Safety in the workplace is important to us all. Forming a joint health and safety committee (JHSC) is not only good business, but it’s also the law for most companies. Below are some sites with information on how to create an effective and valuable joint committee along with a few other helpful hints on overall safety in the workplace.
Certification training
www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/CertificationTraining
This should be your starting point when setting up a joint health and safety committee. Brought to you by Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), this site explains what a JHSC is and when it’s required in the workplace. It also details the training an individual must undertake to be a certified member of an organization’s JHSC. The certification program involves two mandatory parts: Part one, basic certification provides an overall knowledge of health and safety that applies to all workplaces. Part two, workplace-specific hazard training focuses on significant hazards in your workplace. It provides ways to assess those hazards and ways to control or eliminate them.
Presenting JHSCs by PowerPoint
www.ccohs.ca/events/iapa2002/bhawani.htm
Visiting this site will open a recent PowerPoint presentation, done on behalf of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, about how to form joint health and safety committees. There is also an overview of workplace health and safety legislation. Another good starting point in order to learn about the basics.
JHSC at U of T
www.utoronto.ca/safety/cencmtrf.htm
If you’re looking for some guidelines to follow to form a joint health and safety committee, you can’t get any more detailed than this document from the University of Toronto. It describes in-depth the internal operations of its JHSC. From functions of the committee to the set up of their meetings, this is an “A to Z” guide. “It is the firm belief of the University and its staff that only through the joint efforts of all parties can the University maintain a safe and healthful environment in which to work and study. A major vehicle for the accomplishment of this objective is the joint health and safety committee established pursuant to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The purpose of such a committee is to provide a forum where representatives of employees and the employer may identify and deal with workplace health and safety hazards.”
An OSH program in your workplace
http://info.load-otea.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/~oshweb/progen.shtml
“This document has been prepared in order to help employers and employees meet their obligations under the Canada Labour Code, Part II. Its purpose is to assist employers and employees in organizing, implementing and monitoring an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) program in their workplace.” This opening statement is part of a very thorough Web-guide — produced by Human Resources Development Canada — detailing how to start up an entire health and safety system at your workplace from scratch, including joint health and safety committees.
Fallacies in the health and safety fable
www.ipti.com/article1.htm
Find out what’s true and false when it comes to workplace safety. Like most workplace topics, myths and fallacies abound when it comes to improving safety in the workplace. This article debunks seven myths about creating safer work environments. One of the more popular myths is that low accident rates means a company has a “well-working” safety program in place. However, that’s not necessarily always the case. “Workers figure the lack of accidents means that what they are doing is safe and develop a false sense of security about the very actions that cause accidents,” the article states. Another popular myth is that safety professionals can keep workers safe. Yes, safety professionals can “contribute to engineering safe environments,” but safety is ultimately in the hands of the worker.
Shaping a safety culture
www.p-management.com/articles/2001.htm
Written by Andrew ShamRao, an expert in behaviour analysis, this article addresses the idea of creating an entire “safety culture” in your organization. This approach, although difficult to implement, can be something that can change the attitudes of the employees of your organization. “The safety culture we want to shape is characterized by behaviours that focus on safe, quality production, and ensure safety for everyone. This culture, called the ‘want-to’ safety culture, is the outcome of a collaborative effort between management and workers,” ShamRao writes.
Scott Stratten is a speaker, trainer and the creator of WorkYourLife.com. He can be reached at [email protected] or (905) 844-2818.
Certification training
www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/CertificationTraining
This should be your starting point when setting up a joint health and safety committee. Brought to you by Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), this site explains what a JHSC is and when it’s required in the workplace. It also details the training an individual must undertake to be a certified member of an organization’s JHSC. The certification program involves two mandatory parts: Part one, basic certification provides an overall knowledge of health and safety that applies to all workplaces. Part two, workplace-specific hazard training focuses on significant hazards in your workplace. It provides ways to assess those hazards and ways to control or eliminate them.
Presenting JHSCs by PowerPoint
www.ccohs.ca/events/iapa2002/bhawani.htm
Visiting this site will open a recent PowerPoint presentation, done on behalf of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, about how to form joint health and safety committees. There is also an overview of workplace health and safety legislation. Another good starting point in order to learn about the basics.
JHSC at U of T
www.utoronto.ca/safety/cencmtrf.htm
If you’re looking for some guidelines to follow to form a joint health and safety committee, you can’t get any more detailed than this document from the University of Toronto. It describes in-depth the internal operations of its JHSC. From functions of the committee to the set up of their meetings, this is an “A to Z” guide. “It is the firm belief of the University and its staff that only through the joint efforts of all parties can the University maintain a safe and healthful environment in which to work and study. A major vehicle for the accomplishment of this objective is the joint health and safety committee established pursuant to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The purpose of such a committee is to provide a forum where representatives of employees and the employer may identify and deal with workplace health and safety hazards.”
An OSH program in your workplace
http://info.load-otea.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/~oshweb/progen.shtml
“This document has been prepared in order to help employers and employees meet their obligations under the Canada Labour Code, Part II. Its purpose is to assist employers and employees in organizing, implementing and monitoring an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) program in their workplace.” This opening statement is part of a very thorough Web-guide — produced by Human Resources Development Canada — detailing how to start up an entire health and safety system at your workplace from scratch, including joint health and safety committees.
Fallacies in the health and safety fable
www.ipti.com/article1.htm
Find out what’s true and false when it comes to workplace safety. Like most workplace topics, myths and fallacies abound when it comes to improving safety in the workplace. This article debunks seven myths about creating safer work environments. One of the more popular myths is that low accident rates means a company has a “well-working” safety program in place. However, that’s not necessarily always the case. “Workers figure the lack of accidents means that what they are doing is safe and develop a false sense of security about the very actions that cause accidents,” the article states. Another popular myth is that safety professionals can keep workers safe. Yes, safety professionals can “contribute to engineering safe environments,” but safety is ultimately in the hands of the worker.
Shaping a safety culture
www.p-management.com/articles/2001.htm
Written by Andrew ShamRao, an expert in behaviour analysis, this article addresses the idea of creating an entire “safety culture” in your organization. This approach, although difficult to implement, can be something that can change the attitudes of the employees of your organization. “The safety culture we want to shape is characterized by behaviours that focus on safe, quality production, and ensure safety for everyone. This culture, called the ‘want-to’ safety culture, is the outcome of a collaborative effort between management and workers,” ShamRao writes.
Scott Stratten is a speaker, trainer and the creator of WorkYourLife.com. He can be reached at [email protected] or (905) 844-2818.
