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Topic: SAFETY COMMITTEES
Safety Committees In The U.S.
July 30, 2010
Unlike Canada, OSHA laws don’t require companies to establish health and safety committees at their workplace. However, U.S. companies are also subject to state law and there are at least 14 states that do make safety committees mandatory:
- California
- Connecticut
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Tennessee
- Washington
- West Virginia
In addition, 5 states recommend the implementation of a safety committee:
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Pennsylvania
- Vermont
- Virginia
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The State of California does not mandate a safety committee. However it does require (Title 8, General Industry Safety Orders, section 3203)that employers have a system of communication with employees, regarding safety issues. The standard states that, "Substantial compliance with this provision includes meetings, training programs, posting, written communications, a system of anonymous notification by employees about hazards, labor/management safety and health committees, or any other means that ensures communication with employees." If an employer chooses a safety committee to help meet the communication requirement, the standard has a number of requirements that have to be followed. See section 3203 for further information.
Hello:
I live in Alberta, and Alberta does not require companies to have a Joint Health and Safety Committee. Alberta OH&S Code 2009 - Part 13 clearly states that Part 13 only applies to a worksite that is "required" to have a Joint Worksite Health and Safety Committee by Ministerial Order under Section 31 of the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act.
For the Minister to require a company to have one of these committees would, in short, mean that the company had a unhealthy or unsafe worksite. That is not true of all employers. The company I work for has a "Working Safety Committe" but put it together so our employees could voice safety concerns. It is not legeslated by any OH&S legislation.
Thank you.
Excerpt from *CCR3203(3) Include a system for communicating with employees in a form readily understandable by all affected employees on matters relating to occupational safety and health, including provisions designed to encourage employees to inform the employer of hazards at the worksite without fear of reprisal. Substantial compliance with this provision includes meetings, training programs, posting, written communications, a system of anonymous notification by employees about hazards, labor/management safety and health committees, or any other means that ensures communication with employees.
As noted above Safety committes are an option in California.
We tried it and as a company with 70 employees it became a cumbersome bureaucratic nightmare. I do not recommend it for small companies. Our suggestion box and open door policies work very well.
Can you quote which state law requires Calfornia to have a safety committee.