At least once per  year it is discussed at SIG meetings or at the Safety Group meetings  "How do you get employees interesting in joining the joint health and safey committee?"  It has been my experience that most companies have the same problem it is not unique. I would like to offer some principles and methods that I have used to have a healthy committed and excited JHSC.

Like Lean Business if there is NOT support from the top management of the company to get behind the safety program it will not be effective. If senior management is just doing the minimum requirements of the Health and Safety Act you just get minimum results.

I am pleased to see more and more EMC saety group members achieving milestones of no lost time accidents records  being broken regularly, this is definitly one result of  being a member of the EMC safety group.

An effective, active and yes sometimes excited joint health and safety committee takes  time and commitment to achieve. To achieve this the senior management of the company cannot accept the minimum requirements to be good enough, it must only accept the very best possible as being good enough and also realize that like Lean or any other good business practice that it is a never ending journey. It takes time and  financial resources.

The first step would be to join the EMC safety Group for expert guidance which will result in  world class safety policy  and procedures. Have your JHSC member participate in the meetings as well as review all of the policies and procedures, involve them.

Certify  ALL of the  JHSC members. It is usually the newest member of the committee that does not understand how a  committee is supposed to work and other employees get that person to question everything then the new person gets frustrated. Yes this training costs money and takes time to complete the required courses but the committee respects the knowledge and the mangement for investing in them. This also eliminates a lot of unecessary discussion at safety meeting when the chairperson has to explain the health and safety act to the new person. If the company invests time in training any individual, that employee becomes more valuable to the company.

To hear from the experts in the company I interviewed each JHSC member separately  and asked them a few questions. Here are the results and I have not indicated which responses were from management reps and which are employee reps.

How long have you been on a Joint health and safety committee?

Answers:    7 years, 15 years,  2 years, 3 years

Why did you decide to join the JHSC?

Answers:

a) I was always interested in health and safety , keeping the work place safer and an opening came up on thecommittee so I put my name forward.

b) I wanted to learn more about health and safety especially about making my own job safer and other jobs in the company safer.

c) I saw it as a learning experience. I wanted to be involved, part of something where I can use skills learned at work and at home.

d) I wanted to make sure that I work in a safe atmosphere, I was interested in health and safety. 

Is the JHSC effective at your workplace why or why not.

Answers:

a) Yes, our results speak for themselves we have gone over two years without a lost time accident. The committee has become more aware of potential issiues and act quickly to take care of them before an accident happens. Management fully suports the committee for example if it is determined a need to purchase a fatigue mat we are allowed to purchase the mat. The team works together to discuss issues

b) Yes, because we have made many changes to have a safer work place. We work together as a team, the JHSC and the employees. Management listens to our concerns and recommendations. We have gone two years without a lost time accident.

c) Yes, so far we have gone past 2 years with no lost time accidents. I am always learning about new things. The safety committee discusses things and tries to fix it right away. We have different opinions but all try to see the others opinion and come up with the best solution. Management supports the safety committee.

d) Yes, we get things done. We identify unsafe areas, address the issues right away and double check the fix to make sure it is correxct. Good communication between everyone.  We are supported by management and have received good training.

Food for thought!