Joint health and safety committee

[cuttin edge]

Not sure about the USA, or other provinces in Canada, but in NB, in order to bid any government, or municipal work, you need to be core certified in safety. One of the qualifications is a functioning safety committee. I have been on our committee since the start, about 12 years now. I think there are 7 or 8 members. Spring and fall meetings are easy, as we are all pretty local, and a monthly meeting is doable. The consultant has set her sights on the committee, and picks it apart constantly. Not enough talking. I work with the same 2 guys all summer, and unless they are big complainers, I got nothin. We are not a factory, there is no shared lunch room. I did go on course this spring with one of the guys on the crusher, and he asked about an AED for the quarry, as they are always a long way from medical help, but most of the time it's a nadda for me. Last months meeting was a no go because everyone was working late, and out of town. She called me herself this week demanding that I shut down the grading job early to attend the meeting for this month. I told her to talk to someone with a different color had than mine. If I stop, the grader stops, and everyone has to go home ( not with my regular 2 guys, doing a road job, getting ready for pave.) She says we will lose our certification if we keep putting off meetings. How do your companies deal, if you have to?

 

[CM1995]

Fortunately we do not have to have a safety committee. All our guys at a minimum have OSHA 10, trenching and excavating safety, CPR and first aid. The big GC's require the super to have OSHA 30 plus confined space, haz comm, AED and I'm sure there are other things missing. At the start of a large job we have to proved safety policy and training certifications for everyone work on the job.

Now we all have OSHA 30 and enough certificates to decorate an office wall.

 

[cuttin edge]

Fortunately we do not have to have a safety committee. All our guys at a minimum have OSHA 10, trenching and excavating safety, CPR and first aid. The big GC's require the super to have OSHA 30 plus confined space, haz comm, AED and I'm sure there are other things missing. At the start of a large job we have to proved safety policy and training certifications for everyone work on the job.

Now we all have OSHA 30 and enough certificates to decorate an office wall.

Each crew has to have at least one first aid provider. I go every year. 8 hour refresher every year, and the full 16 hour course every 3rd year. Road crews need road sign courses. Crusher and asphalt plant operations need fall arrest, and lockout tagout. Pipe crews have trenching and confined space, rigging and hoisting. Forklift, and hoist operation in the shop. Everyone has whmis. Supervisor training every spring, as well as a refresher for the company safety policy for everyone. Every 3 years, they send someone from NBCSA to interview random employees to see if they are familiar with the company safety policy, they audit all the toolbox talk paperwork, FLHA cards, and committee meeting minutes. I have been on the committee too long, members are supposed to rotate through, but every time I try to get out, they pull me back in.

 

[Camshawn]

The problem is you are not having a meeting.
the committee should review all incidents in the past month to see if there is a trend.
As well, exchange information between different work groups.
The BC worksafe has a list of duties for committees that I believe is on line. Your local provincial organization should have requirements online as well.
Can you guys have a zoom type meeting? As long as you document it and are fulfilling the local requirements, the consultant may go away. Cam

 

[cuttin edge]

Problem is that all the busy people are on the committee. I made a suggestion last night in a group e mail that each crew pick someone to sit on the committee. Not all crews work late, or out of town. Send out letters with the pay stubs asking for more people to join. if we work over 12 hours we get supper. Offer supper when you attend, either a PO#, or just 20 bucks. If there were more members, to draw from, it would be easier to have enough for a quarum. We follow the suggestions of worksafe NB, her issue is that there is not enough new business. Like I said, I work with the same 2 guys 90 percent of the time. I never see the crusher crowd, or the pavers, or pipe guys. She wants to have a meeting tomorrow night at the office at 8:30. I'm not doing 5:30am to 7:30pm, driving past my house, going to a meeting, going home, and back up a 4am.

 

[CM1995]

She wants to have a meeting tomorrow night at the office at 8:30. I'm not doing 5:30am to 7:30pm, driving past my house, going to a meeting, going home, and back up a 4am.

Don't blame you on that one CE.

Question - Can a member on the board be paid extra compensation over and above a free meal? I have no clue of the Canadian laws.

Here in the US being on the committee could be viewed as another job description and be paid more for it. We've given our guys raises when they complete OSHA training in addition to paying straight time for the training in addition to the course cost. For example we'll pay 30 straight hours if they get an OSHA 30. Now an OSHA 30 is not something that is required for employment at our company rather it's a career building tool.

 

[Camshawn]

At our outfit, we had meetings during the work day. Each work group had a member and an alternate so usually there were enough members for a quorum. The only exception was when there were no management available. We had a system of reporting all the small incidents and 1st aid reports so we had some fodder for the meeting. It was a case of more people making it easier as there was always someone doing something stupid. Because we worked with sewerage, most small cuts were written up just in case of infection. Cam

 

[cuttin edge]

Don't blame you on that one CE.

Question - Can a member on the board be paid extra compensation over and above a free meal? I have no clue of the Canadian laws.

Here in the US being on the committee could be viewed as another job description and be paid more for it. We've given our guys raises when they complete OSHA training in addition to paying straight time for the training in addition to the course cost. For example we'll pay 30 straight hours if they get an OSHA 30. Now an OSHA 30 is not something that is required for employment at our company rather it's a career building tool.

The free meal is only mentioned because you will be going home later, and supper might be cold sorta thing, or save the single lads from cooking. We get paid for going on course. Not sure how the pay scale works. A good labourer makes only 5 bucks and hour less than an operator. I took over a foreman position on top of my operating job, and only got a 50 cent raise. But I did get a company truck that I don't have to claim as earnings. Someone asked me why I don't go after bigger money for fine grade work. I said no, because I drove dump truck for 2 months last winter, and they paid me my grader operator rate, so...... I thought of suggesting more money to be a member of the committee

 

[cuttin edge]

At our outfit, we had meetings during the work day. Each work group had a member and an alternate so usually there were enough members for a quorum. The only exception was when there were no management available. We had a system of reporting all the small incidents and 1st aid reports so we had some fodder for the meeting. It was a case of more people making it easier as there was always someone doing something stupid. Because we worked with sewerage, most small cuts were written up just in case of infection. Cam

Problem is, I am on a job an hour away from the office, couple other guys are an hour away in the other direction. Everyone is on different sites when it's busy. Job I am on now will be ready for paving tomorrow, so that will bring me back to town until we shoulder, and do tie ins, but that will put the pavers out of town. I went to the meeting last night, felt guilty. There were only 4 of us, but we had it anyway.

 

[winterax]

A good safety consultant will come up with a solution when you have workers in different places, should be nothing wrong with a Zoom meeting or even a conference call. I had one consultant actually hold back the crew to make the meeting last 30 minutes
I found one way to keep guys engaged is to take one procedure go through it and get comments back why or why not it works. Giving the guys a heads up ( a couple days ahead of time ) on what's going to be discussed gives them a chance to think of things as well. Knowing how to chair a meeting makes things go way better, there's some good on line courses with tips on how to deal with some of the personalities that folks have and how to keep the meeting on topic.