SAFETY COMMITTEE AND SAFETY MEETING REQUIREMENTS

You must do one of the following:

If: You employ 11 or more employees on the same shift at the same location	Then: You must establish a safety committee
If: You employ 10 or fewer employees OR If you have employ 11 or more employees that meet these conditions · Work on different shifts and 10 or less employees are on each shift OR · Work in widely separated locations and 10 or less employees are at each location	Then: You may elect to have a safety meeting instead of a safety committee

Safety Committees

Make sure your safety committee:

· Has both employer-selected and employee-elected members.

· The number of employer-selected members must be equal to or less than the number of employee-elected members.

· The term of employee-elected members must be a maximum of one year. This rule does not specify the number of terms a representative can serve.

· If there is an employee-elected member vacancy, a new member must be elected prior to the next scheduled meeting.

· Has an elected chairperson

· Determines how often the safety committee will meet

Note: .If the committee cannot agree on the frequency of safety meetings, the Department of Labor and Industries' regional safety consultation representative must be consulted for recommendations. .Employees selected by the employees bargaining representative or union qualify as "employee-elected."

You must:

Make sure your safety committee:

· Determines when and where the safety committee will meet.

· Meetings cannot exceed one hour, unless extended by a majority vote of the committee.

EMPLOYER SAFETY MEETINGS WITHOUT A SAFETY COMMITTEE

If your firm is not required to form a safety committee, the employer may hold safety meetings without forming a safety committee. Below are items that must be included in such a safety meeting, with or without a safety committee.

REQUIREMENTS OF SAFETY MEETINGS (by Safety Committee or Employer Lead Safety Meeting)

Make sure safety meetings:

· Are held at least once a month; or weekly (or biweekly) if conditions arise that require discussions of safety problems.

· Be composed of at least one management representative, in addition to the crew/staff.

· Review at least the following at each meeting:

o Review safety and health inspection reports to help correct safety hazards

o Evaluate the accident investigations conduced since the last meeting to determine if causes of the unsafe situation were identified and corrected

o Evaluate the workplace accident and illness prevention program and discuss recommendations for improvements if needed

o Document attendance

o Write down subjects discussed

· You must prepare written minutes for each safety committee meeting

o Preserve them for a minimum of one year

o Make them available for review by safety and health consultation personnel of the Department of Labor and Industries