Safety committees should have representatives from both labor and management inclusive of all departments, shifts and outside branches. This diversity of input will help guide and grow a company’s safety culture with attainable safety initiatives. The committee needs to “walk the talk” of its safety program by having clear and defined roles, responsibilities and goals.
Safety committees should seek to achieve the following goals:
- Employee training programs such as Forklift certification, Haz-Com, etc.
- Building safety and security such as emergency evacuation plans and building access points
- Employee Health and Safety such as first aid and CPR programs
Key elements of a safety committee:
- Hold meetings on a regular basis and allow members to attend during their normal work hours.
- Agenda need to be specific, published in advanced and time-efficient.
- Minutes need to be kept and distributed for review and further input.
- Keep all employees informed of committee recommendations and initiatives.
- Committee needs full cooperation and enforcement from top management.
- Goals should be measurable and achievable.
- Incidents need to be reviewed for trending and corrective action recommendations.
Common safety committee mistakes:
- No clearly defined responsibilities
- No planned meeting dates for each quarter
- No defined chairperson to lead the group
