Health and Safety Committee Training
Health and Safety Committee Training
Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) are a necessary requirement for any company with greater than 20 total employees. Required under section 9 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, JHSCs serve as a safety advisory board for a company and must be composed of representatives from both management and the overall labour force. The purpose of these committees is to regularly meet to discuss, identify and address health and safety concerns present within the workplace. However, since each organization faces unique health and safety challenges, it’s often best to have an outside party provide training and/or conduct a full audit of your JHSC practices and policies to ensure full compliance with both federal and provincial statutes and legislation. At 1 Contact Safety, our Safety Committee Training offering can help your Joint Health and Safety Committee develop the necessary skills, knowledge and procedures to have productive safety meetings that positively impact the health and safety of your business. Click below to ask us about our expert consulting services!
Role and Function of a JHSC
Role and Function of a JHSC
The OHSA establishes specific roles, duties and functions for JHSC and health and safety representatives as far as health and safety is concerned. Overall, these roles and duties include the following:
Serve as a safety advisory board focused on the health and safety of an organization’s workforce;
Identify and assess workplace safety hazards and the associated risks;
Conduct regular monthly workplace hazard inspections;
Overseeing the creation and delivery of health and safety recommendations to the employer;
Investigate health and safety related incidents such as refusals to work and serious accidents or injuries.
JHSC Requirements and Composition
JHSC Requirements and Composition
While the general rule states that any organization with greater than 20 employees requires a JHSC, there are additional conditions that may require its implementation. To help you determine if your business needs a health and safety committee, here’s a general list of who requires a JHSC and what it needs to be composed of:
- JHSC are required by any company with greater than 20 employees, a toxic substance order, or if a designated substance order is applied to your business;
- Organizations with 6 - 19 employees are required to have a health and safety representative to oversee the identification of safety hazards and the creation and implementation of any necessary controls/policies;
- Committees must be composed of both management and worker representatives;
- For organizations of less than 50 employees, only two members are required in the committee. Organizations with greater than 50 employees must have at least 4 representatives;
- Each committee must have 2 co-chairs (one management and one from the workforce) and be composed of a 50-50 split between management and employees; and,
- One member of management and one member from the employees must be fully certified in health and safety training.