701 Effective Safety Committee Operations

One purpose of the safety committee is to provide the employer with useful information.

Purpose refers to the intended reason for which something exists or is done. It is the overarching goal or intention behind an action, organization, or committee. For a safety committee, the purpose is to promote a safe working environment by identifying potential hazards, promoting compliance with safety regulations, and fostering a culture of safety among all employees.

To effectively perform its role, the safety committee must clearly understand its purpose and make a commitment to achieve the outcomes. If the safety committee lacks clarity about its purpose, it could function to inadvertently produce unintended results.

Safety committees are established to achieve key goals:

• Assist in protecting the employer by offering useful information
• Protect employees by addressing safety concerns
• Foster cooperation between labor and management to solve problems collaboratively
• Help the employer educate and motivate all employees about the importance of safety
• Support the employer in training supervisors and managers to identify hazards and take corrective action

These goals highlight the safety committee's responsibility to assist the employer in managing safety, rather than taking on the role of enforcers. This distinction is why we encourage safety committees to see themselves as internal consultants, not as "safety police."