This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform employers and employees of best practices in occupational safety and health and general OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or any standards issued by OSHA.
MODULE 1: RULE REQUIREMENTS
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Introduction
To set the foundation for the rest of the course, let's take a look at a few OSHA rules regarding Safety Committee Duties and Functions. Federal OSHA has not published mandatory rules requiring safety committees. Some "State Plan" states require safety committees and Federal/Provincial OSH agencies in Canada also require safety committees. Let's start with some of the State Plan rules. |
Oregon
OAR 437-001-0765(6) Safety Committee Duties and Functions.
(a) Regular safety committee meetings must be held monthly except in months when there are inspections under OAR 437-004-0099(3). Committees for employers with 10 or fewer workers, under (1)(b), must meet quarterly in addition to their inspection months.Note: It is acceptable to combine required safety committee meetings with seasonal worker orientation sessions if you fulfill all requirements for the committee meetings.(b) Keep a record of all safety committee meetings and make the records available to workers. Keep the record for 3 years for inspection by OR-OSHA. |
WAC 296-800-13025
Follow these rules to conduct safety meetings. You must:
(1) Do the following for safety meetings.
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Let's take a look at the Canadian Labour Code:
| Regulation SOR/1986-305 - Safety And Health Committees And Representatives Regulations 9 - Minutes (1) The minutes of each safety and health committee meeting shall be signed by the two chairmen referred to in subsection 5(1). (2) The chairman selected by the representatives of the employer shall provide, as soon as possible after each safety and health committee meeting, a copy of the minutes referred to in subsection (1) to the employer and to each member of the safety and health committee. (3) The employer shall, as soon as possible after receiving a copy of the minutes referred to in subsection (2), post a copy of the minutes in the conspicuous place or places in which the employer has posted the information referred to in subsection 135(5) of the Act and keep the copy posted there for one month. (4) A copy of the minutes referred to in subsection (1) shall be kept by the employer at the work place to which it applies or at the head office of the employer for a period of two years from the day on which the safety and health committee meeting is held in such a manner that it is readily available for examination by a safety officer. SOR/89-480, s. 5; SOR/95-438, s. 4(F). |
Okay, so the rules aren't that interesting. That's because they're typically written by lawyers for lawyers for the benefit of lawyers (a little lawyer humor there ;-). Seriously, notice the rules above all require a certain level of management commitment to workplace health and safety. What is commitment. Well, here it means investing the time and money it takes for safety committees to meet regularly. Remember, every employer activity requires a commitment of resources.
It's important for safety committees to return the biggest "bang for the buck" possible to the employer. They do that by making sure safety committee meetings are effective. What does "effective" mean here? In this context, it may be thought of as producing well-written recommendations for improving safety programs. If your employer sees value in conducting safety committee meetings, the time and money invested in safety committee meetings will increase. If the employer sees the safety committee meeting as a waste of time, don't expect enthusiastic commitment. In this course, we'll discuss ways to fine-tune safety committee meetings so they produce valuable results.
How often do safety committees meet?
As you can see, most safety committees must meet once a month. Most, but not all committees meet once a month. Some meet more often. Remember, you can always do things that "exceed" OSHA minimum requirements. A basic guideline in determining how frequent to meet states, "the greater the risk (or change) in the workplace, the more frequently we should meet." The degree of risk in the workplace is determined by evaluating probability, severity and exposure (more on this topic in Online Course 704, Hazard Analysis and Control). For instance, in many situations like construction sites, logging operations, and some types of manufacturing, safety committees find it wise to meet more often than once a month.
Should the safety committee meet after a safety inspection?
Best practices suggests that it's most effective if the safety committee holds a meeting immediately after the inspection to:
- discuss findings
- ensure identified hazards are reported to responsible supervisors or managers
- analyze findings and discuss their possible root causes
- make recommendations to improve safety programs
If your employer has 10 or fewer employees, you may want to participate in the Innovative Safety Committee Program. Participating employers hold weekly safety committee meetings. Low-hazard work places such as offices may substitute monthly meetings for the weekly requirement. Innovative safety committees bring all employees together to discuss what everyone can do to achieve – or maintain – a safer, more healthful workplace. To keep each meeting short but effective. During the meeting, members focus the discussion on just one important topic; for example, controlling an existing hazard or identifying an unsafe work practice and determining how to make it safer.
Innovative Safety Committees in Construction
You must hold a pre-job planning meeting with the general contractor to discuss worksite hazards. You must also have a pre-job meeting with your work crew to evaluate the hazards, inspect tools and equipment, and review safe work practices.
What about wages?
Whenever a traditional or innovative safety committee meets, members must receive their regular wages while they attend a safety committee meeting.
There is a difference between a "safety meeting" and a "safety committee meeting".
Throughout my years of training, I occasionally hear confusion about what constitutes a safety meeting and safety committee meeting. There is a difference:
- A safety meeting includes all employees and usually a management person is there to ensure that issues are addressed. The purpose of the safety meeting is to conduct general safety instruction and training, and to inform employees about safety policies, rules, expectations, etc.
- The safety committee is formal structured group of individuals who meet to conduct safety-related business. This gives everyone a voice but keeps the meeting size to an effective number of participants.
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