Safety Committees and Safety Meetings

WAC 296-800-130
For printing

Important:

This rule requires you to have a method of communicating and evaluating safety and health
issues brought up by you or your employees in your workplace. Larger
employers must establish a safety committee. Smaller employers have the choice of either
establishing a safety committee or holding safety meetings with a management
representative present.
There is a difference between a safety committee and a safety meeting.
Safety committee is an organizational structure where members represent a group.
This gives everyone a voice but keeps the meeting size to an effective number of
participants.
A safety meeting includes all employees and a management person is there to
ensure that issues are addressed. Typically, the safety committee is an effective safety
management tool for a larger employer and safety meetings are more effective for a smaller
employer.

Your Responsibility:
To establish a safety committee or hold safety meetings to
create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for all
employees
You must:
Establish and conduct safety committees

WAC 296-800-13020

Follow these rules to conduct safety meetings

WAC 296-800-13025

WAC 296-800-13020
Establish and conduct safety committees
You must:

If:

Then:

You employ 11 or more employees You must establish a safety

on the same shift at the same
committee
location
You must:

o
o

(1) Establish a safety committee.

Make sure your committee:
- Has employee-elected and employer-selected members.

The number of employee-elected members must equal or excee d

the number of employer-selected members.

Note:
Employees selected by the employees bargaining representative or union qualify as
employee-elected.
o
o

The term of employee-elected members must be a maximum of one

year. (There is no limit to the number of terms a representative can serve.)
If there is an employee-elected member vacancy, a new member
must be elected prior to the next scheduled meeting.
- Has an elected chairperson
- Determines how often, when, and where, the safety committee will meet

o
o

Note:
Meetings should be one hour or less, unless extended by a majority vote of the
committee.
If the committee cannot agree on the frequency of meetings, the department of
Labor & Industries regional safety consultation representative should be consulted for recommendations.
(See the resources section of this book for contacts.)

You must:

o
o

(2) Cover these topics:

Review safety and health inspection reports to help correct safety hazards.
Evaluate the accident investigations conducted since the last meeting to determine if
the cause(s) of the unsafe situation was identified and corrected.
Evaluate your workplace accident and illness prevention program and discuss
recommendations for improvement, if needed.
Document attendance.
Write down subjects discussed.
(3) Record meetings.
Prepare minutes from each safety committee and:
- Preserve them for one year
- Make them available for review by safety and health consultation personnel
of the department of Labor & Industries.

WAC 296-800-13025
Follow these rules to conduct safety meetings.
You must:

If:

Then:

You employ 10 or less employees You may choose to hold a safety

or
meeting instead of a safety
If you have 11 or more employees committee
that
Work on different shifts with
10 or fewer employees on each
shift

or
Work in widely separate
locations with 10 or fewer
employees at each location

o
o

(1) Do the following for safety meetings.

Make sure your safety meetings:
- Are held monthly. You may meet more often to discuss safety issues as they
come up.
- Have at least one management representative.
(2) Cover these topics.
Review safety and health inspection reports to help correct safety hazards.
Evaluate the accident investigations conducted since the last meeting to determine if
the cause(s) of the unsafe situation was identified and corrected.
Evaluate your workplace accident and illness prevention program and discuss
recommendations for improvement, if needed.
Document attendance.
Write down subjects discussed.

SAFETY COMMITTEE AT YOUR WORKPLACE

INTRODUCTION

The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 ( OSHA 1994), which is based on the
concept of self regulation places the responsibility to ensure safety and health of workers on
those who create the risk . As such , it is important that both employer and employees
undertake the responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace. One of the ways is by
forming a Safety and Health Committee where both employer and employees can actively
get involved and participate in implementing safety and health program at their workplace.

LEGAL REQUIREMENT

Section 30 of OSHA 1994 makes it compulsory for employers who have more than 40
employees to establish safety and health committee at their workplace or otherwise
directed by the Director General of DOSH.

The Section requires employers to consult workers representatives in the committee on

matters pertaining to occupational safety and health. Likewise employees have to get
involved and cooperate with the employers.

OBJECTIVE OF THE COMMITTEE

The main objective of the committee is to foster cooperation and consultation between
management and workers in identifying, evaluating and controlling hazard at workplace.

It is also an effective channel of communication to exchange idea to solve problems relating

to OSH. Feedback from workers will greatly assist employers to promote and provide a safe
and healthy work environment.

FUNCTION OF THE COMMITTEE

Section 31 of the Act has specified two main function as follows:

Shall keep under review the measures taken to ensure the safety and health of person s
at the place of work.
Shall investigate any matters at the place of work.
1. Which a member of committee or a person employed thereat considers is not safe
or is a risk to health; and
2. Which has been brought to the attention of the employer.

Besides the above two main functions, other functions that can be implemented by the
committee are as follows;

Assist in the development of programmes and safe system work.

Review effectiveness of program.
Inspect workplace.
Report unsafe acts and conditions.
Recommend corrective action.
Review and recommend revision to safety and health policy.
Investigate into any work related accident, dangerous occurrence, poisoning or
disease.
Study trends of accidents/disease, and
Assist to organize promotional activities.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE

In line with the concept of fostering cooperation and consultation between management and
workers, membership of the committee should at least be as follows;

Chairman
- should be from the top management, preferably the CEO
Secretary
- can be appointed from among the members. If the company has safety
and health Officer he should be the secretary.
Management s Representatives
Workers Representatives

The organization should decide on the adequate number of managements and workers
representatives to facilitate the consultative process. An Important consideration is that all
divisions or sections should be represented. This is to ensure that all issues pertaining to
OSH at their respective workplace are brought to the committees knowledge promptly. It is
also important that all members have basic knowledge and interest in safety and health.

ENSURING EFFECTIVE COMMITTEE

Employers should hold regular safety committee meetings to ensure safety and health
programs are implemented effectively at their workplaces. Meeting should be held
regularly , at least once in 3 months.

However, for workplaces with hazardous work environment, such as in manufacturing and
building operations work sectors, more frequent meeting should be held. The following
points can be taken into account to ensure effectiveness of committee meeting:

a. What are the main issues to be discuss?

- The chairman and members should bear in mind the golden rule
that they should stick to safety and health matter only.
b. All relevant information on OSH must be made available to members.
Members must also be given relevant training regularly.
c. Minutes must be efficiently recorded and distributed.
d. Speedy decisions and follow up action must be made on any
recommendations from members.
e. Top management should strictly work on the concept of consultation and
cooperation and encourage full participation from all members of the
committee.
f. Proper meeting facilities must be made available for committee use.
g. Member should preferably be given some form of recognition by top
management.

PENALTIES

The OSHA 1994, imposes a penalty involving a fine of not exceeding RM 5,000.00 or six months
imprisonment or both for failure to establish a safety and health committee at the workplace.
Sources : DOSH Phamplet