Health and safety committees in Canada
A joint health and safety committee (JHSC) might be a legal requirement depending on the size of your company, but it makes good sense to view this committee as a strategic business opportunity. You can implement small but meaningful measures to increase the effectiveness of your committee, such as regular training and promoting safety awareness initiatives.
An effective committee contributes to legal compliance, fewer workplace accidents and injuries, a positive workplace culture, increased productivity and efficiency, and stronger working relationships between managers and employees.
- A committee might be a legal requirement depending on the size of your company, but it makes good sense to view this committee as a strategic business opportunity.
- You can implement small but meaningful measures to increase the effectiveness of your health and safety committee.
- An effective committee contributes to legal compliance, fewer workplace accidents and injuries, a positive workplace culture, increased productivity and efficiency, and stronger working relationships between managers and employees.
When do you need a joint health and safety committee?
How many employees are needed before a JHSC is required? Generally, a committee is only required in workplaces with 20 or more regular employees. However, specific requirements depend on the jurisdiction; for instance, under the Canada Labour Code, all federally regulated workplaces with 20 or more employees must have a committee. Other factors, such as a specific regulation applying to an industry, or a minister making an order under applicable occupational health and safety legislation, can also trigger the requirement for a JHSC, regardless of the number of workers. If you’re unsure, consult our trusted HR professionals for advice.
Joint health and safety committees and health and safety representatives
Based on the size of an organization, a health and safety committee with multiple members may be required. In small organizations, compliance may be achieved by implementing a health and safety representative, who acts on their own. Both committees and representatives have the same goals, though: to raise awareness of workplace health and safety issues, identify real and potential risks and hazards during workplace inspections, and provide recommendations to decision-makers. Health and safety concerns affect everyone, even those working from home, so including all employees in conversations about health and safety and supporting their varying needs is a continuing trend in health and safety training.
Tips for effective joint health and safety committees
If you’re unsure whether your health and safety committee is effective and functioning at its highest potential, ask yourself: Do your employees know the purpose of your health and safety committee and who the committee members are? Do employees feel comfortable communicating with committee members about health and safety concerns? Do leadership, management, employees, and the health and safety committee or representative work together to identify and address workplace concerns?
Overall, is your workplace safe, and are safe work practices followed? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it may be time to reassess the effectiveness of your health and safety committee and consider the recommendations outlined below. Even if you answered “yes” to all of them, you may be able to get more out of your committee. We refer to health and safety committees throughout this article, but many of the recommendations also apply to health and safety representatives.
What does a joint health and safety committee do?
Workplace safety is a top concern for every organization. Workplace accidents and injuries don’t just harm people, they also disrupt productivity, damage workplace culture, and can lead to legal and financial consequences for an employer. An effective health and safety committee is a valuable asset for any organization.
Functionally, JHSCs provide a standardized way for workers to communicate directly with their employer about occupational health and safety. JHSCs raise awareness of key issues, identify workplace risks and develop ways to address them, and inspect the workplace to discover other potential health and safety improvements. The committee supports legal compliance, helps reduce workplace accidents and injuries, helps cultivate a positive workplace culture, can increase productivity and efficiency, and forges stronger working relationships between managers and employees. Many health and safety committees exist simply to comply with health and safety legislation, but what if you viewed this committee as a strategic opportunity rather than just a regulatory requirement?
Joint health and safety committee policy requirements
Your associated health and safety committee policy should outline key details about the committee to align roles and establish expectations. Include essential information like the committee’s purpose, objectives, and goals; when, where, and how often they’ll meet; and the roles and responsibilities of each committee member. Having this essential information documented ensures that the committee will function as effectively and efficiently as possible, and anyone can refer to the policy to learn or review pertinent information.
Starting a joint health and safety committee
Open communication between your health and safety committee and employees is crucial for successful committee implementation. Important information about your health and safety committee be provided to all new hires during orientation, and information like who is on the committee, where they work, and how the committee members can be reached should be posted in an accessible common area for all to see. Check your applicable legislation, as some jurisdictions require you to post committee members’ names and contact information. Also, keep employees informed about the committee’s work and health and safety updates. Without this information, employees won’t know whom to contact with concerns, directly affecting the committee’s effectiveness at addressing risks and hazards. Regular updates—in meetings, newsletters, or companywide e-mails—enhance communication and show your organization’s commitment to a safe workplace.
What training do health and safety committee members need?
In addition to any legislatively required committee certification training, noncertified committee members need updated health and safety training. This training must provide them with the knowledge and skills to identify and control hazards in the workplace. Members who have a solid foundation of health and safety basics are more efficient than members who haven’t received training. In addition to training, certified members should coach and mentor noncertified peers.
Health and safety legislation in your jurisdiction outlines the minimum number of members who must be certified, as well as any other mandatory health and safety training requirements. Offer workplace-specific training to all committee members to enhance your committee’s knowledge of hazards and controls unique to your workplace. Industry-specific training should also be delivered to provide insight into other common hazards.
What does a joint health and safety committee do?
JHSC committee meetings
Regular meetings are essential to health and safety committees because they allow members to discuss workplace inspection findings and collaborate on recommendations. Many organizations have their committee meet monthly to ensure health and safety remain top of mind. It’s important that you review the legislation for your jurisdiction to ensure compliance regarding committee meeting frequency. However, like all meetings, it’s easy for health and safety meetings to become mundane and unorganized. Regardless of how frequent meetings are, rendering them ineffective. Committee autonomy is important, but it is also important to ensure members remain engaged and are fulfilling their responsibilities.
JHSC meeting agenda
A detailed agenda and accurate meeting minutes are essential for a productive meeting. Meeting minutes also prove the meeting took place. Often, they must be retained and available to inspectors if they request them. Using a meeting agenda helps streamline meetings and promotes participation from all members. Prepare an agenda, allow all members to contribute items, and distribute the agenda ahead of time so members can prepare. You should also designate one member to record meeting minutes. Remember that a committee member is entitled to take time during their regular work hours to carry out committee-related responsibilities. These can include things like preparing for and attending health and safety meetings, and they should be compensated for this time. Review the applicable legislation for your jurisdiction to confirm posting requirements related to meeting documentation.
Meeting engagement
Try to keep your health and safety meetings dynamic and engaging. Allow committee members time to brainstorm ideas before and during each meeting. Inviting new and changing meeting attendees from around your organization can help the committee innovate and consider new ideas. These can create new and improved hazard recognition and controls. Switching up the format of your meetings from time to time can also help with member engagement. Inviting a guest speaker or opening meetings with personal reflections are all ways you freshen these meetings and keep them effective.
Joint health and safety committee training
Joint health and safety committee training is essential for maintaining a safe and compliant workplace. It equips members with the knowledge to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement controls. This training also ensures members stay current with Canadian health and safety legislation. While JHSC legislation varies by jurisdiction, key committee members often need specialized training. In Ontario, for example, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires at least two members of the joint health and safety committee—one worker representative and one management representative—to receive training and certification. This certification involves two parts: basic certification, which provides a general understanding of health and safety for all workplaces, and workplace-specific hazard training.
The second part covers your workplace’s six key hazards and teaches the RACE method (recognize, assess, control, evaluate) for management. To keep certification current, refresher training every three years is the standard. There’s a one-time exemption if you’ve been an active JHSC member in the last 12 months. Although certified members play a vital role, the OHSA does not require other joint health and safety committee members to have this specific training.
Managing effective joint health and safety committees
Health and safety committees are most effective when they can drive organizational change and contribute to an organization’s safety culture. One way that a joint health and safety committee can inspire positive change in the workplace is through their recommendations. You may receive recommendations from your committee relating to current hazards that are harming your workplace. And you may receive recommendations for remedying potentially dangerous situations through improvements to equipment, health and safety training programs, or modifications to health and safety policies and procedures. Take their recommendations seriously and respond promptly.
Check the legislative requirements in your jurisdiction, as you might need to respond to your committee’s recommendation within a specific timeframe. Above all, remember that health and safety committees need support and buy-in from leadership and human resources to be effective.
Getting the most out of a health and safety committee
An effective health and safety committee is an asset to any organization. It enhances workplace safety, contributes to legal compliance, reduces workplace accidents and injurie. It also drives a positive workplace culture, increases productivity and efficiency, and strengthens working relationships between managers and employees. By implementing these recommendations, you can help maximize the effectiveness of your health and safety committee.
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