Occupational Health & Safety Alert - Health and Safety Committees
By Robin Hendrickson | Published April 1, 2017
Establishing a health and safety committee is an effective way to support a company’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program by providing an opportunity for management and employees to work together on promoting safety and well-being for all employees.
Benefits of a committee
Prevention and reducing the risk of workplace injuries and illnesses
Employee engagement and commitment to a company’s safety program
Expanding safety communications and training to all employees
Ensure compliance with federal and state health and safety regulations
Committee Best Practices
Safety committees can vary in size, structure and frequency of meetings, based on a company’s population, accident records, nature of operations, and potential risks of the industry. Additionally, some states may have OSHA specific safety committee provisions.
Identify a committee chairperson, who is skilled at leading teams and has the support of senior management.
Members of the committee should represent a cross section of management and employees. This would include individuals representing safety, security, human resources, health and wellness plans, risk management, supervisors, and a diverse group of employee team members. The combined skills and resources of a cross functional committee can add tremendous value by providing more holistic and expanded perspectives regarding employee health and safety.
The chairperson should outline the duties and responsibilities of the committee, including:
Develop committee goals with tactics on achieving these goals
Participation at scheduled committee meetings
Review existing safety programs, with recommendations for continuous improvement
Distribute safety and health information to employees
Conduct workplace surveys to identify and correct any unsafe conditions or acts
Participate in accident investigations and analyze injury data
Respond to safety concerns raised by employees
It is important to maintain commitment and enthusiasm amongst members of the safety committee with visible support and recognition by senior management, encouraging innovative ideas and suggestions such as, integrating the safety committee with the wellness committee that can advocate employee safety and wellbeing both at work as well as off work.
Robin Hendrickson
As Newfront’s Occupational Health & Safety practice leader, Robin leads a team of experienced workers’ compensation claims management, wellness initiative, and loss mitigation and strategy consultants. Robin, and her team, work with employers to reduce occupational risk exposures, implementing best practices to control claim costs, and keeping employees safe, healthy, and productive.
