Benefits of a joint health & safety committee
Having an effective Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) is an often-overlooked component in an organization’s success strategy.
The current Covid-19 pandemic, however, brings to light some of the benefits of having one. For example, it allows for all the employee concerns regarding Covid-19 policies to be discussed with management on a regular basis through the employee representative. Feeling represented when it comes to your health and safety is always important. But during Covid-19 or any major health concern, it becomes especially important that your employees feel they have a voice.
A Joint Health & Safety Committee offers many benefits:
- Provides a way to empower employees while ensuring your organization remains compliant with current health and safety legislation.
- Promotes an attitude of problem-solving health and safety issues and an increased safety culture in your workplace.
- Encourages open lines of communication and strong working relationships between staff and management.
- When workers on the committee participate in the process of recognizing, assessing and controlling workplace hazards, their coworkers are more likely to adopt new concepts and procedures.
In Ontario, most workplaces with 20 or more workers must have a joint health and safety committee (JHSC), made up of at least one worker and one employer member. The committee's primary role is to identify workplace health and safety issues and bring them to the attention of the employer.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, at least one worker and one employer on a JHSC must be certified.
JHSC members who successfully complete all parts of an approved training program are eligible to be certified by the Chief Prevention Officer.
(excerpt from Ontartio.ca website.)
For more information from the ministry you can visit the website here:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/training-joint-health-and-safety-committee-members
You can also read an article from Landscape Ontario by clicking the link below:
https://landscapeontario.com/ontarios-health-and-safety-training-heading-to-21st-century
