Getting started

A joint health and safety committee (JHSC) is a group of employee and employer representatives who promote and advocate for health and safety practices in the workplace. Committees help identify, assess and recommend (to the employer) ways to reduce and/or eliminate hazards that may cause workplace injuries or illnesses.

Committees also support the workplace by providing updates on health and safety legislation and influencing others to create and maintain health and safety practices.

A committee must consist of at least two people and have an equal number of employee and employer representatives. The committee should be large enough to represent all employees’ health and safety concerns, but not so large that it becomes unmanageable. The employer and employees must agree on the number of people needed for their committee.

Consider the needs of your workplace and its size:

• How many people work at/for the organization?
• How many departments are there?
• How many unions exist within the organization?
• Do employees perform highly hazardous tasks or work in highly hazardous conditions? If so, how often?
• What departments report high rates of incidents?
• What departments report high rates of injuries and/or illnesses?
• What departments report high rates of health and safety concerns (through inspection results, hazard reporting or by word-of-mouth)?

When you can’t represent every department on the committee, you’ll need a communication strategy to keep all departments informed on health and safety news and the status of JHSC recommendations.

For the strategy, consider:

1. How the JHSC receives health and safety concerns (email, word-of-mouth, phone, text, etc.). Everyone should know how to approach the JHSC.
2. How the JHSC responds to reported health and safety concerns.
3. How the JHSC uses and shares information (emails, texts, memos on a bulletin board, social media platforms, face-to-face meetings, etc.).

The JHSC represents everyone at the workplace, including employees who work:

• Day, evening and night shifts
• Remotely
• Off-site (field staff, employees who travel for work, employees who work with the public/clients, etc.)
• Alone
• Seasonally
• By contract
• Part-time
• Casually

Being a member is both a privilege and a responsibility.

Ask the workplace for employee and employer volunteers to join the committee. Half the committee members must be employees selected by all employees at the workplace. Reach out to both employer (including supervisors and managers) and employee (union representatives, front-line workers, etc.) groups. Be clear on time commitment and responsibilities.

If too many employees volunteer for the JHSC, ask all employees at the workplace to decide who they want to represent them (poll, vote, etc.). If too many employers volunteer for the committee, the employer can designate the employer representatives.

If few people volunteer for the committee, start with a smaller JHSC. Once the committee has gained visibility and has shared its purpose and role, participation interest may grow.

Schedule an introductory meeting that gives people enough time to get to know one another, establish objectives for the group and set expectations.

Have a roundtable discussion:

• What can members do to guarantee that everyone feels comfortable and confident to discuss health and safety concerns at meetings?
• What are two to three doable objectives the committee can accomplish in the next year?
• What does the group want to achieve?
• How will we communicate with the workplace?
• If people have a health and safety concern, how will they bring their concern(s) to a committee member?
• What's a Terms of Reference (TOR)? What should we include in it?
• Who will take our minutes, and how will we store them? Will we share the duties or assign one or two people?
• What should be included in the Terms of Reference (TOR)?

JHSC minutes are a record of topics and action items discussed at each meeting.  JHSCs are required to take minutes on an approved JHSC minutes form. JHSCs must keep minutes signed by the co-chairs for a minimum of three years and have them readily available to WorkSafeNB on request.

The JHSC’s time is valuable. Set clear expectations so every minute counts.

Tips:

• Develop and share an agenda to all JHSC members before each meeting. Agendas help members prepare and keep the meeting on track. Share and discuss important items and provide sufficient time for discussion.
• Determine in advance who will take the meeting minutes and post them in the workplace.
• Start on time.
• If using technology, do a test run to avoid unnecessary delays.
• Encourage open communication. Determine standards (within the group) for respectful participation.
• Clearly record actions and recommendations and confirm they are followed up on. Recommendations for the employer must be detailed and in writing.

Recommendations have five key parts:

1. Statement of concern: Explain the issue. Indicate any urgency. How severe is the concern? What department is involved? What area does it affect?
2. History/background: Are there associated past incidents? Is this a new or recurring issue? Include any lost-time and no lost-time injuries relating to the issue and why incidents may be reoccurring. All information should be factual – not based on opinion.
3. Legislative requirements (if applicable): State if the recommendation is related to legislation.
4. Possible solutions and options: Who has the expertise to complete the work? Will we need internal or external support? Is there a need for a contractor or other service provider? If so, request quotes and timelines, and forward as an attachment with the JHSC Recommendation Form.
5. Reason why JHSC is making recommendation: Explain why you are choosing this option. How will it correct the problem? You may include industry standards, comments from experts or technical consultants and industry statistics supporting the recommendation. You may also refer to legislation in other provinces or countries.

Ask for a reasonable response date (usually within three to four weeks). Provide enough time for management to receive, review and consider the JHSC recommendation.

Correctly identify who should receive the JHSC Recommendation Form (may be more than one person). The person receiving the recommendation must have authority and be able to take action.

It’s understandable that there may be times when a member cannot attend. Set clear expectation for committee members, including what to do if they can’t attend.

• How would members communicate that they can’t attend?
• Would the member be expected to provide an alternate, if sufficient time allows?
• What would you do if there are several absences?

If a member is having difficulty attending meetings due to competing priorities, consider an alternate or replacement on the committee.

If members are finding the meetings unproductive, consider:

• Completing the "How Effective is your JHSC?" quiz to help identify opportunities for improvement.
• Reviewing the committee’s Terms of Reference to confirm the committee has clearly established its purpose, objectives and member responsibilities. Rework any sections that lack detail and clarity.
• Contacting a WorkSafeNB health and safety consultant to request they attend your JHSC meeting. The health and safety consultant can provide advice, guidance and recommendations to help committee members become more effective.

If members cannot agree on how to resolve a health and safety issue, they must contact a WorkSafeNB health and safety officer by calling 1 800 999-9775 or emailing compliance.conformite@ws-ts.nb.ca.