Health and Safety Committee - Creation

A health and safety committee consists of workers (employees) and management members. Health and safety legislation specifies how the members of the committee are to be selected. Consult the legislation applicable to your workplace. Generally, the management members are selected by the management (employer). The worker members are selected by other workers or by the union (if there is one).

Note: In Canada, the name of the health and safety committee varies from one jurisdiction to another (see table below). In the following sections, we will refer to them simply as the committee.

Please refer to the following OSH Answers documents for more information about health and safety committees:

• Health and Safety Committee – What is a Health and Safety Committee
• Health and Safety Committee – Effective and Efficient
• Health and Safety Committee – Measuring Effectiveness
• Health and Safety Committee – Structure of Meetings

The laws typically state that there should not be more management members on the committee than worker members.

The legislation or collective agreement may specify a minimum or maximum number of members, which is usually dependent on the number of workers at the site. Too few workers may mean that all segments of the workforce are not represented, while too many members may make the committee hard to manage, resulting in more debate and less action. In deciding the ideal committee size, consider:

• Total number of workers.
• The number of different trades or unions involved.
• Complexity of the operation(s).
• Degree of hazard in the work.
• Whether all segments of the workforce are represented (management, supervisors, male workers, female workers, office staff).
• Whether the committee encompasses adequate knowledge of conditions, processes, or practices.

Members should be adequately trained in health and safety in order for them to contribute fully to all committee activities. In some jurisdictions, safety training or certification is required by law for employer and worker members. Items in such training should include:

• Committee responsibilities and authority
• Occupational health and safety law
• Principles of incident causation
• Hazard recognition
• Hazard control
• Job safety analysis
• Occupational (industrial) hygiene
• Methods of raising safety awareness
• Inspections
• Incident or injury investigation
• Effective oral communication

Legislation does not require specific qualifications for a committee member. However, workers with varied work backgrounds and those involved in hazardous and complex operations will usually be able to contribute to the committee activities. Some jurisdictions have established mandatory training or a minimum amount of training or education hours for committee members.

In some Canadian jurisdictions, the term of office is specified. Where it is not specified, the term of office should be specified in the terms of reference for your committee. The term of office should strike a balance between a short term, where a large number of people are introduced to the committee and safety, and too long, when enthusiasm may fade. No matter how long the term is, a staggered rotation is suggested so that new members come in while others continue such that no more than one-half of the committee is new at any given time. 

Those individuals with safety expertise, such as safety professionals, safety engineers, fire marshals, occupational health nurses, or occupational (industrial) hygienists might serve as health and safety coordinators or resource persons who are available to help the committee. The duties of a qualified individual include:

• Informing employers and workers of workplace hazards.
• Ensuring control measures are in place to protect workers against these hazards.

The committee should not be controlled by (or seen as controlled by) those with safety expertise, nor should the presence of this person on the committee create an unbalanced ratio between worker and employer representation.

The functions of the coordinator and the committee are closely intertwined, and their relationship must be clearly defined to prevent misunderstanding and conflict. It would seem logical that the coordinator should attend every committee meeting, but their role at these meetings may be that of resource person, advisor, or guest. For the purposes of determining attendance and quorum, it must be agreed on what the role of this individual will be on the committee (e.g., ex officio, observer, voting member)

Depending on the number of workers, complexity of operations, or different locations, it may be appropriate to have more than one committee. In very large organizations, a tiered system of committees with a hierarchical reporting arrangement may be in place. For example, the Policy Health and Safety Committee in the Federal jurisdiction plays this role. This structure has the advantage of assuring full representation without too many members on a single committee.

A committee member is entitled to take time from their regular work duties to carry out committee-related responsibilities. In some jurisdictions, this time is a legislated right (with pay) and includes time allocated to prepare for the meeting, the meeting itself, and any related activities (such as workplace inspections). With shiftwork, this provision is especially important to ensure full attendance at meetings and that all committee tasks are carried out.

Reprisals against a health and safety committee member are against the law. An employer, any person acting on behalf of the employer, or any union cannot take discriminatory action against any worker because that person participates in the functions of the committee.

Minutes of all health and safety committee meetings are required. Some jurisdictions may require the use of specific forms. Some may require that the minutes be forwarded directly to the jurisdiction while others state the records must be made available when a government official or officer requests them. Regardless, keeping a good record of the activities and discussions of the health and safety committee is necessary to help ensure that each concern and resolution is documented. Minutes must also maintain confidentiality for individuals.

Minutes of meetings are generally circulated to all committee members for approval.  The committee's terms of reference can define the process for meeting minutes approval (e.g., are the minutes circulated and approved within a period of time or are they approved at the next committee meeting?).  A copy should be posted in a prominent place in the workplace and another copy kept with the offical records of the committee. 

Minutes should be kept for a period of time. Some jurisdictions require this time to be at least 2 years.