Safety committee members are there for their organizations, employees, and each other. So, do you need a safety committee? Depending on your company size and location, the hazards present in your facility, or past workers’ compensation claims, you may be required to have one. Safety committees also may be required if you have a collective bargaining agreement with some or all of your employees.
Some labor unions consider health and safety contract provisions almost as important as wage and hour provisions. Others see safety committees as a way to exercise leverage over the organization of work and standard operating procedures. Some contracts even authorize union or joint labor-management safety committees to shut down operations until health and safety hazards are corrected.
Some national labor unions and the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health suggest state and local members exercise the leverage afforded by health and safety clauses. For example, the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health encourages close coordination among bargaining and safety committee members and shop stewards.
Safety committees also can be extremely effective. Having one could reduce the number of workplace injuries and illnesses and workers’ compensation claims while bolstering your compliance with federal or state occupational safety and health regulations.
State requirements for safety committees and safety management programs have had the greatest potential for injury reduction, according to a study of the impact of state workplace safety laws.
Most states do not require employers to establish safety committees. However, 14 states require an employee/employer safety committee at some or all workplaces in their jurisdictions.
Six states—Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and West Virginia—require safety committees at high-hazard or high-risk workplaces. Definitions of “high-hazard” and “high-risk” usually are based on a high experience modification rate (EMR); high days away, restricted, or transferred (DART) rate; or high workers’ compensation insurance premiums.
Alabama requires employers to form a safety committee if employees request one. Eight states use establishment size as a criterion for requiring a safety committee, ranging from 5 or more employees in Montana to 25 or more employees in Connecticut, Nevada, and Minnesota.
Employers in California may use safety committees to satisfy the communication requirement of the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) standard. Oregon employers must either form a safety committee or hold safety meetings to communicate and evaluate workplace safety and health issues. Colorado employers may be entitled to a workers’ compensation insurance premium discount by creating a safety committee, along with meeting other requirements.
Source: EHS Dailyadvisor