Union Safety Committee

Because of the large number of contractors constantly on site, a formal monthly safety committee meeting was scheduled, and all contractors were urged to attend. This committee was also attended by the contractors and the engineering managers. A contractor safety coordinator was assigned, and he was the main safety liaison between contractors and the safety department. He visited sites daily and conducted regular inspections. He also coordinated the contractor safety committee and ensured that they adhered to the company s new safety standards and procedures. 

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The primary theory used to explain the causes of industrial accidents is that mistakes by workers are responsible for virtually all accidents. This is the foundation on which health and safety programs have been based for decades. Therefore, the ultimate goal of corporate safety programs and local union safety committees is generally, the same, to have zero worker injuries. Safety attention focuses on finding ways to get unsafe workers to change their ways. (p. 2)... 

Reilly, B., Paci, P. Holl, P. 1995. Unions, Safety Committees and Workplace Injuries. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 33(2) 276-288. 

These committees are usually union safety committees, with membership determined by the union. Some workplaces with more than one union will have more than one union safety conunittee. The committee operates without management and meets regularly with management to discuss safety issues. At these meetings, the committee raises concerns. 

If you recognise a trade union and that trade union has appointed a safety represetv tathie, you must consult them on matters affecthg the emplr ees they represent -see Safety Reoresentatwes and Safety Committees Regulations 1997. 

Guidance on the preparation of SDS s under the requirements of the GHS can be found in Annex 4. It has been developed by the GHS Sub-Committee after consideration of the main internationally-recognized standards which provided guidance in the preparation of an SDS, including the ILO Standard under the Recommendation 177 on Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work, the International Standard 11014 of the International Standard Organization (ISO), the European Union Safety Data Sheet Directive 91/155/EEC and the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) standard Z 400.1. 

Consider establishing employee safety committees with union representation (if there are unions at the plant). Consider also setting up a plant process safety working group. 

The nomination of safety committee members should be done on a democratic basis, and the chairperson likewise elected, where applicable. One of the most important committees to be established under these standards would be the joint management and union safety and health committee. This committee would assist in the setting of standards of accountability of the various persons. It also offers a platform for open and frank safety discussion between management and employee representatives. 

If two or more union-appointed health and safety representatives request, in writing, that the employer set up a health and safety committee, then it must be done within 3 months of the request. 

Another union safety official with experience on SACP committees expressed concern over the FRA s effectiveness. He felt that The regulations are not tight enough with respect to intimidation and harassment for reporting injuries or incidents. This respondent mentioned that he gets many reports from his union s members about intimidation and harassment. 

Joint consultation can take many forms and routes depending on the culture and environment in the workplace. Rights to appoint safety representatives have been given to recognized trade unions who are under no pressure to exercise this right which remains should they feel the need to call on it later. These rights are embodied in the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977. 

Similar rights exist for volunteer or management appointed safety representatives under the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 as amended. It has been found that tvith good industrial relations and an effective voluntary safety committee, the unions are happy not to exercise their rights of appointment. 

The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 give to recognised trade unions the right to appoint safety representatives to act as spokesmen on health and safety matters with the employers for the members they represent. It is not a bargaining right but is aimed at developing an atmosphere of co-operation to improve standards of health and safety in the workplace and so benefit both employer and employee. 

The Works Manager is anxious that his factory is safe so, in addition to encouraging the safety adviser, he has set up a safety committee and includes in his regular Works Committee meetings, which are attended by the trade union representatives, a report from the safety committee. 

The second circumstance in which OHS committees have some impact is when they are backed by strong union organisation. Under these conditions consultation can at times become more akin to bargaining, with implicit or explicit threats of industrial action if management does not take the necessary action. This was Dawson s finding in relation to safety committees in Britain. In my own work it was notable that the most effective joint committee I encountered was on a building site with a strong union presence (see Chapter 9). 

Generally there was very scanty knowledge of the committee structure. Managers, supervisors, and safety representatives were asked specifically about joint union—management safety committees. Those who knew anything were most likely to be in the operations department, but differences among grades of staff were the most marked. 

There were a number of important ways in which occupational health and safety legislation incorporates the workforce, through its safety representatives, into the routine regulation of health and safety. Safety representatives, managers, and supervisors were asked about two of these, namely joint union-management safety committees and workplace inspections. 

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