This module is designed to help you if you are trying to start a new safety committee in your company. However, if you already have a safety committee, be sure to complete this module because you'll still receive some good information to help you further develop your safety committee's effectiveness. At a minimum, it will be a great review for you.

First things first...sell the idea to the boss

• The safety committee performs the role of a consultant to the employer. If your employer hired an external consultant it would cost thousands of dollars long-term for the same service the safety committee can provide in-house.
• The safety committee acts as a forum for management and labor to communicate safety related concerns. The benefits from improved communications may be hard to quantify, but they may be substantial.
• Every hazard the safety committee identifies and is directly involved in eliminating results in significant savings in potential accident costs. We'll talk more about this later.

• The safety committee can serve as a valuable problem solving group that addresses workplace conditions, morale and quality. By developing solutions, the safety committee improves the company's competitive advantage.
• The safety committee is an excellent opportunity for employees to improve their professional skills in communications, human relations, problem solving, meeting management, and analysis. Since supervisors and managers should be informed about occupational safety and health, the safety committee is a natural "school" of preparation for future company managers. In fact, some companies even make it a prerequisite.

According to the National Safety Council's Accident Facts 2005-2006 Edition, there were 4,952 work-related fatalities in 2004, an increase of 5% over 2003. That represents 1.7 fatalities per 100,000 workers. There were also $3.7 million disabling injuries at work in 2004. The cost of unintentional injuries that year was $142 billion. Here are some additional statistics:

• Average work injury costs per worker in 2004 was just over $1,000
• Average cost for a disabling claim was $34,000
• Average cost for a fatality claim was $1.15 million

You can take advantage of statistics like this from the National Safety Council and Federal OSHA's Safety Pays Advisor to help "sell" management on the benefits of taking corrective action and making system improvements.

Every dollar invested in proactive safety, including safety committee activities, may return hundreds back. You've got to convince management that an effective safety committee not only saves lives, but saves money too.

• Role, purpose(s) of the safety committee
  
• Reasons for establishing the safety committee
  
• Need for management and employee participation
  
• Need for support by all departments
  
• Responsibilities of the committee
  
• Duties of committee members

OK, you know the safety committee is going to be composed of a number of people from management and the labor force. What kind of structure should the safety committee take?

• Prepare an agenda for meetings
• Arrange for meeting room
• Notify members of meeting dates/times
• Distribute agenda
• Delegate responsibilities
• Make Exercises
• Preside and conduct the meeting
• Enforce committee ground rules
• Communicate with the employer
• Report the status of recommendations

• Assist the chairperson with agenda
• Record minutes of the meeting
• Distribute and post the minutes
• Assume chairperson's duties if necessary

Safety committee member duties

For the safety committee to operate most effectively, everyone on the committee needs to be involved in some way. Safety committee members should do more than just report safety concerns from their departments. Let's take a look at some ideas for members:

• Receive suggestions, concerns, reports from employees
• Report employee suggestions, concerns, reports to committee
• Report back to employees on their suggestions, concerns, reports
• Attend all safety committee meetings
• Receive training on safety and health subjects
• Review injury and illness reports
• Monitor safety and health programs and system
• Set example by taking action
• Conduct safety inspections
• Make recommendations for corrective action
• Assist in communicating committee activities to all employees

The makeup of the committee membership is a very important consideration. Joint labor-management committees are a popular method of employee participation. They are extensively and successfully used in many European countries and Canadian provinces. Other types of committees also have been used successfully for safety and health participation. At many unionized worksites, employee safety committees -- with members selected by the union or elected by employees -- work alone, without management, on various tasks. At some worksites, hourly workers participate on a central safety committee. In addition, some worksites use employee or joint committees for specific purposes, such as inspecting the site for hazards, investigating accidents and incidents, and training new employees. Finally, although they go by a different name, quality circles are another form of committee. They focus, at least part of the time, on identifying and resolving health and safety problems.

Jump here for some additional thoughts about the makeup of the safety committee.

Final word

Take the Review Quiz