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OHS Committees

HACSU strongly supports the establishment of Workplace Health and Safety Committees as a way of ensuring that workplaces are as safe as possible.

Setting up a Committee

Where there are more than 20 workers working at a workplace, whether or not they are all employed by the employer, the management of that workplace must, if requested by a majority of those workers, establish a health and safety committee for that workplace not later than 2 months after being requested to do so.

A workplace health and safety committee is made up of employees working at the workplace who have been elected by those employees and can also contain persons appointed by the employer.

The number of employees who are elected or persons to be appointed to the committee is to be agreed between the employer and the employees.

Unless otherwise agreed between the employer and the majority of employees at the workplace, not less than half of the members of a health and safety committee are to be employees elected by the employees at the workplace.

HACSU members are reminded that an officer of the union may also be elected to the committee even though that officer is not an employee of the employer.

The Role of the Committee

The functions of an OH&S committee are to facilitate consultation and co-operation between the employer and persons working at the workplace for which the committee is established in initiating, developing and implementing measures designed to ensure the health and safety of the persons at the workplace.

The Committee has a right to keep itself informed about standards relating to health and safety in similar types of workplaces.

One of the key roles of the Committee is to review and make recommendations to the employer on rules and procedures at that workplace relating to the health and safety of the persons working at the workplace.

The Committee can recommend to the employer the establishment of programs and procedures relating to the health and safety of the persons working at the workplace.

Recommendations to the employer relating to training, education and promotion of health and safety at the workplace is also an important role of the Committee.

The Employer and the Committee

Where there is a health and safety committee at a workplace, the employer must make available to the committee information that the employer has about hazards that may arise at that workplace.

The employer has a responsibility to consult with the committee on changes proposed to be made at that workplace which may affect the health or safety of persons working at that workplace.

The employer must also provide the committee with reasonable resources and assistance in carrying out its role.

Training for Committee Members

Members of the Committee are entitled to participate in relevant training courses relating to the health and safety of employees.

Smaller Workplaces

In the case where there are 10 or more, but less than 20 employees employed at the workplace they may elect from time to time an employee to be an employees' safety representative for that workplace for the purpose of the act. For the purposes of ensuring the health and safety of employees at a workplace, the employer must consult with the employees' safety representative for that workplace whenever reasonably requested to do so by that representative.

All the above conditions also apply to the employees' safety representative.

HACSU members are advised that there is an election kit available which contains all the material need to conduct an election for workplace health and safety representatives and committees. If you are thinking of forming a workplace health and safety committee or electing a workplace health and safety representative contact HACSU for assistance or information.