Welcome to N&R Cleaning
Safety Commitee Policy Statement
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N&R Cleaning Safety Committee members are:
Alexis Ramos
The Safety Committee will meet a minimum of 4 times per year.
Introduction
N&R Cleaning is committed to accident prevention in order to protect the safety and health of all our employees. Injury and illness losses due to hazards are needless, costly and preventable. To prevent these losses, a joint management/worker safety committee will be established. Employee involvement in accident prevention and support of safety committee members and activities is necessary to ensure a safe and healthful workplace for all employees.
Purpose
The purpose of our safety committee is to bring workers and management together in a non-adversarial, cooperative effort to promote safety and health in the workplace. The safety committee will assist management and make recommendations for change.
Organization
There shall be, in most cases, an equal number of employee and employer representatives. However, there may be more employee representatives than employer representatives if both groups agree. Employee representatives shall be volunteers or elected by their peers. If no employees volunteer or are elected, they may be appointed by management. Employer representatives will be appointed. Safety committee members will serve a continuous term of at least one year. Committee membership terms will be staggered so that at least one experienced member is always on the committee.
Extent of Authority
It must be clearly understood that the safety committee advises management on issues that will promote safety and health in the workplace. Written recommendations are expected from the safety committee and they will be submitted to management. In turn, management will give serious consideration to the recommendations submitted and will respond in writing to the committee within a reasonable time.
Functions
· Committee meetings and employee involvement.
· Hazard assessment and control.
· Safety and health planning.
· Evaluation of accountability system.
· Evaluation of management commitment to workplace safety and health.
· Evaluation of accident and incident investigation program.
· Safety and health training.
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Safety Comittee Operation
The purpose of a safety committee is to bring workers and managers together to achieve and maintain a safe, healthful workplace. It is easy to start a safety committee, but developing an effective one – one that achieves and maintains a safe, healthful workplace – requires workers and managers who are committed to achieving that goal. Effective safety committees find solutions to problems that cause workplace accidents, illnesses, and injuries. And fewer accidents, injuries, and illnesses mean lower Workers‘ Compensation claims costs and insurance rates. Understand a Safety Committee’s Seven Essential Activities Anyone can start a safety committee, but, to make it effective, the committee must be built on a foundation of management commitment and must be accountable for achieving its goals. The committee must do the following: · Involve employees in achieving the committee‘s goals. · Identify workplace hazards. · Review reports of accidents and near misses. · Keep accurate records of committee activities. · Evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. 1 Commitment The committee will not survive without management support. Management demonstrates support by encouraging employees to get involved in achieving a safe, healthful workplace and by acting on the committee‘s recommendations. Representatives demonstrate commitment by attending committee meetings, following through on their assigned tasks, and encouraging other employees to get involved in identifying hazards. 2 Accountability Representatives should understand that the committee expects them to contribute; each representative shares responsibility for accomplishing safety committee goals, which benefit everyone who works for the Company. The safety committee is also responsible for monitoring how management holds employees accountable for working safely and for recommending ways to strengthen accountability. 3 Employee Involvement To become effective, a safety committee needs help from everyone in The COMPANY. The safety committee must have a method for employees to report hazards and to offer safety suggestions. Ways the safety committee can encourage employees to get involved: · Encourage employees to report hazards and unsafe work practices to a safety-committee representative. · Act on employee suggestions and recognize their contributions to a safer workplace. ·
Promote the committee‘s
activities and accomplishments. Make sure employees know that you are starting a safety committee.
Tell them why you are starting the committee, describe its role in the Company‘s safety-and-health program, and explain
management‘s commitment to the committee. You can inform employees in a memo or a newsletter, by e-Mail, or –
better yet – meet with them to promote the committee and to answer questions. 4 Hazard Identification The safety committee plays an important role
in keeping the workplace hazard-free: ·
Ensure that representatives
know how to recognize hazards and understand basic principles for controlling them. · Focus on identifying hazards and unsafe work
practices that are likely to cause serious injuries. · Conduct thorough workplace inspections at least quarterly. ·
Document hazards during
quarterly inspections and discuss how to control them at regular safety-committee meetings. · Include employer and employee representatives
on the inspection team. 5 Accident Investigation The committee must have a procedure for investigating all workplace accidents, illness,
and deaths. It is not necessary for the committee to conduct accident investigations or to participate in investigations;
however, the committee should ensure that management does so. The committee should also carefully review accident reports
to help management identify accident causes and determine how to control them. 6 Recordkeeping You may not think of record keeping as an essential
activity, but accurate, well-organized records document the committee‘s accomplishments and can inform the committee
what it needs to do to improve. The following documents are required for the safety committee‘s file: ·
Accurate minutes of
each safety committee meeting. ·
Committee reports,
evaluations, and recommendations. · Management‘s response to committee recommendations. ·
Employee safety suggestions
and hazard concerns. 7 Evaluation Evaluation answers the question ―Are we effective?‖ Effective safety committees periodically evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and the evaluation
helps them set new goals. At least once a year, schedule a half-day safety-committee meeting to accomplish the following:
identify the committee‘s achievements over the past 12 months, review essential activities, and set goals for the next
12 months. Start With The
Primary Place of Employment When starting a safety committee, you should
do so at the Company‘s primary place of employment - the workplace where management controls the budget and can act
on the safety committee‘s recommendations. Make sure employees know that you are starting a safety committee. Tell them why you are starting the committee, describe its role in the Company‘s safety-and-health program, and explain management‘s commitment to the committee. You can inform employees in a memo or a newsletter, by e-Mail, or – better yet – meet with them to promote the committee and to answer questions.
4 Hazard Identification The safety committee plays an important role in keeping the workplace hazard-free:
· Ensure that representatives know how to recognize hazards and understand basic principles for controlling them. · Focus on identifying hazards and unsafe work practices that are likely to cause serious injuries. · Conduct thorough workplace inspections at least quarterly. · Document hazards during quarterly inspections and discuss how to control them at regular safety-committee meetings. · Include employer and employee representatives on the inspection team.
5 Accident Investigation
The committee must have a procedure for investigating all workplace accidents, illness, and deaths. It is not necessary for the committee to conduct accident investigations or to participate in investigations; however, the committee should ensure that management does so. The committee should also carefully review accident reports to help management identify accident causes and determine how to control them.
6 Recordkeeping
You may not think of record keeping as an essential activity, but accurate, well-organized records document the committee‘s accomplishments and can inform the committee what it needs to do to improve. The following documents are required for the safety committee‘s file:
· Accurate minutes of each safety committee meeting. · Committee reports, evaluations, and recommendations. · Management‘s response to committee recommendations. · Employee safety suggestions and hazard concerns.
7 Evaluation
Evaluation answers the question ―Are we effective?‖ Effective safety committees periodically evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and the evaluation helps them set new goals. At least once a year, schedule a half-day safety-committee meeting to accomplish the following: identify the committee‘s achievements over the past 12 months, review essential activities, and set goals for the next 12 months.
Start With The Primary Place of Employment
When starting a safety committee, you should do so at the Company‘s primary place of employment - the workplace where management controls the budget and can act on the safety committee‘s recommendations.
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Recommendations
All recommendations submitted to management must be written and should: 1. Be clear and concise. 2. Provide reasons for implementation. 3. Give recommended options. 4. Show implementation costs and recommended completion dates. 5. List benefits to be gained.
Procedures The committee‘s plan of action requires procedures by which the committee may successfully fulfill its role. Procedures developed should include but not be limited to: · Meeting date, time, and location (Safety Committee Meeting Agenda). · Election of chairperson and secretary. · Order of business. · Records (Safety Committee Meeting Minutes).
Duties of each member must include, but not be limited to:
· Reporting unsafe conditions and practices. · Attending all safety and health meetings. · Reviewing all accidents and near-misses. · Recommending ideas for improving safety and health. · Working in a safe and healthful manner. · Observing how safety and health is enforced in the workplace. · Completing assignments given to them by the chairperson. · Acting as a work area representative in matters of health and safety. · Others as determined by Company safety and health needs.
The Safety Coordinator(s) and/or Safety Committee Members N&R Cleaning has designated: Venessa Alvarado as Company Safety Coordinator, with Company Safety Committee members being: Alexis Ramos. It shall be the duty of the Safety Coordinator to assist the Supervisor/Foreman and all other levels of Management in the initiation, education, and execution of an effective safety program.
Note: A “Safety Committee Policy Statement” form, to be signed by the Company Owner or CEO and distributed to all employees, is provided at the end of this section. It is your COPY MASTER. Recorder · Takes minutes at each meeting. · Distributes copies of minutes to representatives. · Posts minutes for other employees to review. · Maintains the safety-committee file. · Keeps minutes and agendas on file for three years.
Other Committee Representatives · Report employees‘ safety and health concerns to the committee. · Report accidents, near miss incidents, & unsafe conditions to the committee. · Suggest items to include in the monthly meeting agenda. · Encourage other employees to report workplace hazards and suggest how to control them. · Establish procedures for conducting quarterly workplace inspections and for making recommendations to management to eliminate or control hazards. · Help management evaluate the company‘s safety-and-health program and recommends how to improve it. · Establish procedures for investigating the causes of accidents and near-miss incidents.
Set Practical Goals for the Committee Purpose and goals: put them in writing
The purpose of a safety committee is to bring workers and managers together to achieve and maintain a safe, healthful workplace. But you will need to narrow the focus, set goals, and specify what the committee will do.
Train the Representatives What representatives need to know:
Representatives must understand the purpose of the safety committee, how to apply OSHA‘s safety rules, and how to conduct safety-committee meetings. They must also have training in hazard identification and the principles of accident investigation. Representatives should know whom to contact for information or for help on workplace safety-and-health matters. Two sources are your workers‘ compensation insurance carrier and OSHA. Although your safety committee does not have to have Bylaws, they can give the committee stability by stating, in writing, how the committee conducts its business. Bylaws can be as simple or complex as you want to make them. This example shows the bylaws of the imaginary XYZ Construction Company’s safety committee. Name
Purpose The purpose of the XYZ Safety Committee is to bring all XYZ Construction Company employees together to achieve and maintain a safe, healthful workplace. Goal Objectives The XYZ Safety Committee has four objectives: 1 Involve employees in achieving a safe, healthful workplace. 2 Promptly review all safety-related incidents, injuries, accidents, illnesses, and deaths. 3 Conduct quarterly workplace inspections, identify hazards, and recommend methods for eliminating or controlling the hazards. 4 Annually evaluate the XYZ Construction Company‘s workplace safety-and-health program and recommend to management how to improve the program. Representatives The XYZ Safety Committee will have ten voting representatives. Five of the representatives will represent employees and five will represent management. Employee representatives can volunteer or their peers can elect them. Management representatives will be selected by management. Each representative will serve a continuous term of at least one year. Terms will be staggered so that at least one experienced representative always serves on the committee. Chair and Vice-chair The XYZ Safety Committee will have two officers: chair and vice-chair. One officer will represent labor and one officer will represent management. Terms of Service Chair and vice-chair will each serve a one-year term. Duties of the Chair Duties of the Vice-chair Election of Chair and Vice-chair Training Attendance
and Alternates Each representative will attend regularly scheduled
safety committee meetings and participate in quarterly workplace inspections and other committee activities. Any representative
unable to attend a meeting will appoint an alternate and inform the chair before the meeting. An alternate attending a meeting
on behalf of a regular representative will be a voting representative for that meeting. Agenda The
agenda will prescribe the order in which the XYZ Safety Committee conducts its business. The agenda will also include the
following when applicable: ·
A review of new safety
and health concerns ·
A status report of
employee safety and health concerns under review · A review of all workplace near misses, accidents, illness, or deaths
occurring since the last committee meeting. Minutes Minutes will be recorded at each committee meeting and distributed via e-mail to all
XYZ Construction Company employees. The committee will submit a copy of the minutes to the XYZ Construction Company personnel
office; the office will retain the copy for three years. All reports, evaluations, and recommendations of the committee will
be included in the minutes. The minutes will also identify representatives who attended monthly meeting, and representatives
who were absent. Voting Quorum Six voting representatives constitute a quorum.
A majority vote of attending representatives is required to approve all safety-committee decisions. Issues not resolved by
majority vote will be forwarded to management for resolution. Employee
Involvement The XYZ
Safety Committee will encourage employees to identify workplace-health-and-safety hazards. Concerns raised by employees will
be presented to the committee in writing; the committee will review new concerns at the next regularly-scheduled monthly meeting. Safety Log The
committee will maintain a log of all employee concerns, including the date received, recommendations to management, and the
date the concern was resolved. Response The committee will respond to employee concerns in writing and work with management
to resolve them. The committee will present written recommendations for resolving concerns to management. Within 60 days of
receipt of the written recommendations, management will respond in writing to the committee indicating acceptance, rejection,
or modification of the recommendations. Incident
and Accident
Investigation The
XYZ Safety Committee will review new safety- or health-related incidents at its next regularly-scheduled meeting. Safety-related
incidents include work-related near misses, injuries, illnesses, and deaths. When necessary, the committee will provide written
recommendations to management for eliminating or controlling hazards. Workplace Inspections The XYZ Safety Committee will conduct quarterly
workplace inspections of all company facilities in March, June, September, and December. Written Report The committee will prepare a written report for management that documents the location of all
health or safety hazards found during inspection. The report will recommend options for eliminating or controlling the hazards.
Within 60 days of receipt of the written report, management will respond in writing to the committee, indicating acceptance,
rejection, or proposed modification of the recommendations. Evaluation
The XYZ Safety
Committee will evaluate the company‘s workplace-safety-and-health program annually and provide a written evaluation
of the program to management. The committee will also evaluate its own activities each December and use the evaluation to
develop an action plan for the next calendar year. Example Page 2 Attendance and Alternates
Each representative will attend regularly scheduled safety committee meetings and participate in quarterly workplace inspections and other committee activities. Any representative unable to attend a meeting will appoint an alternate and inform the chair before the meeting. An alternate attending a meeting on behalf of a regular representative will be a voting representative for that meeting.
Agenda The agenda will prescribe the order in which the XYZ Safety Committee conducts its business. The agenda will also include the following when applicable: · A review of new safety and health concerns · A status report of employee safety and health concerns under review · A review of all workplace near misses, accidents, illness, or deaths occurring since the last committee meeting.
Minutes
Minutes will be recorded at each committee meeting and distributed via e-mail to all XYZ Construction Company employees. The committee will submit a copy of the minutes to the XYZ Construction Company personnel office; the office will retain the copy for three years. All reports, evaluations, and recommendations of the committee will be included in the minutes. The minutes will also identify representatives who attended monthly meeting, and representatives who were absent.
Voting Quorum
Six voting representatives constitute a quorum. A majority vote of attending representatives is required to approve all safety-committee decisions. Issues not resolved by majority vote will be forwarded to management for resolution.
Employee Involvement The XYZ Safety Committee will encourage employees to identify workplace-health-and-safety hazards. Concerns raised by employees will be presented to the committee in writing; the committee will review new concerns at the next regularly-scheduled monthly meeting.
Safety Log
The committee will maintain a log of all employee concerns, including the date received, recommendations to management, and the date the concern was resolved.
Response
The committee will respond to employee concerns in writing and work with management to resolve them. The committee will present written recommendations for resolving concerns to management. Within 60 days of receipt of the written recommendations, management will respond in writing to the committee indicating acceptance, rejection, or modification of the recommendations. Incident and
Accident Investigation
The XYZ Safety Committee will review new safety- or health-related incidents at its next regularly-scheduled meeting. Safety-related incidents include work-related near misses, injuries, illnesses, and deaths. When necessary, the committee will provide written recommendations to management for eliminating or controlling hazards.
Workplace Inspections
The XYZ Safety Committee will conduct quarterly workplace inspections of all company facilities in March, June, September, and December.
Written Report The committee will prepare a written report for management that documents the location of all health or safety hazards found during inspection. The report will recommend options for eliminating or controlling the hazards. Within 60 days of receipt of the written report, management will respond in writing to the committee, indicating acceptance, rejection, or proposed modification of the recommendations.
Evaluation
The XYZ Safety Committee will evaluate the company‘s workplace-safety-and-health program annually and provide a written evaluation of the program to management. The committee will also evaluate its own activities each December and use the evaluation to develop an action plan for the next calendar year. Example Page 2
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