Your company can benefit from an organized, functional safety committee. The success of the committee will depend on the purpose, personnel makeup, responsibilities assigned and support from management. Many Flanders Group clients have a successful safety committee and now enjoy benefits such as increased awareness of safety, quick response to issues, cooperation between employees and management and a reduction in Workers’ Compensation insurance premiums.
Members of a safety committee are responsible for developing and reviewing safety policies, investigating and reviewing accidents and communicating safety initiatives to company employees. Here are some additional tips to help your safety committee succeed:
Appoint a Chairperson: This person must display leadership skills such as organization, dedication, have an excellent working knowledge of the company and be respected by other members.
Diversify the Committee: The committee should be composed of an equal number of management and non-management employees who represent all areas within the company. Limiting the size of the committee to 4 – 12 members will help keep meetings moving and to allow for everyone to be involved. These members should have knowledge of company operations, safety hazards, possess a strong teamwork attitude and be able to effect change within your company’s safety program.
Schedule Meetings: Meetings should be scheduled at least monthly with a planned agenda and last no more than 1 hour in length. Limiting meetings to 1 hour keeps things moving and the agenda on track. In addition, it helps limit the time employees must spend away from their daily job duties.
Use an Agenda: The agenda of a meeting may vary, but typical ones include: review of recent accidents/injuries, safety inspection reports, and special projects or presentations.
Document the Committee’s Efforts: A written record of the meeting’s proceedings should be prepared by the committee’s designated secretary. Previous month’s meeting minutes should be discussed at each meeting, as well as any follow-up actions from the meetings. Minutes of the meetings should be distributed to all members, posted for company employees to read, as well as sent to key management personnel.
Maximum benefit will be obtained by publicizing the committee’s efforts. Those benefits include increased safety awareness and keeping employees and management updated on the progress of the committee.
For more tips how to make your safety committee successful, contact Aisha Hartford at 800-462-6435 ext. 233.