LOCAL JOINT OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEES

Terms of Reference

MANDATE

The LJOHSC are mandated to assist in issues relating to occupational health and safety, including personal safety and emergency response, within their areas. These committees will promote the implementation of safety programs, monitor programs for effectiveness and recommend appropriate changes to the department chair, dean, or director.

SCOPE

These terms of reference apply to the LJOHSCs at SFU.

DUTIES

LJOHSC members will undertake the following activities, within the area they represent:

Policies and Procedures

• Review occupational health and safety (OH&S) policies, procedures, and programs, monitor effectiveness and make recommendations for their improvement;
• Review and make recommendations concerning such OH&S matters as, orders from WorkSafe BC, monthly OH&S incident reports and other reports as submitted for information; and
• Address safety concerns that are not resolved through the normal line management structure.

Communication

• Consider recommendations or suggestions from faculty, staff and students concerning OH&S issues, and address them where warranted; and
• Promote safety awareness.

Worksite Inspections

Participate in work site inspections, review and distribute inspection summaries and monitor follow-up; and

• Participate in inspections conducted by regulatory agencies.

Incident Investigations

• Review incident reports, participate in incident investigations as required, and recommend corrective action.

Safety program Implementation

• Monitor and promote the implementation of safety programs.

Training

• Ensure safety-training needs for joint occupational health and safety committee members are reviewed and appropriate WorkSafe BC training provided.

Administration

• Keep written minutes of the issues discussed and forward a copy to all committee members (including observers/resource people), represented deans, chairs, directors, and the OH&S Office.

COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

Committee Membership

The committee shall consist of members from locations covered by the committee. In compliance with Workers Compensation Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, and Workers Compensation (Occupational Health and Safety) Amendment Act, committee members are designated as representing either management of the University or workers employed by the University. Efforts should be made to ensure all major work groups or areas are represented on the committee. Management representatives shall not outnumber worker representatives on the committee. The Manager, of OH&S or his/her designate, will be a non-voting resource and may attend monthly meetings. For student representation, there will be one student representative on the committee and they will be classified as a resource person. As needed, the committee may request the attendance of other resource people.

Appointment or Election of Members

The appropriate Dean, Chair, or Director, will appoint management representatives, from among persons who exercise managerial functions. Worker representatives are to be selected according to Workers Compensation Act, Section 128 (1) (2) & (3).

The student representative can either be a graduate or undergraduate student and must be nominated by the SFSS Board of Directors or by the local student unions.

Term of Appointment

Committee members will sit on the committee for two years. For the first year, one half of management representatives and one half of worker representatives will sit for only one year.

Note: A minimum of eight hours training time per year will be made available to all joint occupational health and safety committee members.

Election of Co-chairs

Each year in January, worker representatives and management representatives will, in alternating years, select a co-chair from their respective group. Both offices may not be held by worker group representatives or by university management representatives at the same time.

Note-taker

The local area administrator(s) will supply clerical support to the committee, as required.

Subcommittees

Subcommittees can be established to review and make recommendations on particular safety issues, as required.

MEETING STRUCTURE & RECORDS

Meetings and Attendance

The committee will meet monthly on a designated day, except when the day occurs on a university closure day, in which case the co-chairs will re-schedule the meeting to a date before or after.

When unable to attend meetings, committee members will arrange to have an alternate attend. Attendance of meetings is a priority. Supervisors of committee members will be advised that meeting attendance is a priority.

Quorum

Quorum at any meeting will be two thirds of the total voting membership. Quorum is to be based on the number of filled positions. Resource people do not form part of membership or quorum.

Voting

Only committee members have a vote on the committee. Resource people do not have a vote.

Agenda

The agenda for the upcoming meeting will be prepared and distributed to the committee members one week before the meeting.

Meeting Minutes

Draft meeting minutes will be circulated to the OH&S office and committee members within five working days after the committee meets (Email attachment is acceptable). Revised committee minutes will be approved for wider distribution and posting at the following committee meeting. Approved minutes from the previous three meetings will be posted on bulletin boards, as per Appendix D.

Records

The OH&S Office is responsible for maintaining official copies of all committee records. Committee minutes will be kept for a minimum of two years after the meeting to which they relate. Occupational First Aid records will be kept for a minimum of ten years. Committee member, education and training records will be kept for a minimum of three years.

REPORTING STRUCTURE

Recommendations will be forwarded to the department Chair or unit Director. Where more than one department or unit is represented on the committee, the recommendations shall be addressed to the pertinent Chair, or Director. Where there is disagreement with the committee recommendations and the committee has requested a written response within twenty-one days, the appropriate Dean, Chair or Director will consult with the Vice President, Finance and Administration and jointly respond within twenty-one days.

RELATIONSHIP between OH&S OFFICE, LJOHSC and JUOHSC

OH&S will provide reports on incident statistics, course and seminar updates, and other information pertinent to the work of the JUOHSC and LJOHSC.

OH&S will review the minutes from each local committee, compile a summary report of local committee recommendations and distribute the summary with a copy of all the received minutes to the co-chairs of the JUOHSC.

Issues, arising at LJOHSC, with implications beyond the area of the local committee will be forwarded to the JUOHSC.

A copy of the JUOHSC minutes will be distributed to the LJOHSCs

REVIEW PROCESS

Each September all JOHSC co-chairs and the manager of OH&S will meet to review the effectiveness of the local committee organizational structure, and recommend necessary changes to the Vice President Finance and Administration.

APPENDIX A

Duties of Co-chairs

Both co-chairs shall participate in chairing meetings.

Co chairs shall:

• Notify members of meetings
• Prepare meeting agendas
• Prepare meeting minutes
• Arrange for correction, distribution and posting of meeting minutes
• Prepare recommendation(s) and forward to management, as outlined in the terms of reference.
• Provide supervisors of appointed or elected committee members with an outline of members' duties
• Monitor attendance at meetings and report attendance problems to management and/or labour groups
• Liaise with management and labour groups on issues relating to appointment of committee members
• Monitor sub-committee progress

Role of Committee Members

• Bring forward safety concerns raised by local community
• Participate in inspections
• Participate in incident investigations
• Participate in health and safety discussions
• Contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring and improvement of health and safety programs
• Promote and support safety initiatives
• Attend safety courses for committee members
• Clarify regulatory requirements

Order of Business

• Review attendance
• Approval of meeting agenda
• Introduction of guests and alternates
• Approval of previous meeting, minutes
• Discuss matters arising from the minutes
• Old Business
• Review correspondence and reports
• Review inspection reports from WCB
• Review work site inspection reports
• Review incident investigations;
• Review OH&S programs, including training and education issues
• New business
• Set time and place of next meeting
• Adjourn

APPENDIX B

Committee Organization Structure

APPENDIX C

Minimum Components for Occupational Health and Safety Committee Meeting Reports

• Meeting minutes distribution list
• Attendance list

• Agenda items covered
• Corrections and approval of previous meeting minutes
• Old Business
• New Business
• Summary of inspection reports
• Summary of inspection reports from regulatory agencies
• Summary of incident investigation reports
• Summary of action items with person responsible for action
• Reports submitted for review
• Recommendations

APPENDIX D

Location of Safety Bulletin Boards