Although businesses covered by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are encouraged, but not required, to have a safety committee, some states with OSHA-approved plans have regulations mandating them. For instance, Connecticut [General Statute Sec. 31-40v] requires that all companies with more than 25 employees, and those with an injury and illness rate exceeding the state average, have a safety committee that meets regularly. In New Hampshire [Revised Statute Section 281-A:64], the same is true for organizations with more than 15 employees. North Carolina [Revised Statute Section 281-A:64] enforces the safety committee rule if 11 or more are employed.
Even if you are exempt from regulatory compliance, a safety committee is an important part of any environmental safety & health (EHS) program and is always considered best practice. Establishing one, and hosting regularly scheduled meetings, has many beneficial impacts including proactively identifying, preventing, and mitigating hazards which leads to fewer accidents, improved regulatory compliance, and reduced liability.
In addition, implementing an effective safety committee sets the stage for establishing a positive safety culture. Employees know who to turn to when they have EHS concerns, questions, or suggestions for program improvements, allowing them to feel heard and valued. Furthermore, they recognize the company’s dedication to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace through the establishment of, and participation in, the committee.
For a safety committee to be as effective as possible, it’s best to have participation from each department/functional group at various levels of authority, as well as at least one member of executive management that can make company decisions and allocate resources. Membership should include all safety officers (e.g., Biosafety Officer, Chemical Hygiene Officer, and Emergency Coordinators) and the facilities/operations manager as applicable. Administrative/office staff should also be included. Broad representation fosters an environment where employees feel empowered to contribute their ideas.
It is generally recommended to limit the meeting to about one hour, and they can be held at any frequency, which is usually influenced by company size and breadth of the EHS program. For instance, depending on these and other factors, a schedule of monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly meetings is often appropriate. To facilitate scheduling, they can be set up as recurring meetings (e.g., first Thursday of the first month of every quarter at 12:00 pm). Having a set schedule will ensure that the meetings happen at the agreed upon frequency, rather than getting pushed back on everyone’s busy calendar. Additional or ad hoc meetings can be called if required—for instance, to respond to an incident or a regulatory inspection.
An agenda should be circulated to members prior to the meeting. Items for discussion at safety committee meetings can vary, but often include the topics listed below:
- Incidents, accidents, and near misses that occurred since the last meeting to determine how they were handled and if corrective actions need to be taken to prevent recurrence
- Findings from internal safety inspections/walkthroughs with assignment of action items to ensure follow-up; updates on action items from the last meeting should also be included, typically at the beginning of the meeting
- Review of new or proposed hazardous materials or equipment and determination of which of them might require a job safety analysis (JSA)
- Development and review of new safety-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) and policies, along with a discussion on their implementation
- Required upcoming safety training and its scheduling, including specialized training such as first aid/CPR/AED
- Scheduling of safety events such as holding a company-wide safety day, or participating in OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week
- Safety program success stories about safety improvements and things that have gone well
Safety committee meeting minutes should be kept, and they should have enough detail to capture important discussions and action items. This is particularly important when addressing incidents and accidents as OSHA can, and often does, review safety committee meeting minutes if they become involved in an incident/accident investigation.
Initiating safety committee meetings, or increasing their frequency, can be a great way to jumpstart your EHS program. If you don’t have an established committee, or you have one that hasn’t met in a long time, now is a good time to put one in place and/or schedule a date for your next meeting. When implemented, it’s important to make sure that all employees are aware of the safety committee. They should be encouraged to report hazardous conditions they see and to discuss health and safety-related concerns and issues with any of its members.
We can work with you to develop safety committee meeting agendas, facilitate the meetings, prepare the minutes, and assist with action item follow-up—contact us!
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research, and Training.
