Let's Talk About Safety
Of all the elements that make up an effective safety program, none is more important than the safety committee. Without it, your safety program will be fighting an uphill battle to reach its target goals. If you agree that communication is the key to success, then understand that a safety committee can be a perfect venue to achieve a successful loss prevention program.
What is the purpose of a safety committee?
The main purpose of a safety committee is to promote and to improve on safety within the operations. They are the heart of any effective safety program in which they breathe life into loss prevention objectives and goals that are set by them or the company.
What are the benefits?
One of the biggest benefits of having a safety committee is that it gives everyone an avenue to bring up hazards and safety issues within the operations. This will open up communication by forcing management and line employees to interact with one another be it directly or indirectly.
Another benefit of the safety committee is that it boosts employee morale by giving them a sense of accomplishment in achieving the objectives set out by the company. It gives them a sense of ownership in the company which is paramount to improving production. Also by being involved, employees will understand the importance of safety and build on the safety culture that is being instilled.
Who should be on the committee?
Ultimately you would want a mix of upper management and line employees. This group should represent all major departments within your organization. It would also be advisable to have a person of authority on the committee. Not necessarily to lead the committee, but to assist in making decisions.
How often should the committee meet?
How often you meet totally depends on what goals you want to accomplish. You could start meeting on a weekly basis to get procedures established, then taper off to monthly or quarterly. Don’t leave too much time in between meetings, because a lot of safe and unsafe activity can occur in that time.
A safety committee will prove safety communications by fostering interaction between line employees and management throughout the organization on safety related issues.