Presented By Jenny Scheuering CHST CWCC Fusion Safety and Business Solutions ACI TriState Safety Council Motivated gets things done cornerstone of your safety program focus on problem solving and promotion of safety respected by all ID: 778664
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Developing A Safety CommitteePresented ByJenny Scheuering, CHST CWCCFusion Safety and Business Solutions
ACI Tri-State Safety Council
Slide2Motivated, gets things done, cornerstone of your safety program, focus on problem solving and promotion of safety – respected by all.They meet, do some things OK, have trouble staying on track, basic function is to review accidents and conduct inspections.Have not accomplished anything of value in the past year, members attend sporadically, bored, on verge of breaking up.
Don’t meet any more, in need of life support.
Don’t have a committee at all.
Rate Your Safety Committee
Slide3Today’s corporate trend of streamlining and multi-tasking may result in employees having to wear several “hats”.Safety positions are often combined with other functions such as HR, Operations or Production Managers.This makes the use of Safety Committees extremely important!
The Challenge
Slide4Why Have A Safety Committee?
All employees have a responsibility for health and safety.
When workers and management are aware of hazards and work to improve them, fewer accidents occur.
Safety committees promote employee involvement in workplace safety programs and initiatives.
Often comprised of management and members from multiple departments,
safety committees provide a link between the employees who do the work and the managers that direct it.
Today’s objective is to assist in creating and maintaining an
effective safety committee.
Slide5The Safety Committee’s Purpose
States regulated by federal OSHA do not require employers to have a safety committee, but…
Participating Companies of the ACI/OSHA Partnership ARE required.
May be required by some state-plan OSHA states.
(KY-no, IN-only as part of settlement)
Although it is not required in every state or industry, there are benefits for having a safety committee :
Reduction of injuries and workers’ comp premiums.
Demonstrates
good-faith efforts and best practices.
Bragging rights for marketing purposes.
Slide6Starting A Safety Committee
Check your state’s regulations for needed criteria.
Consult OSHA’s guidelines and materials.
Determine the appropriate committee size.
States
may have requirements based on the number of employees or the industry.
Determine a process for deciding committee membership.
This could be employer selection, employee elections, or volunteers.
Establish equal representation.
Represent both management and employees from all departments as equally as possible.
Establish Missions and Goals.
Assure that all members understand the committee’s purpose and core functions.
Designate leadership.
Designate officer positions, identify each position’s roles and responsibilities, and fill the positions by committee
election.
Slide7Starting a Safety CommitteeA safety committee has two overall missions:
Act as a conduit for delivering safety information to the entire workforce, and;
Provide a channel for feedback and suggestions from the workers.
Slide8Some companies and managers view safety as a top-down concept. Management sets out the rules, and the workers are expected to follow without question. Without buy-in from the workers, those rules are likely to create dissension and lead to bigger problems – or prove to be inappropriate in real-world situations.
Starting A Safety Committee
Slide9Too few can’t accomplish anything…Determine the appropriate committee size
Slide10Too many…um, still can’t accomplish anything…Determine the appropriate committee size
Slide115 – 15 members (5 -7 is optimal)Even when worksites become much larger, it’s good to keep the committee at a manageable size.Ensure that all of the participants feel that they are really making contributions.
Determine the appropriate committee size
Slide12A safety committee should include all levels of people within a company, from hourly workers to upper management. While you don’t want committees to become so large that they make meetings and decision-making impossible. It’s important to achieve that representation of people throughout the company or worksite.
Have a process to decide committee members
Slide13Involving those who will be expected to follow the rules ensures that what may sound good in the executive office is actually practical and beneficial at the worksite.
For example, management may react to an increase in claims for hand injuries by mandating that workers throughout a plant or at a construction site wear gloves.
However, workers in some roles or areas may be able to point out that gloves will have such a negative effect on their dexterity that they make actually create bigger hazards.
Establish equal representation
Slide14Having a safety committee gives you a planned, practical way to address such issues. Instead of dictating the need for gloves, management’s representatives could make everyone aware of the increase in claims and ask everyone to bring ideas to the next meeting.
It may be that the claims are actually the result of unsafe work practices or equipment that isn’t properly protected.
Or, most workers may see gloves as beneficial, and those who don’t may be able to offer an alternate solution.
Establish equal representation
Slide15The first step in making a safety committee work most effectively is making sure that it has the right members. As we noted, the most productive committees include:Participants from throughout the company or the specific jobsite, Members representing levels from both hourly workers to upper management.
committee members
Slide16Member selection could be through some kind of democratic process such as election, but;Most effective committees are usually when participants are carefully selected.
Goal is to ensure that the owner or manager’s viewpoint doesn’t dominate the discussion.
Instead, make sure the people sitting on the committee will be good representatives who will be respected by the workers.
committee members
Slide17Give thought to the length of their term of service. Appoint members for a set amount of time.Rotate positions so that members only need to commit for a year or so at a time.
Rotating members also helps to head off hard feelings about not being selected.
If workers know that they may be asked six months or a year down the road, there won’t be as much resentment.
Consider staggering members’ terms so there are no drastic changes at any one time.
committee members
Slide18Some candidates may not be comfortable with the role, or that their supervisor may force them to miss meetings. Give them the opportunity to turn you down. Participants who are hesitant or who really don’t want to be there won’t do the committee any good.
committee members
Slide19Before you approach specific candidates for the committee, be ready to answer their questions. Where & how often the committee will meet.Whether their supervisor will permit them to leave the site even if a concrete pour is scheduled!What expectations management has for the group.
Most people will appreciate being asked, as long as they understand what’s involved.
committee members
Slide20Committee members must be above average in their safe work habits and their positive attitude about safety.Committee members must set a good example and avoid sabotaging committee efforts behind-the-scene.
committee members
Slide21Keep representatives from management from dominating the meetings. It’s a natural tendency for company leaders to assume leadership roles in committee meetings, but that can be counterproductive. Workers may believe that the committee is a sham, or that management isn’t really interested in their ideas or involvement.
committee members
Slide22Once a committee is formed, its first goal should be to define its mission and vision. A collaborative process will be more effective and meaningful than handing the members a list of responsibilities.
Establish Missions and Goals
Slide23But Remember to Keep It Simple…
Mission Statement:
The mission of the XYZ University Safety Committee (Safety Committee) is to develop and promote a healthy and safe work environment for all employees and visitors to our facilities through the involvement of all
individuals with regards to education, communication and safe work
practices. In addition to this primary mission, the Safety Committee
encourages all
employees to participate in the safety process for the betterment of all concerned. The personal safety and health of each employee of the XYZ Facilities Management is of primary importance. To the greatest degree possible, this committee
will provide employees a voice to management to ensure that concerns and issues related to safety are brought to the forefront. In carrying out its primary mission, the committee is committed to four basic principles:
Help to formulate and disseminate policies, practices, and procedures that promote health and safety. Assist management in the planning of action on occupational health and safety. This will include helping to set priorities to control hazards. Act as a problem solving group to help with the identification and control of hazards. Help to resolve health and safety issues. Activities:
The activities of the committee will include, but are not limited to, the following: Identify unsafe work practices and conditions and suggest appropriate remedies.
Review accident/incident reports. Types of accidents, causes and trends shall be identified and appropriate corrective action suggested.
Assist in the development and implementation and maintenance of effective safety programs.
Encourage feedback from all individuals with regard to health and safety related ideas, problems, and solutions.
Serve as an advisory body to the Auburn University Facilities Management Safety Steering Committee on safety programs and issues.
Slide24The mission and vision will be slightly different with each committee, but it nearly always will focus on: creating a safer working environment for all of the employees, on reducing injuries and illnesses, and;
improving communication about safety throughout the organization.
Establish Missions and Goals
Slide25Scheduling and overseeing safety inspections and audits;Identifying hazardous conditions in the workplace;
Investigating injuries, property damage, and near-miss incidents;
Reporting findings from audits, inspections, and investigations to supervisors as necessary;
Addressing employee concerns regarding safety and health conditions;
Developing and promoting organization-wide safety programs;
Coordinating safety training for employees;
Maintaining and improving upon existing safety policies;
Evaluating and continually improving the safety culture.
Potential Roles of a Safety Committee
Slide26Many organizations utilize safety committee members to perform safety inspections or plant safety audits. This is a wise choice, for these are the people who know the work practices and the jobs on your site—and the inherent hazards in the work. They know the safe—and the unsafe—way to perform the jobs. But assigning safety committee members to do safety tours is only the start—training them in how to do the inspection task accurately and thoroughly is the next step
Conduct Safety Inspections/ Audits
Slide27What will the committee's role be in identifying and reporting unsafe equipment, conditions and hazardous acts? This will vary, depending on the size of your location, the number of departments, and your organization's philosophy and policy.
The committee should not be perceived as the “Safety Police”.
Identify/report unsafe conditions
Slide28Train committee to how to properly investigate until all of the “WHY” questions are answered. It's good practice to investigate both Lost Work Day Cases as well as minor accidents which could have been more serious.
Remind committee members to
respect the individuals involved in the incident and avoid discussing confidential information.
Investigate Incidents
Slide29Determine frequency and hold regular meetings.Require the attendance of all committee members.
Maintain and publish the minutes from each meeting.
Designate a facilitator to prepare an agenda for the meeting and to assure that conversation is kept on-task.
Perform safety observations, report findings in the meetings, and provide and discuss solutions to prevent incidents.
Communicate the findings and areas for improvement to all staff.
Follow up on all corrective actions, and assure their completion.
Committee meeting agendas, attendance lists and meeting minutes must be kept.
Meeting Requirements
Slide30Send the agenda out AHEAD of timeShow up and start on time…end early!Stick to the Agenda – it’s not a complaint session!Jenny – Put names of topic speakers next to every item.
Include a topic for reviewing action items from the last meeting.
Include a topic for scheduling or announcing the next meeting time/location.
Prepare Agenda In Advance of Meeting
Slide31Written summary of effortsNames of attendeesNumber of absentees
Responsibilities for implementation assigned
Timing of implementation assigned
Cost of implementation
Any approvals required
Completed recommendations
Uncompleted recommendations
Accident review
Safety training activitiesIssued within 48 hours of the meeting
Prepare & Distribute Minutes
Slide32Lack of:Management Support/CommitmentCommittee Expertise or TrainingTeamwork / CommitmentLeadership
Direction and Goals
Follow-UpFocus On Specific IssuesPreparation for Meetings
Behind-the-Scene Sabotage
Mistakes To Avoid
Slide33Bring in Outside SpeakerHold Safety BreakfastSafety Awards PresentationUse Outside Resources:BWC Safety ServicesInsurance Risk Management Fire Department
Safety Suppliers
Spice Up A Meeting
Slide34Reasonable / Attainable GoalsZero accidents is not a reasonable goal.Visibility / Recognition for SuggestionsAssign Tasks (expect completion)Establish Effective Problem-Solving MethodsHow do they make recommendations?
Who do they issue them to?
Management must respond quickly – even if suggestion is being denied.
Keys To Success
Slide35Questions???
Slide36Jenny ScheueringSafety Management ExecutiveFusion Safety and Business Solutions(513) 774-7400jenny@fusionsafetysolutions.com
Thank You!