New Business
Here's where the fun begins. Hopefully, new business in your safety committee will include a variety of topics and tasks.
Once again, most new business can be expected, but be sure to include a little bit of a surprise to help keep interest. Here are some ideas for new business:
Department hazard reports: Safety committee members who don't understand the valuable contribution they make to the safety culture may limit new business to hazard reports.
OSHA 300 Log Status: Safety committee members may not understand the value of the OSHA 300 Log. In fact, most members do not know what the OSHA 300 Log is. Effective safety committees should be trained on the OSHA 300 Log. They should review it during each meeting to help determine trends. Take OSHAcademy Course 708, OSHA Recordkeeping Basics for more information on this topic.
Safety Inspection reports: If your safety committee conducts regular safety inspections, it's important to review the results with them. This can be an excellent opportunity to do some hazard identification and control training. The review of the inspection might include:
- hazard trends
- potential root causes
- recommendations for corrective action
- cost/benefit analysis related to corrective actions
Accident analysis reports: The committee can review and evaluate the quality of the accident analysis report. The committee should not be involved in the determinating negligence or disciplinary actions. Remember, safety committees are consultants, not the police. The main goal of the safety committee is to improve the system, not place blame. When evaluating accident reports, check for:
- An accurate description of the events leading up to and including the injury event
- The surface and root causes of the accident
- Recommendations for corrective action and system improvement
- Cost/benefit analysis
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
8-7. Which of the following would be an inappropriate focus when reviewing accident reports in a committee meeting?
You forgot to answer the question!