INDUSTRIAL

SAFETY
MANAGEMENT
Chapter 5

Safety Committee
Operations

Learning Objectives

After completing the chapter

you will know:
– Safety committee requirements
– Safety committee methods &
intent.

1
 Form Safety Committees

Introductions

Elect a chairperson

Select a spokesperson

Name your corporation

Who we are and what we do

The purpose of a safety committee is to bring
workers and management together in a non-
adversarial, cooperative effort to promote safety
and health in each workplace. A safety committee
assists the employer and makes recommendations
for change.

2
 Safety committee purpose,
process and role

Purpose - The intended outcome towards which

a person or group strives.
Process - The means and methods used to
achieve the intended purpose.
Role - The function we assume. The part we
play. Mother, father, coach, supervisor.

What does a safety committee do to

accomplish its purpose(s)?

What's the role of the safety committee?

3
 The Safety Management System

The safety committee shall assist the employer in

evaluating the employer's accident and illness
prevention program, and shall make written
recommendations to improve the program where
applicable…

Inputs –
Resources

Process –
Using Resources

Outputs –
Conditions,
Behaviors, Results

4
Where do we look for clues that the safety
management system isn’t working?

“Every system is designed perfectly

to produce what it’s producing”

5
 What are the duties and responsibilities of the
safety committee

Evaluation Checklist - 437-001-0765

Rules for Workplace Safety Committees.

Safety Committees and Accountability

OAR 437, Div 001, Rule 0765(6)(f) The safety

committee shall evaluate the employer’s
accountability system and make recommendations
to implement supervisor and employee
accountability for safety and health.

6
 The condition of effective accountability exists when
performance (1) is evaluated using effective methods
and (2) results in effective consequences.

Accountability =
Performance + Evaluation 4 Consequences

Accountability: The Key to Compliance

Six essential elements:

1. Established standards of behavior and

performance
2. Resources to achieve those standards
3. An effective system of measurement
4. Application of effective consequences
5. Appropriate application of discipline
6. Evaluation of the accountability system

7
 Creating a Culture of Accountability

Three types of consequences:

Positive

Negative

None (is this really possible?)

Exercise: What general safety behaviors should

managers* and employees be held accountable
for?

Manager
Accountabilities

Employee
Accountabilities

8
 Exercise: Accountability establishes
obligation
Determine appropriate actions in each of the
following scenarios.

Scenario 1. Bob, a maintenance worker who has been

working for the company for 10 years, received a serious
electrical shock while working on a conveyor belt motor.
When asked why he did not use the company’s established
lockout/tagout procedures he acknowledged that he had
thought about it, but that the “old procedures” hadn’t been
used for years, and he had done this same task many times
before. And, besides, the production manager yelled at him
to get the conveyor running again or it’s his job because the
whole system was shut down.
Appropriate actions and justification:

9
 Scenario 2. Ralph, an experienced roofer for Sky High
Contractors, was “caught’ by his supervisor working on a
steeply pitched wood shingled roof without proper fall
protection. When questioned he stated that he knew he
should be using the fall protection, and that he would be in
trouble if caught. He stated that there was nothing wrong
with the equipment, but it was too big of a hassle to get it
out of the back of his truck.
Appropriate actions and justification:

Identifying Hazards

Additionally, the safety committee shall: establish

procedures for workplace inspections by the safety
committee inspection team to locate and identify
safety and health hazards; conduct workplace
inspections at least quarterly…

10
What causes accidents in the workplace?

Some Tools:

1. Inspections. Uncovering controllable hazards

2. Inspection checklist.
3. Job Hazard Analysis
4. Review rules which apply to your workplace.
5. What rules, if violated would result in serious harm
or fatality?
6. Other?

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Why might the walkaround inspection be
ineffective in identifying the causes of
accidents?

How can we overcome this weakness in the

inspection process?

Investigating Incidents and Accidents

OAR 765, Div 1, Rule (6) (g) Accident

investigation. The safety committee shall
establish procedures for investigating all safety-
related incidents including injury accidents,
illnesses and deaths. This rule shall not be
construed to require the committee to conduct the
investigations.

12
The six-step process
What are the basic steps for conducting an
accident investigation?
Secure the scene
Gather Information
Collect facts

The six-step process

What are the basic steps for conducting an
accident investigation?
Secure the scene
Gather Information
Collect facts
Develop sequence
Analyze The Facts
Determine causes

13
The six-step process
What are the basic steps for conducting an
accident investigation?
Secure the scene
Gather Information
Collect facts

Develop sequence
Analyze The Facts
Determine causes

Recommendations
Implement Solutions
Write the report

What’s the difference between

an incident and an accident?

14
Why would we want to take time investigating
both incidents and accidents?

What two key conditions must exist before

an accident occurs?

Hazard and Exposure

15
 Strains
Direct Cause of
Burns Injury
Cuts
Un
gu
ar
de
d
m y
ac se pla
hi
ne Hor

ard
Bro
k te a haz
en Crea
Surface too
ls
rd
a haza
Causes Chem
ical sp
ill
Ignore
jury
port in
Defec re
ti s to
ve P
PE Fail

Untrained Fails to inspect

worker

Fails to enforce
Lack of time

work Fails to tra

To much in

Inadequate training Lack of vision No mission statement No recognition

No discipline procedures Inadequate labeling

No orientation process Outdated hazcom program

Inadequate training plan No recognition plan

No accountability policy No inspection policy

Root
Causes

Surface and Root Cause

Identification
Lane was asked by his supervisor to hurry up and deliver
two boxes of Xerox paper to a co-worker who had just left
to deliver supplies to another office location. As Lane
bent over to pick up the boxes he felt a pull in his back.
He ignored it and ran to catch the co-worker before his
car left the parking lot. As Lane reached the stairs going
down to the street level, he tripped over an electrical cord.
Lane grabbed for the stair rail to catch himself, but it gave
way and he tumbled to the bottom of the stairs suffering a
broken leg, a concussion and multiple bruises.

16
 How many surface cause(s) can you identify
which contributed to the accident described
above. What are they?

List at least one possible root cause for each

surface cause you identified.

Writing Recommendations
(d) Hazard assessment and control.

The safety committee shall …shall make written

recommendations to improve the program where
applicable

…(e) Safety and health planning.

… the committee shall make recommendations for

improvement of the employer's accident and illness
prevention program.

17
 The Hierarchy of Controls

• Engineering Controls. Eliminate/reduce

hazards through equipment redesign,
replacement, substitution, etc.

• Management Controls. Eliminate/reduce

frequency and duration of exposure to hazards by
controlling employee behaviors. Three primary
strategies:

 Safe procedures and practices

 Scheduling
 Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
 Interim measures.

18
Why should we first consider engineering
controls to reduce accidents?

Exercise: Perceiving the problem

Read the following scenario and complete
each assignment.

19
 Employee Involvement

Employee involvement. The committee shall

establish a system to allow the members to obtain
safety-related suggestions, reports of hazards, or
other information directly from all persons involved
in the operations of the workplace. The information
obtained shall be reviewed at the next safety
committee meeting, and shall be recorded in the
minutes for review and necessary action by the
employer.

Recognition: The Key to Involvement

What methods do you use to get employees

involved?

What are some possible consequences of

making a safety related suggestion or reporting
a hazardous condition?

20
Discuss and list obstacles to safety committee
success.

Class: Discuss and list remedies to one or

more of the obstacles identified above.

21
 Before you run…let’s
review

That's It. Thanks for coming !

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