By Jillian Austin
“Our GM has taken over the JHSC meeting and follows us around on inspections– can he do that?”
“My JHSC management member wants me to do all the meeting minutes and inspections, while she co-chairs the meeting. Is this legal? (By the way the management member is my immediate supervisor).”
Questions regarding Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) are regularly posted on the Ontario Service Safety Alliance’s bulletin board at www.ossa.com. Leon Matrosov, an OSSA consultant, monitored and answered OSSA bulletin board posts like these for two years. In this article, he shares some tips and strategies that will reduce confusion and help you create a more efficient and effective JHSC.
The What and Why
In general, The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires that businesses have a Joint Health and Safety Committee where 20 or more workers are regularly employed. Employee headcount is the most common legal trigger for minimum JHSC requirements, however exceptions do occur. For example, if there is an MOL order to form a committee or there is a designated substance in use in the workplace. Most small workplaces with 6-19 employees are only required to have a health and safety representative. Workplaces with 50 or more employees are required to have at least four members on the committee, two of whom must be trained.
Overall, the broad purpose of the committee is to help prevent workplace injury and illness. Specifically, they provide a mechanism and role for workers to formally participate with management in the health and safety of the workplace, supporting the internal responsibility system. According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour website, www.labour.gov.on.ca. JHSCs are “necessary to provide greater protection against workplace injury and illness, and greater protection means reduced human suffering, work-related accidents and workrelated deaths.”
The Who
The committee should be comprised of both workers and management. The committee’s job is to help identify, assess and take action against any potential
health or safety hazards. For example, the committee may take a tour of a storage room to look for possible hazards. If they see, say, a large number of
boxes piled high on a shelf, they would recognize that these boxes could fall on an employee and they would take the steps needed to organize the boxes in a
safer way.
Common Problems
Many JHSCs experience one of two problems: management is underinvolved in the committee or management is over-involved. Both can cause problems and will weaken the effectiveness of the committee.
Some of the signs and symptoms of a committee that is not operating optimally are:
An under-involved management team will often invest money in the committee without understanding what it is actually there to do. It is not uncommon for management to mistakenly figure that the committee can fulfill the role of a company “health and safety coordinator” for the organization. In addition to being incorrect, this perception defeats the value of the committee as an internal auditor for the organization.
Similarly, an over-involved management team that micro-manages the committee will also negate the role of the committee as internal auditor. If these, or any other issues come up, Matrosov suggests that all members of the JHSC should at least start by referring back to the OHSA. It will help clarify what is legally required and the basic role of a JHSC. At minimum, the JHSC should be monitoring the employer’s and employee’s adherence to the OHSA and related regulations.
However, a committee can also play an important consultative role providing recommendations to management that are well-researched, collaborative and properly communicated. It is not the role of the committee to develop or procure training or assessments for the organization. Instead, the employer should consult with the committee when considering the development or purchase of such programs and services.
Certification Training
Most committees require that at least two members (one employer and one employee) become certified through a two-part process, which includes Certification Part I and II, In Basic Certification (Part I) the committee member learns about the law, hazard recognition and control, inspection and accident investigation principles, and health and safety resources. Completing Part I means passing a written test, required by the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Part II of certification training is more specific to your own workplace. The training covers assessing hazards and finding ways to control or eliminate them. Some examples of common workplace hazards are noise, ergonomics, chemicals and indoor air quality. Visit OSSA’s
website www.ossa.com to find out where training is being offered in your area.
Who Does What
Matrosov says he often reads questions from JHSC members who aren’t sure who is supposed to do what on the committee. While the OHSA can provide information on the role of the committee in legal text, both the OSSA and Ministry of Labour have helpful publications and training material to further explain the role of the committee.
Creating a Guide
The most helpful thing that a JHSC can do is put together a terms of reference document for the committee. “It could be as simple as stating what sort of process you will have for minute-taking at your meetings,” he says. It could also include a schedule of rotating tasks, and an outline of each individual’s role to meet legal and practical requirements. This will eliminate confusion and make meetings run faster and smoother.
Bottom Line
To create a safe, healthy, fully functioning work environment, Matrosov says that employers need to launch their JHSC correctly from the start, with a clearly defined role. To read more on this topic, or to access products and services that will help you improve the effectiveness of your committee, visit www.ossa.com or call 1-888-478-6772.
Also look for: OSSA’s Breaking New Ground: A Resource Guide for Developing an Effective Joint Health and Safety Committee
Excerpted from Safety Mosaic, Fall 2007, Vol. 10, No. 3
