GENERAL WORKPLACE SAFETY
2.12
Revised 10-11
Environmental Health and Safety
335-3041
PURPOSE
Each unit is to provide a forum where employees are encouraged to discuss and assist unit management in resolving safety and health concerns. The unit may either establish an employee and management safety committee or hold regular foreman-crew safety meetings.
Unit Administrators
Unit administrators are responsible for:
- Establishing safety committees, or
- Ensuring the foreman-crew safety meetings are held.
Definitions
Safety Committees
A safety committee is an organizational structure where members represent a group of employees within an administrative unit or college, department, or building. Each University employee must be represented on a safety committee.
Foreman-Crew Safety Meetings
A foreman-crew safety meeting includes all applicable unit employees and a management representative who attends every meeting to ensure that issues are addressed. Units may only select this option when one of the following conditions apply:
- There are ten or fewer employees in the unit, or
- There are eleven or more employees in the unit and employees are segregated on different shifts or in widely dispersed locations in crews of ten or fewer employees.
SAFETY COMMITTEES
Membership
Nonmanagement Representatives
Employees elect fellow workers to represent them on the committee.
Employees elect committee members to serve for one year terms. Members may be reelected by their peers. There is no limit on the number of terms to which employees may be reelected.
Vacancies are filled by special election.
Management Representatives
The unit administration appoints at least one management representative to the committee.
The number of management members may not exceed the number of nonmanagement employee members.
Meetings
Chair
The committee elects a chair who presides at meetings. The term of the chair is one year. A chair may be reelected for another term. There is no limit on the number of terms to which a chair may be reelected.
Frequency
Meetings must be held at least six times per calendar year. The committee determines meeting times and locations and can meet more often if needed.
Meeting Length
The length of each meeting may not exceed one hour except by majority committee vote.
FOREMAN-CREW SAFETY MEETINGS
Membership
All employees are to attend the meetings.
At least one management representative must attend the meetings.
Meetings
The management representative ensures safety and health concerns are addressed during the meetings.
Frequency
Foreman-crew safety meetings are held at least once a month (12 times per year) or, if conditions require, weekly or biweekly.
MEETING AGENDAS AND ACTIVITIES
Safety meeting agendas must include the following activities:
- Reviewing University Health and Safety (UH&S) Committee minutes received from Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S).
- Assisting unit supervisors in promoting or publicizing relevant safety and health topics (i.e. issues, policies, programs, training).
- Evaluating employee safety concerns, reported hazards, and suggestions, and proposing solutions.
- Assisting unit supervisors in reviewing job procedures and recommending improvements.
- Evaluating Incident Reports and Supervisor's Accident Investigation Reports to determine causes/problems and recommending methods of prevention or solutions.
- Refering unresolved safety problems to the unit administrator, a higher-level safety committee, e.g., the college or division committee, or EH&S in order to ensure resolution.
- Evaluating the unit's Accident Prevention Program and other applicable safety and health programs (e.g., Chemical Hazard Communication Program, Laboratory Safety Manual) and making recommendations to the unit administrator on improvements. See also Chapter 2 and 5.10.
- Assisting unit supervisors in coordinating and conducting annual safety self-inspections. See 2.50 for policy and checklist.
Projects and Goals (Optional)
Safety meeting agendas may also include the following optional activities:
- Meeting annually with the unit administrator and supervisors to select projects based on their activities, potential hazards, accident history, and WSU policy requirements.
- Reporting progress on safety projects during safety committee meetings.
DOCUMENTATION
Safety committees and foreman-crew groups must document the minutes of safety meetings. The groups may use the Safety Meeting Report and Agenda form on 2.12.4-5 or may create a report to document safety committee or foreman-crew meetings. (See required report elements below.)
NOTE: All safety meeting reports must contain the elements included on the Safety Meeting Report form in the order listed. (See 2.12.4-5.)
The group appoints or elects a representative to document safety meetings.
Routing
Safety committees and foreman-crew groups are to route the safety meeting reports to unit administrators or supervisors for signature.
Safety committees and foreman-crew groups send the signed reports to EH&S and provide copies to unit employees (by direct distribution to employees or by posting copies on safety bulletin boards).
Retention
Safety committees and foreman-crew groups are to maintain copies of the safety meeting reports on file for two years, in accordance with University records retention requirements. (See BPPM 90.01.)
See the PDF form:
2.12.4-5: Safety Meeting
Report and Agenda
Complete and/or print as needed.