CHAPTER 26 – SAFETY COMMITTEE AND MEETINGS

PURPOSE:

Safety committees provide a venue for communicating and evaluating workplace safety and health concerns identified by employees. The VCEA Safety Council is intended to represent all VCEA employees on the WSU Pullman campus. All non-management VCEA employees may attend safety committee meetings, a management representative will be present to ensure employee concerns are raised to the management level.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

 

WSU (SPPM) 2.12 Unit Safety Committees and Meetings

Washington Administrative Code Safety committees/safety meetings WAC 296­800­130

Washington State Department of Labor and Industry Safety Meetings and Committees

VCEA SAFETY COUNCIL STRUCTURE:

Membership

Non-management Representatives

  • Employees elect committee members to serve on the unit level safety committee. Members may be reelected by their peers. There is no limit on the number of terms to which employees may be reelected.
  • Unit level vacancies are filled by special election.
  • Unit level safety committees select one member to send to the VCEA Safety Council
  • College level unit specific vacancies are filled by another member of the vacant unit’s safety committee

Management Representatives

  • The unit administration appoints at least one management representative to the committee.
  • The number of management members may not exceed the number of non-management employee members.

Representation by Area

 

VCEA SAFETY COUNCIL FUNCTIONS:

Safety meeting agendas must include the following activities:

  • Review University Level 1 and Level 2 Committee minutes when requested by those committees.
  • Assist unit supervisors in promoting or publicizing relevant safety and health topics (i.e. issues, policies, programs, training).
  • Evaluate employee safety concerns, reported hazards, and suggestions, and proposing solutions.
  • Assist unit supervisors in reviewing job procedures and recommending improvements.
  • Evaluate Incident Reports and Supervisor’s Accident Investigation Reports to determine causes/problems and recommending methods of prevention or solutions.
  • Contribute members to incident investigations when requested by employees or administrators.
  • Refer unresolved safety problems to the unit administrator.
  • Evaluate the unit’s Accident Prevention Program and other applicable safety and health programs (e.g., Chemical Hazard Communication Program, Laboratory Safety Manual) and making recommendations to the unit administrator on improvements.
  • Assist unit supervisors in coordinating and conducting annual safety self-inspections.
  • Function in the capacities described in other college procedural documents such as Emergency Action plans, Continuity of Operation plans, etc…

Optional meeting activities:

  • Meeting with the unit administrator and supervisors to select projects based on their activities, potential hazards, accident history, and WSU policy requirements.
  • Reporting progress on safety projects during safety committee meetings.

DOCUMENTATION

Minutes

  • The group appoints or elects a representative to document safety meetings.
  • The Safety Committee must document the minutes of meetings. The Committee may use the Safety Meeting Report and Agenda form on SPPM 2.12.4-5 or may create a report to document meetings.

Routing

  • The Safety Council will provide meeting reports to any unit employee when requested.
  • The Safety Council will draft memos to all staff for electronic distribution as it deems appropriate (e.g. announcing new programs, emphasizing a critical need, etc…)
  • The Safety Council provides advice to VCEA communications for incorporation into the weekly notes from the Dean as a safety note.

Retention

The Safety committee will maintain copies of the safety meeting reports on file for at least two years, in accordance with University records retention requirements. (See BPPM 90.01.)