Committee can boost morale and productivity as long as members trained and role seen as opportunity, not obligation
A company that considers a place on a joint health and safety committee (JHSC) as an obligation instead of an opportunity — or a rubber stamp to satisfy legislative requirements — could be missing out on untold health, safety and performance opportunities.
Built on the concept of workers and management participating in the improvement and maintenance of a workplace health and safety system, an effective committee can offer many benefits, such as informed advice, greater productivity, reduced damage to equipment and improved morale and co-operation among employees.
On the other hand, poor health and safety processes at a company can lower workers’ spirits while raising turnover by delivering the implicit message their health and well-being is a low priority for their employer and they are not valued.
A JHSC can raise the profile of an organization’s health and safety program by setting tighter agendas, keeping discussions on track, making informed recommendations and, most importantly, encouraging management to focus on those hazards posing the greatest risk.
But several factors can divert a well-intentioned committees from its course:
Few committee members are trained. For true debate and decision-making ability, all members should be armed with knowledge and training in health and safety, communications and effective teamwork.
The same people are always there. Many committees reappoint members because recruiting new members is hard. Members should be given a finite term (two years is the average) so fresh recruits can bring more enthusiasm to the role.
Members are selected for the wrong reasons. When recruiting for the JHSC, educate staff about health and safety and the roles and responsibilities of being part of the committee. Be sure candidates are prepared to do what’s required, are empathetic to someone else’s viewpoint and are motivated to make a difference in their workplace.
Voting is used as an easy out. Voting might sound democratic but, at the committee level, it can mean the deliberate will of the majority hasn’t been achieved. Instead, provide clear terms of reference that outline how decisions are made, through full discussion with everyone, to arrive at the best solution.
The committee becomes the health and safety police. There is no better way to stifle open dialogue between workers and a committee than when members take on management’s role of enforcing health and safety rules. This can create a climate in which workers are less willing to come forward with concerns.
Politics have a regular place at the table. Tensions can rise during labour-management disputes but these issues have no place on the committee. Politics will derail every decision, polarize committee members and torpedo any progress.
‘Eyes and ears’ of health and safety
Sustainable change to health and safety requires buy-in at all levels. An effective JHSC starts with strong, consistent and visible leadership and resource support. Employers will not see a good return on investment if worker and management representatives are twiddling their thumbs sitting on a committee — this can cost money in lost productivity and lost-time injuries.
As the eyes and ears of health and safety, committees need a lot of ongoing support and encouragement from the organization. Leaders should make the committees more visible by giving them a higher profile at senior management meetings and staff meetings, and communicating their successes and milestones throughout the organization at every opportunity.
While demonstrating faith and confidence in the committee, leaders should also act on recommendations in a timely manner and be clear with the committee about implementing its recommendations.
Breathing life into a JHSC
To breathe life into a JHSC, the committee should:
• sit down at the end of the year and take stock of all of its achievements and prepare a brief summary report for internal distribution
• promote its successes regularly through communications vehicles such as company newsletters and Intranet
• make brief presentations about its role during special company events or lunch periods
• maintain open lines of communication with everyone, particularly senior management
• commit regularly to new and specific goals — tied to measurables to compare successes — based on emerging trends
• provide clear terms of reference that specifically outline dispute mechanisms and preferred decision-making processes
• dedicate a health and safety day in the company, supported by senior management, to acknowledge the contributions of the JHSC members while focusing on the importance of health and safety at work.
Submitted by the Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA), a not-for-profit organization operating in Ontario since 1917 that represents 50,000 member firms and more than 1.5 million Ontario workers.
Investigations about prevention, not laying blame
When workplace accidents are investigated, the emphasis should be on finding the root cause of the accident so it can be prevented from happening again, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. The purpose is not to lay blame but to find facts that can lead to actions.
As little time as possible should be lost between the moment of an accident or near miss and the beginning of the investigation. The tools members of the investigating team may need (such as a pencil, paper, camera and tape measure) should be immediately available so no time is wasted.
The causes of any accident can be grouped into five categories — task, material, environment, personnel and management. Under each category there are several questions that need to be asked to assess the cause. The following are sample questions only and should not be considered a comprehensive checklist.
Task
These questions involve the actual work procedure used at the time of the accident.
• Was a safe work procedure used?
• Had conditions changed to make the normal procedure unsafe?
• Were the appropriate tools and materials available?
• Were the appropriate tools and materials used?
• Were safety devices working properly?
• Was lockout used when necessary?
Material
These questions involve possible causes resulting from the equipment and materials used.
• Was there an equipment failure?
• What caused the equipment to fail?
• Was the machinery poorly designed?
• Were hazardous substances involved?
• Were hazardous substances clearly identified?
• Was a less hazardous alternative substance possible and available?
• Was the raw material substandard in some way?
• Should personal protective equipment (PPE) have been used?
• Was the PPE used?
• Were users of PPE properly trained?
Environment
The following questions help specify the physical environment, and especially sudden changes to that environment, at the time of the accident.
• What were the weather conditions?
• Was poor housekeeping a problem?
• Was it too hot or too cold?
• Was noise a problem?
• Was there adequate light?
• Were toxic or hazardous gases, dusts or fumes present?
Personnel
These questions will explore the physical and mental condition of those individuals directly involved in the event.
• Were workers experienced in the work being done?
• Had they been adequately trained?
• Can they physically do the work?
• What was the status of their health?
• Were they tired?
• Were they under stress (work or personal)?
Management
These questions help identify the role of supervisors and higher management, and the role or presence of management systems, in the accident.
• Were safety rules communicated to and understood by all employees?
• Were written procedures and orientation available?
• Were these procedures being enforced?
• Was there adequate supervision?
• Were workers trained to do the work?
• Had hazards been previously identified?
• Had procedures been developed to overcome these hazards?
• Were unsafe conditions corrected?
• Was regular maintenance of equipment carried out?
• Were regular safety inspections carried out?
Physical evidence
Before attempting to gather information, examine the site for a quick overview, take steps to preserve evidence and identify all witnesses. Physical evidence is subject to rapid change or obliteration and, therefore, should be the first to be recorded. Investigators should note the:
• positions of injured workers
• equipment being used
• materials or chemicals being used
• safety devices in use
• position of appropriate guards
• position of controls of machinery
• damage to equipment
• housekeeping of the area
• weather conditions
• lighting levels
• noise levels
• time of day
Photos and sketches with measurements can help clarify written reports and ensure nothing is missed in the initial survey of the scene. Broken equipment, debris and samples of materials involved may be removed for further analysis by appropriate experts.
Interviewing witnesses
Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered “yes” or “no.” The actual questions will vary with each accident but there are some general questions that should be asked each time:
• Where were you at the time of the accident?
• What were you doing at the time?
• What did you see, hear?
• What were the environmental conditions (such as weather, light or noise) at the time?
• What was (were) the injured worker(s) doing at the time?
• In your opinion, what caused the accident?
• How might similar accidents be prevented in the future?
Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
“Accident investigation”
www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/investig.html
