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Safety Update: Joint Health and Safety Committees - The 4 Big Questions

Last week we asked the question "Do you comply with the law regarding Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSC)?" To assess compliance you must look at the OHS law within your province and the regulations that affect you. There are four questions used to determine how compliant your company is in terms of the governing laws. First, you need to verify that you have the correct number of members on your committee. In Alberta the OHS Code (2006) stipulates that a JHSC must have between 2-6 workers and between 1-6 employer members. Second, you must assess the balance of members; joint refers to an equal representation of both managers and workers. It is also very important that workers choose their own representatives for the JHSC without any employer influence.

The third question is with reference to the number and composition of chairpersons. In Alberta two co-chairs must represent the JHSC; one chosen by the representative managers and one chosen by the representative workers. The co-chairs ensure that meeting minutes are taken and distributed within 7 days. The final question you must ask is whether or not your JHSC members are qualified to serve as members. To be eligible, the employee members must be employed at the site where the JHSC has been established.

For more information on Joint Health and Safety Committees and your obligation to comply, please refer to Part 13 of the Occupational Health and Safety Code of Alberta (2006).

The Topic for February 21st: Personal Protective Equipment

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LEGAL DISCLAIMER
eCompliance provides information about topical OH&S issues to assist existing and potential customers to cope with their own OH&S needs. It is not intended to be legal information or legal advice. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a lawyer if you want professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.