HSE001 Health, Safety and

Environment Committee Constitution

Guidance Documentation
Purpose of Form
Responsibility for Completion
Frequency of Completion
11.01.01 HSE Practice Management Procedure
Provides detail on the aim, objective and scope of the committee,
roles and responsibilities of committee members, election process
and training requirements specific to the OC.
To be signed by OC HSE Committee Chairperson
Completion required on formation of committee and when any
changes to the OC Chairperson or OC Committee constitution are
needed

1. Name
The Committee should be known as the <insert text>OC Health, Safety and Environment (HSE)
Committee.

Throughout this document, the <insert text>OC Health, Safety and Environment Committee is
referred to as “the Committee”.

2. Coverage
The coverage includes all GHD staff working in the <insert text>OC.

This Constitution is designed as a working document. It outlines the organisational

arrangements of the Committee and defines the roles and responsibilities of all parties in the
Committee.

3. Aim
The Committee provides a formal consultative structure for discussing and resolving broad
workplace Health, Safety and Environment issues and risks. The Committee makes
recommendations to management based on evaluated OC HSE performance information.
These recommendations may include OC HSE preventative strategies and behaviour change
initiatives that will facilitate the development of a consistent HSE focus.

The Committee aims to facilitate cooperation between GHD management and staff to provide a
healthy and safe work place, safe systems of work for the prevention of occupational injuries
and diseases and facilitate the protection of the physical environment through improved office
and job environmental performance.

The Committee should achieve this by:

 Contributing to the development of policies, procedures and programs.

 Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the HSE management system and
performance data to make recommendations regarding OC initiatives to assist OC
compliance and improvement.

 Assisting the OC HSE Manager / Coordinator in delivery of awareness and cultural change
events or communications.

 Providing a channel of communication between Business / Service Groups and the wider
management of the Operating Centre to ensure both specific service related risks as well as
general cultural issues remain well communicated.

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4. Role of the HSE Committee
In addition to the outlined aims in Section 3, the Committee should:

 Review measures taken to improve Health, Safety and Environment risks in the work
groups covered.

 Investigate and attempt to resolve matters referred to them that are an actual or potential
threat to Health and Safety in the workplace and work activities which may cause
environmental harm. Where required, assistance can be obtained from the OC Health,
Safety and Environment Manager / Coordinator.

 Assist in the recording of incidents and hazards and monitor investigations.

 Assist in the development of a safe working environment and safe systems of work.

 Assist with internal environmental improvement initiatives

 Monitor actions taken to control hazardous situations, including the proper use,
maintenance and replacement of equipment designed to protect staff from hazards.

 Make suggestions to GHD management for improvements to Health, Safety and

Environment in the work groups covered. Such suggestions should be made in writing and
discussed at Committee meetings. Any investigation and improvements undertaken should
be clearly noted in IRIS. Wherever possible, an issue that is referred to a Business Group
Manager or the OC Health, Safety and Environment Manager / Coordinator should be
responded to before the next Committee meeting. Issues with organisational implications
should be referred to the Operating Centre Manager, via the Committee’s Management
representative. These should generally be responded to within 2 weeks of the next
scheduled meeting.

5. Training of Members
In line with the 11.01.01 HSE Practice Management Procedure, staff appointed as Health,
Safety and Environment Committee members should be formally recognised by GHD and
trained accordingly in accordance with jurisdictional legal requirements by an accredited
provider within three months of being elected or appointed.

Refresher training should be provided when required, or as requested by those members who
are re-elected / re-appointed for a second term, at the approval of the Committee.

Attendance at these courses should be at a mutually agreed time.

6. Work as Committee Members

GHD considers the duties and training undertaken by Committee members, in the context of
their role in the Committee, to be usual work duties.

Committee members are entitled to perform theses duties or attend training during their ordinary
hours of work.

If it is necessary to attend training or perform other functions outside ordinary hours of work,
staff representatives should be appropriately remunerated.

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7. Committee Members
Staff representatives should be Business Group / Service Group (designated workgroups)
Representatives who have been elected to the Committee.

The Operating Centre Manager (OCM) may appoint GHD management representatives. These
persons should be Operating Centre Management Group members with responsibility to make
decisions, as far as practicable, on matters associated with Health, Safety and Environment.

In order to facilitate effective representation for all persons covered by the committee, there
should be at least staff representative from each Business Group / Service Group and one
representative from the Finance / Marketing / People business groups.

The Committee should consist of one employer (management) and <insert number> staff
representatives, unless otherwise determined by the Committee.

If the staff representatives are also managers, the staff to management ratio should be a
maximum of 4:1.

The OC Health, Safety and Environment Manager / Coordinator will provide support to the
Committee in undertaking their functions.

The Committee members are appointed for a two-year term from when they join the Committee.
A Committee member may be reappointed if no other nominations are put forward.

A member of the Health, Safety and Environment Committee ceases to be such upon:
 Resignation from the committee.

 Cessation of employment in the work group represented (if staff representative).

 Removal by motion passed at a meeting of the staff represented (if staff representative).

 Becoming a manager (if staff representative).

 Removal by the OCM (if employer representative).

Resignation from the Committee should be in writing and sent to the chairperson, one month
prior to the next meeting.

8. Election of Staff Representatives

All staff covered by the Committee are eligible for nomination as a staff representative to the
Committee.

The term of each staff representative on the Committee is two years. At the end of each term, a
call for nominations from all existing staff covered by the Committee should occur, one month
prior to the next scheduled Committee meeting.

If there are no volunteers after the nomination date has closed and the existing Committee
member would like to stand again for a second term, elections are not necessary.

If more than one-person volunteers, from a Business / Service Group, an election should be
held to determine the representative.

In a situation where there are no volunteers for a Committee vacancy, attempts should be made
to fill the vacancy by direct approach to existing staff within the Business / Service Group.

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If a casual vacancy occurs, (e.g. parental leave, extended annual leave, long service leave etc.)
the Committee can recruit an appropriate person to stand in for that period.

9. Appointment of GHD Management

Representatives
The GHD management representatives on the committee should be appointed from the <insert
text> Operating Centre Management Group by the OCM.

Management representatives, wherever possible, should include persons of Senior

Management status who have the authority to make decisions, as far as practicable, to
implement Health, Safety and Environment preventative measures and otherwise act on behalf
of the GHD in matters associated with Health, Safety and Environment.

10. Role and Responsibilities of GHD Management

Representatives
Management representatives are to report regularly on HSE performance to the OC
Management Group in consultation with the OC HSE Manager / Coordinator.

Management Representatives represents the voice of the OC Management Group and enable
the Committee to action or progress any decisions made by ensuring these decisions align with
the OC position.

A Management Representative must attend every meeting.

11. Electing a Chairperson

The staff representatives on the Committee should elect one to be the chairperson.

The period of office for the chairperson is two-years, unless otherwise agreed to by the
Committee.

12. Roles and Responsibilities of Chairperson

The chairperson is the Convener of the Committee and chairs the meetings.

The chairperson should develop the agenda in consultation with the committee members and
should circulation of the agenda and any information to members as required. A deputy
chairperson should assist with these responsibilities, when required.

13. Roles and Responsibilities of Secretary / Minute

Taker
A staff representative should, on a rotational basis, take the minutes of the meeting. The
secretary should record and distribute minutes of the meeting as agreed.

14. Holding a Meeting

The committee should meet every at least quarterly at a regular place and time unless
otherwise agreed at least one month prior to the meeting.

A quorum for an ordinary meeting is four committee members and one management
representatives (4:1 ratio).

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An extraordinary meeting may be called by the chairperson or at the request of least <insert
number> committee members. The quorum should be <insert number> members made up of
<insert number> staff and one management representative. All members should be notified of
the time and place of this meeting. This meeting can be held by phone.

15. Agenda
The proposed agenda should be circulated to the Committee two weeks prior to the meeting to
enable Committee members to contribute items.

A final agenda and all relevant background material should be distributed to committee
members prior to the meeting.

16. Minutes
The minutes should be reviewed and distributed to the committee members and preferably no
later than one week after each meeting.

A copy of the minutes should be displayed prominently on a notice board, where staff may read
them. Minutes should also be distributed at business/service group team meetings.

The Secretary should maintain a central register of all minutes and meeting correspondence
that is accessible to committee members and staff by arrangement and upload to the HSE
Forum.

17. Decision Making Process

The decision-making process for the Committee is based on open collaboration and meaningful
discussion. In the absence of a decision being able to be made, a vote may be required.

When a decision is being made on a Health, Safety and Environment issue, a quorum of <insert
number> committee members is required to vote.

The process of voting may also occur through circulation of relevant documentation and casting
of votes to the chairperson. In this instance, any committee member may request a meeting to
discuss the issues rather than vote by circulation.

The vote should be carried when a majority of the Committee has voted in agreement. Where
there is a tied vote the dispute resolution process should be applied (see 11.01.01 HSE Practice
Management Procedure). A ‘back up’ committee member is able to vote in place of a regular
committee member provided they have participated in the appropriate Health, Safety and
Environment Committee training course (where jurisdictionally required).

18. Support for Committee Members

Committee members should have access to information, which may include results of testing or
research, to enable them to assess the Health, Safety and Environment implications of:
 Any substances, plant or equipment used in the workplace.

 Any changes to the workplace, work environment and work processes, prior to their
implementation.

Committee members should have access to information relating to:

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 Injury and incident statistics in their workgroup

 Health, Safety and Environment inspection / audit reports on their work group.

Committee members should be able to participate in a consultative process with management

about any proposed changes to the workplace that may affect health, safety and well being at
the workplace.

The Committee should be provided with the facilities and any assistance necessary to enable
them to perform all duties and functions. It is expected that where ever possible, existing GHD
facilities should be used.

19. Display of Act and Regulation

A summary of the provisions of the <insert text> Health, Safety and Environment legislation, and
related regulations should be displayed prominently at all GHD work areas. Access to this
information is available from the OC Health, Safety and Environment Manager / Coordinator.

20. Review
This constitution should be reviewed in two years or sooner as requested by the parties to it or
as the legislation requires.

Any changes to this constitution should only occur after discussion with committee members in
the context of a minuted committee meeting.

Changes to the constitution should also be signed by the elected chairperson on behalf of
<insert text> OC and staff.

Signed on behalf of the committee:

________________________________________
Chairperson Name

________________________________________

Chairperson Signature

_______________

Date

Form HSE001 HSE Committee Constitution Uncontrolled when printed Page 6 of 6

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