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When Recommendations Are Unrealistic, Part 3 of 3
When a safety committee recommends a measure that's completely unrealistic, you can't simply stick the recommendation in the waste basket. To guard against liability, you need to consider the measure and justify your reasons for rejecting it. Equally important, you need to document that you engaged in such process. A central part of documentation is to create a rejection notice. The model language in the TOOLS section of SafetyXChange is an example of how to notify a safety committee that you're rejecting a recommended safety measure.
What Rejection Notice Should Say
Although the details will vary with each situation, your notice should:
- Describe what you did to consider the recommendation including details like when deliberations were held, how long they lasted and who participated in them (not legally required but a good idea) (Model, Part C);
- State the decision (Model, Part B);
- If you reject the recommendation, list the reasons why (Model, Part D);
- If you accept the recommendation, list a timetable for implementation; and
- List any and all alternative safety measures you're using or are prepared to consider using to achieve the same goal as the safety recommendation (not legally required but a good idea) (Model, Part E).
Conclusion
If you remember just one point from this series make it this: The law doesn't require you to do everything a safety committee recommends. All it requires is that you consider the recommendation - not in a way that simply goes through the motions but which considers the degree of risk, resources on hand and availability of alternatives that address the problem more realistically.
SAFETY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
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| Meaningful discussion drives safety |
Are Safety Net Workers
Many people believe that the modern workplace has fallen victim to too many meetings that devour time and prevent people from doing the work they were hired to do. But one can't deny the importance of safety meetings - particularly those that bring together workers from all levels of an organization to discuss and resolve workplace safety and health issues.
Whether safety committee members are dealing with issues such as introducing healthier food choices in the company cafeteria or addressing near misses on the shop floor, they exemplify teamwork at its finest.
Functions carried out by workplace safety and health committees include:
- Talking to workers in all departments about any safety or health concerns they have.
- Conducting workplace inspections to identify safety and health hazards.
- Putting hazards in writing and requesting that management address those issues.
- Helping employers evaluate injury and illness prevention programs.
- Dealing with patterns of near misses or injury incidents involving particular processes or equipment.
- Providing valuable training to members, which in turn can enhance their skills and ultimately, their careers.
- Promoting safety and health observances to keep fellow employees informed.
- Organizing fun events that promote health and fitness throughout an organization.
- Inviting anonymous employee input through a suggestion box whose contents are read monthly and raised during safety committee meetings.
Of course, it takes determination and commitment to ensure that a health and safety committee remains relevant and proactive. But that's a topic for another day.
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