The Safety Committee: Why Some Work and Some Don’t.
Issue #6
May 7, 2007
Why do some safety committees succeed, while others seem to flounder? Quite often I am invited by clients to attend safety committee meetings in order to offer input on a subject, or to just observe and be a resource if needed. This has given me the opportunity to study the characteristics that make a difference between success and failure.
Let’s start with a review of why some safety committees fail. The list of reasons includes:
- Responsibilities are not clearly defined and objectives have not been established.
- Training has not been provided for new committee members.
- Meeting schedules are inconsistent, with meetings frequently being cancelled or moved resulting in poor attendance.
- The committee is composed of too many, or the wrong people.
- A lack of support from management.
Many of the pitfalls which contribute to a lack of success can be avoided by existing committees as well as during the development of a new safety committee.
Management tools.
The same basic tools that work in other aspects of your business will also work to ensure the success of your safety committee. Here is a review of those tools, including comments on their use:
- Written meeting minutes – While keeping meeting minutes is quite common, they are often incomplete and left open-ended. Meetings should be well documented, and any open items brought forward until they result in closure. Minutes should be prepared in a timely manner and provided to the committee for review prior to the next meeting. Any errors should be corrected before the committee accepts the minutes.
- Agendas – The committee leader should list the place, date, time, and length of the meeting; the topics to be discussed; the order in which they will be considered; who will present each topic; and any special assignments for committee members. Agenda items for the next meeting should also be established at the end of each meeting, and it is suggested that the agenda be reviewed before each meeting starts for any changes.
- Meeting Schedule – It seems pretty basic, yet publishing a schedule of planned committee activities can avoid many potential conflicts. It is a good idea to let the committee develop its own schedule, thereby avoiding peak production periods or other factors that may get in the way.
- Orientation – Training of new committee members is essential to get them up to speed and to promote productive participants on the committee. This can include a small group discussion, question and answer sessions, or attendance at conferences, seminars and workshops.
- Budget – Consideration should be given to the cost of meeting, training, communications and labor when creating a budget. Meeting costs will depend on refreshments and any meals that may be served, as well as the cost of supplies and materials. Training should include the cost for existing as well as potential new members, and communications would involve costs for publications, and posters and banners. The cost of labor should be considered not only for meeting attendance, but also for conducting inspections, accident investigations and training.
A survey of 1,002 employers with safety committees found a correlation between the use of these management tools and the level of employer satisfaction. The results are shown in the table below.
No. of Management Tools Used by Committee |
Unsatisfied
|
Satisfied
|
|
5 |
0% |
100% |
Clearly, the more effort expended to function in an organized, businesslike manner, the greater the satisfaction level reported by those employers.
Committee members.
Ground rules should be established for the group in order to provide for some basic structure. These rules should include items like attendance, promptness, participation and interruptions.
Participants need to be engaged in the activities of the safety committee. Projects should be assigned based upon an individual’s skill and knowledge. Sufficient time should be allocated for them to work on those assignments between meetings. The meetings should be spent reporting on progress, not doing the project.
The chairperson must guide the committee towards its goals and objectives by organizing a meeting agenda and following it. To conduct effective meetings, the chairperson must focus the discussion on the subject at hand, and not allow the group to get sidetracked.
Finally, an individual should be appointed to keep the meeting minutes and distribute meeting notices, agendas, and other key information about the committee. This person serves a significant role to the committee as the accuracy and timeliness of these documents are extremely important.
Stay on track.
I am a big supporter of safety committees. They can be an excellent way of communicating safety and health information, and can positively impact the organizations safety culture. Additionally, a single individual attempting to develop all of the required safety initiatives simply will not work as well as a group effort.
If you are starting a new safety committee, consider some of the above tools to establish an environment that will promote success. If you are not satisfied with the results of your current safety committee, maybe now is the time to brainstorm as a group on how these ideas can get you back on track and moving in the right direction.
Got Questions?
Ed,
How large should a safety committee be in terms of the number of members? We currently have eleven, and it seems impossible to get everyone together.
Jerry
Jerry
Committee size is just as important as who is on the committee. Studies have shown that work group dynamics function best when the group is composed of three to seven members. Other studies have demonstrated that large groups do not function as well or accomplish as much as an optimal size group. I would limit the size of your safety committee to no more that seven members.
Ed
Free for the asking . . .
If you would like to put some direction in place for your safety committee, send an email to me at ed@kempkey.com and I will send you “Safety Committee Roles and Responsibilities” to help jumpstart your program.