A safety committee is an organizational group within a workplace with members from management, the workforce, as well as all departments and staffs.

The safety committee will share with management the responsibility for implementing the company’s safety program.
If the H&S committee is discussing accidents, the aim is to stop them happening again, not to give blame.

The goal of the committee is to facilitate a safe workplace , a safe working environment, and safe people in an organization.

( Objectives that guide a committee towards the goal include):

look at the facts in an impartial way ( Unbiased approach)
consider what precautions might be taken
recommend appropriate actions to prevent the accidents
monitor progress with implementing the H&S interventions.
A safety committee would be considered effective when they engage in activities such as development and monitoring of SSW, monitoring adequacy of H&S communication, constant appraisal of effectiveness of training etc,.Motivate, educate and train at all levels to Reduce, & Avoid Hazards, Risks and Accident/incidents
Incorporate safety into every aspect of the organization
Create a positive safety culture where each person is responsible for safety of self and others
Encourage and utilize ideas/ suggestions from all sources

Factors that may determine the effectiveness of H&S committee

To work effectively, the committee has to be set up and run according to agreed rules and procedures, which are part of the policy arrangements of the organisation.

The following issues should be taken into account in these arrangements:

Who is on the committee? There has to be a balance between managers and workers, and the right managers have to be included., (Constituents of safety committee -key management personnel and worker’s representatives); Competency level of constituents (availability and access to specialist advice);
How often/frequency will the committee meet? The committee should meet regularly and frequently enough to be useful with maximum participation; (e.g. once a month /quarter).
Who will act as chairperson? All meetings need someone to take charge so that the discussion during the meeting is relevant, and to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to speak.
What authority will the committee have? The committee must be able to make decisions, otherwise there will be lots of talk but no action. Usually, the committee will involve one or more senior managers who have executive authority. (influence the committee has on management’s decision making process; ), provided with specific additional rights such as time off with pay for training
What will be discussed? It is common practice for a committee meeting to have a published agenda that has been agreed before the meeting takes place.
How will the discussions be recorded? Minutes of the meetings are usually taken and then circulated to all attendees and posted on noticeboards in the workplace for all workers to see.
How will issues discussed be followed up? All agreed actions must be recorded in the minutes of the meeting, together with the name of the person responsible for taking that action and a deadline. This action plan can then be reviewed at the start of the next meeting to check that the action has been completed.

Function of Safety Committee:

The function of the safety committee/forum would include issues such as:

Investigate potential hazards and dangerous occurrences at the workplace, and complaints by an employee relating to health, safety and welfare at work,
Studying accident/ incident, ill-health, sickness-absence and disease statistics.
Accident investigations and subsequent action
Reviewing the reports from active monitoring in the workplace inspections and behavioural observations.
Examining safety audit reports and statutory inspection reports
Considering reports and information from the external(HSE) authorities.
the review of new legislation, Approved Codes of Practice and guidance and their effect on the organisation;
Considering reports submitted by worker representatives.
Assisting in the development of procedures and policy and OHSMS.
the monitoring and review of all H&S training and instruction activities in the organisation
the monitoring and review of H&S publicity and communication throughout the organisation;
development of safe systems of work and safety procedures, SOP, SWP,Rules;
developments of Emergency procedures,
reviewing risk assessments,
- - -- - -helps in developing suitable & sufficient Risk Assessment;
considering reports from safety representatives;
continuous monitoring of arrangements for H&S and revising them whenever necessary.
Reviewing changes in the workplace affecting the health, safety and welfare of employees.
Address strategic issues affecting the workforce/workers or groups within the workforce

Learning outcome: What are the functions and issues that should be included in the Health and Safety Committee or Forum?

Learning outcome: What are the topics that should be included in the H&S committee meeting agenda?

Learning outcome : What priority should be given by the Health & Safety Committee meeting?

Learning outcome: What priority should be given in First H&S Committee meeting?

Components of an H&S Safety committee Agenda :

Opening statement including reason for attendance, objective, and time commitment
Items (Hazards , Risk , Accidents ) to be discussed
Generate alternative solutions /Decide among the alternatives
Develop a plan to solve the problem / Assign task to carry out plan /Establish follow-up procedures
Summarize and adjournDownload the blank Editable Safety Committee Agenda template/Format for Practice
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qLWbQr-JVclYJCHKV2CwOMWUYg1-lY2Z/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104430867578231142437&rtpof=true&sd=true

Learning outcome : General Question- What are the general and regular agenda items/ issues/ topics?

Very general topics for reference:

Review Safety Policies & Plans such as:
Hazard Communication Program
Personal Protective Equipment
Respiratory Protection
Housekeeping
Machine Safeguarding
Safety Audits
Record Keeping
Emergency Response Plans etc.

Set up Process or procedure of conducting the Health and Safety committee meeting:

Name of attendees (Present and absent member information, attendance list or sign in the attendance list)
Provide or distribute the meeting agenda to all members
Review of last meeting minutes and acceptance
Primary / important Topic to be discussed
Review of statistics and trends of incidents, near miss incidents and reportable diseases to identify unsafe or unhealthy conditions and practices and to communicate recommendations for corrective action both to the relevant managers and to the workforce.
Consideration of H&S issues raised by members of the committee.
Consideration of any safety monitoring that has taken place, for example safety audits, and any recommendations that they make.
Assessment of employee H&S training, communication and publicity within the workplace.
Development and suggestions for implementation of the safety procedures arising out of the safe systems of work (SSW) /SOp/SWP through the safety policy.
Consideration of any reports, advice or other information provided by the enforcement agency.
Accident report discussion
Tour of a workplace
Action plan to be formulated and future issues to be decided
Close (date of next meeting, etc) meeting and document the information ( i.e. MoM).

Representation of Safety Committee:

The following may be members of H&S Committee: ( no boundation on the numbers of safety committee members- it depends on the size of the organization and other factors )

Senior manager ( Top Management); -----Chairperson /MD /CEO/ GM (General Manager)
Finance manager /Finance Director
Health and Safety Adviser or HSE Lead / HSE manager etc.
Functional managers / Project Manager
Line Managers / Departmental Managers
Worker safety delegates
Workers’ representative
Workers or employees ( workers from concern departments/site)
Subject Specialist (if required , from external source). (SME-Subject Matter Specialist )
HSE inspector from labour inspectorate authority ( if invited)
Labour Union member ( Union appointed representative)
Any other member (Invited) ( e.g. Like Client/ Customer /Board of Directors)