Health and Safety Committee in the Workplace April 7, 2009

OVERVIEW

A health and safety committee is a joint worker-management team that assists the employer in creating and maintaining a safe workplace. In most jurisdictions a health and safety committee is mandatory. Even in workplaces where a committee is not required by the law, the benefits of a joint committee in addressing workplace health and safety needs are widely recognized. As a result, there is a trend toward establishing a committee on a voluntary basis even where one is not mandatory. The health and safety committee is an advisory committee to ensure a healthy and safe workplace and not as a body responsible for enforcing legislation. The committee recommends actions to management who has the authority to make changes to meet goals and objectives. This course will assist committee members, managers, and health and safety professionals to establish an efficient and effectively functioning committee.
OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of this course is to help committee members to:

* Understand their roles and responsibilities under occupational health and safety legislation;
* Form an effective committee;
* Conduct effective and efficient committee meetings;
* Carry out committee activities as set out in the occupational health and safety legislation;
* Recognize workplace hazards and recommend control measures;
* Respond to workplace concerns;
* Assist the employer in resolving health and safety issues; and
* Contact health and safety resources to find information.

COURSE PROGRAMMED

1. Health and Safety Committee Basic Facts.

A health and safety committee is a joint worker-management team that assists the employer in creating and maintaining a safe workplace. The goal of the committee is to enhance the ability of workers and employers to resolve safety and health concerns reasonably and co-operatively. They should do so on their own with a minimum of government involvement. The underlying philosophy of the joint health and safety committee is the internal responsibility system which holds the employer and employees jointly responsible for workplace safety and health. The committee’s role is to make recommendations for action to prevent accidents, injuries and illness. The authority for action, and hence the accountability for non-compliance, stays with the employer/management. Establishing a committee does not lessen the employer’s accountability for health and safety.

2. Establishing a Health and Safety Committee.

The employer (management) is responsible for establishing a committee(s). Employers establish terms of reference applicable to the formation, structure and functioning of the committee in their workplace. In Indonesia, the establishment of a committee is mandatory based on The Decree of Ministry of Manpower no. 04/1987. The number of employees is used as criteria for mandatory committees. The legislation or collective agreement may specify the number of committee members. Too few members may mean that not all of the work force is represented. Too many members may make the committee hard to manage. Members should be adequately trained in health and safety in order to contribute fully to all committee activities.

3. Making the Committee Effective and Efficient

A policy is a statement of management’s commitment to health and safety. It states the principles and general rules that will serve as guides for action. The OH&S policy should recognize the importance of the health and safety committee. The purpose and objectives of the committee should be declared in the company’s safety policy statement. The health and safety committee has the authority to recommend action. Management has the authority and resources to take an action. Employers, managers and supervisors are responsible for the health and safety of employees and are personally accountable for non-compliance. Reduction in injury, illness and accident rates is the most important evidence of the long-term success of a committee.

4. Recognizing Workplace Hazards.

Part of the duties of the health and safety committee is to recognize hazards and to make recommendations for improvement. We know that certain workplace conditions and work practices have the potential to cause accidents, injuries, or risk of illness. Hazard recognition involves identifying these situations for the purpose of taking action to prevent accidents, injuries and illnesses. Safety is freedom from the risk of accident, injury and illness and performing a task in accident-free manner. The methods of identifying these hazards include Anticipation, Recognition, Evaluation and Health Condition(s).

5. Accident Investigation.

What Types of Accidents are to be investigated. Both accidents and incidents should be investigated. Basically, all accidents and incidents with potential of injury or property damage must be investigated. Studies have shown that for every serious accident, there are about 600 incidents with no visible injury or damage. These incidents provide us with an opportunity to take corrective action and prevent accidents from happening. The purpose of the accident investigation is to determine the root cause of the accident and take corrective action to prevent recurrence of similar accidents. An accident investigation policy and procedures are important components of a workplace health and safety program. Committees should assist the employer in developing a policy and the necessary forms for reporting accidents, the investigation, and the follow-up.

6. Controlling Workplace Hazards.

Setting Priorities is to allocate resources for what hazards to control first. Hazard priority is established by taking into account the employee exposure and the potential for accident, injury or illness. The hazard control strategies are grouped into the following categories according to where the control measure is placed, such as: Control at the source, Control along the path, Control at the worker and Administrative controls. First aid regulations may require that employers in all workplaces provide first aid facilities, equipment, and trained personnel with valid first aid certificates. The health and safety committee assists the employer in ensuring that adequate first aid facilities are in place. Training in Health and Safety for committee members is mandatory. Training raises awareness about health and safety policy and safe work practices.

7. Health and Safety Legislation.

The purpose of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) legislation is to protect you, the employee, against hazards on the job. It outlines the general rights and responsibilities of the employer, the supervisor and the employee. The law makes both you and your employer jointly responsible for workplace health and safety legislation, which based on The Decree of Ministry of Manpower no. 04/1987 regarding Health and Safety Committee in the workplace.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Courses are aimed at committee members and health and safety representatives. Employees, supervisors, managers, and anyone else committed to maintaining health and safety in the workplace will find this course useful. This course will serve as a practical handout. This course will also serve as a practical reference for the formation and effective functioning of voluntary health and safety committees in workplaces where the law does not require the establishment of a committee.

Official Website: http://www.focustraco.com/index.php/tm-training-schedule/details/90-209010