Safety committees objectives

It is a valuable point to remember that what is in front of the operator on the assembly line is probably less of a hazard than what is on one side (loose powder) or on the other (accumulated, open, half-finished units). On the really large production line, the flow of processed items may obviate this condition, but not always. And while we have the picture of the production line before us, it is the duty of the supervisor and the safety committee members to see that every worker is located so that he can instantaneously back away from his work area and leave the room or building without interference from objects or persons. 

Participating at the safety committee level, steering the activities that lead to the achievement of safety objectives, and maintaining the safety momentum are prime, but often neglected, functions of management. 

Group conferences with interdepartmental groups and safety committees to discuss organizational objectives, major operational issues, action plans for meeting objectives, and areas where training would be a value... 

For a safety committee to operate effectively it is necessary to determine its objectives and functions. To succeed, both management and employees have to demonstrate a commitment and positive approach to a programme of accident prevention and the establishment of a safe and healthy environment and safe systems of work. 

The primary objectives of a health and safety committee should be ... 

Advise leaders, supervisors, and the safety committee about hazards and safety issues Use good communication and human relations skills to help achieve safety objectives Seek ways to help in the development, implementation, and maintenance of safety plans Promote safety awareness throughout the nursing unit and the organization Get involved with organizational hazard surveys and environmental tour efforts Provide input and suggestions that address the development and evaluation of safety training... 

Are the role, constitution and objectives of the Health and Safety Committee clearly identified ... 

Safety committees can be an excellent form of joint consultation provided they are well-organised. Management commitment to ensuring that committee decisions are implemented, however, is essential if the committee is to have credibility with the workforce and achieve its objectives. 

Safety committees have two principal objectives, namely to promote cooperation, and to act as a focus for employee participation. 

First the mission of the institutional safety committee must be clearly set and the committee must be charged with its objectives and know the scope of its authority. Furthermore, committees are advisory bodies rather than regulatory or enforcement groups, and therefore the committee members must know to whom their recommendations will be made and must receive feedback about how their reports and recommendations are used. Their decisions or recommendations may, in fact, have the force of regulation, but the actual enforcement of the decision must be the responsibility of the senior official to whom the committee reports. This individual could be the chair of the committee. 

It is to be noted that domain or government committees are source of some of the objective measures used in safety engineering while some of the concepts used are problematic, e.g., risk measures or SIL. 

The goal of the IRB (known also as the Independent Ethics Committee, or IEC) is the protection of the rights, safety, and welfare of human subjects involved in clinical research investigations. The review board is, therefore, primarily responsible for the evaluation of the proposed research. All evaluations should have the following objectives (a) to determine that the research is properly designed (b) to determine that the benefit of the intended therapy will outweigh the potential risk and (c) to determine that the patient will be provided with adequate information to enable him or her to make an informed decision regarding participation in the clinical trial. 

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