Joint Health and Safety Committees: A Fair Workplace for Everyone

workplace health and safety

Monica is a full-time university student from September to April. She spends her summers working at a neighbourhood pool that employees about 30 other people. As she had been working at the pool for a couple summers already, she has recently been assigned to manage adding chemicals to the pool. Whenever Monica goes to deal with the chemicals, she feels uncomfortable for two reasons. The first is that she does not know exactly what to do, as she never received any formal training. The second is that she does not think that she has been given the appropriate equipment to handle the chemicals. Monica wishes that she could turn to someone at work, to listen to her concerns and suggestions, so that circumstances might change.

Have you ever held a job in the past where you felt uncertain about your safety when performing a task? Did you feel like maybe you were missing important training, or that your general health was at risk? If you can think of an occasion like this, then you are certainly not alone. It is all too common for employees to be asked to perform tasks that they are not necessarily comfortable with. There are many tasks that can relate to potential health and safety concerns, such as:

  • Frequently handling chemicals
  • Operating vehicles
  • Carrying heavy objects
  • Working in hot or cold environments
  • Loud noises
  • Working around electricity
  • Working around explosives
  • Improper ergonomic equipment

To better the balance between employer expectations and employee comfort, it is necessary that workplaces establish systems to balance the need for proper health and safety procedures and tasks that are necessary to have completed. Employers can create such systems by using joint health and safety committees.

 

What is a joint health and safety committee?

joint health and safety committees

Sometimes known by similar, but varying names, a joint health and safety committee (JHSC) exists to act as a place for labour and management representatives to voice their own specific concerns. Employees that perform niche tasks have their own distinct viewpoints about how their job can be improved health and safety wise. Management has concerns about policies and procedures, not to mention delivering on bottom lines. There is almost always a compromise that works for both camps and results in a workplace that promotes good health and safety practices.

An employer is responsible for establishing a joint health and safety committee. The committee will possibly manage a handful of items:

  • Potential workplace hazards
  • Workplace risks that could cause injuries, etc.
  • Programs that protect employees
  • Health and safety complaints and recommendations
  • Enforce the recording of incidents
  • Manage the way hazard reports are handled
  • Programs that train employees
  • Participate in health and safety investigations
  • Consultations with experts
  • Employee issues with work hours
  • Programs dealing with safety

Why is health and safety important?

Ignoring the possible legal complications that could beset a company that does not follow the appropriate health and safety regulations in their jurisdiction, there are also many moral and beneficial reasons to respect health and safety. It is unreasonable to ask someone to perform a task that you yourself would be unwilling to do because of safety concerns or risk to your own health. If there is a task that must be completed, then it is especially important that employees receive the training and education that they require so that they can do their job as safely as possible. Employees who notice that their employer cares about their well being are more likely to stay at their job and even talk positively about the company, creating a good reputation for the company. The same cannot be said for the reverse scenario. Keeping trained employees means that an employer does not need to go through the training process again with fresh recruits, to only have them leave just as their predecessors did.

 

As an employer, why have a joint health and safety committee?

As an employer, why have a joint health and safety committee?

If you have at least 20 employees, the number one reason to have a committee is because it is the law to do so. In Ontario, an employer needs to have a committee of at least two people if they have 20-49 employees. If they have 50 or more employees, then the number of people in the committee needs to be at least 4. Half of the committee can be made up of representatives for labour, and the other half can be management representatives. There should never be more management representatives than labour representatives in any situation. Other than reasons having to do with the law, a joint health and safety committee is beneficial because it promotes diversity in a company. With a diverse committee, communication becomes significantly easier, and that brings many positive traits to the company. These can include:

  • Increased innovation
  • More experience
  • Reduced language barriers
  • Increased contentment with task completion
  • More problems being solved

Employees will feel as if their own unique concerns are being listened to, and the quality of their work will therefore possibly improve. There is the added benefit that the total number of claims related to health and safety will dwindle, and employees will also have a means to understand the motivations of management. The numbers mentioned above are minimums for committee members, but employers can have more people in their committees if they should so choose. This would make a lot of sense in larger companies, where employees are more likely to feel like a cog in a machine, and a larger committee would act to lessen this feeling. One of the main goals of a health and safety committee is to get as many employees as possible familiar with proper health and safety practices. To do this, it is important to include representatives from various sectors of the company, so that they might go back to their colleagues to spread the knowledge that they have picked up.

 

As an employee, what can a joint health and safety committee do for me?

In addition to becoming informed about the motivations of management, employees can also receive some other benefits by working in a company that uses a strong joint health and safety committee. Employees will always have representatives to voice their concerns in a fair environment, and they will have a dedicated group of people to manage more specific, personal matters like complaints or hazard reports. If an employee wants to have a stronger presence in the company, then they might even want to consider trying to join the committee so that they can represent those that are most like them in the company. If they do not remain in the committee long term, then they can still carry away with them the knowledge and insight that they gained while being a member. Ultimately, the bottom line is that an effective committee will lessen the amount of unsafe or unhealthy tasks that you might be asked to perform as an employee.

 

How can I learn more about joint health and safety committees?

How can I learn more about joint health and safety committees?

If you are interested in learning more about joint health and safety committees, or you would like formal acknowledgment of your knowledge on the topic, then it makes sense to look into getting a joint health and safety committee certification. This joint health and safety certification will go over:

  • The definition of a Joint Health and Safety Committee
  • When a JHSC is required
  • The committee member selection process
  • Committee roles and responsibilities
  • The scheduling, agendas and conduct of meetings
  • Record keeping
  • Committee member inspections and investigations

This course, intended for anyone from workers to mangers, is available to complete on your computer or mobile device at your own pace. Upon the successful completion of this JHSC certification, you will receive a digital certificate acknowledging that you know all about joint health and safety committees!

Contact

SOS First Aid and Safety Training services the following Southern Ontario communities: Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Guelph, Vaughan, Woodbridge, Maple, Richmond Hill, Brampton, Acton, Georgetown, Hamilton, Ancaster, Brantford, Stoney Creek, St. Catherines, and Welland.

Customer Reviews

suzyan kunwar
suzyan kunwar
Had a great experience, instructor patty was very helpful.
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8sujata kunwar
Thank you Patrick for your wonderful instruction
LE NGUYEN
LE NGUYEN
Minakshi Subba
Minakshi Subba
Had amazing experience with Patty! She taught us so well and I learnt so much while practicing cpr and first aid.
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Patty was a great instructor and extremely knowledgeable Was great with instructions and communication. Fun and a great experience.
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I did the BLS course with Patty, and she was a very good teacher!
Nicole Freeman
Nicole Freeman
Our instructor was really good, he truly cared! It was a recertification, and I have to say that I learnt a lot this time. He went above and beyond. I feel more secure and knowledgeable when responding to an emergency. Thank you!
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Marilyn A M
Ally was an amazing teacher trainer. Felt safe heared and very informative. would highly recommend.
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Eun Hye Pedralvez
Prakash was a great instructor! Made the class very engaging and explained things well
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Mr. Nagar was amazing! Very helpful!
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G KAUR
G KAUR
Great information and indepth knowledge of epinephrine and the placement and new technologies. Thank you Prakash!
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Thaksha Kulenthiran
Prakash was very engaging and thorough
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Alpana Vora
Ally was an amazing informative teacher! i love her teaching style and she was great at answering questions and chatting in an informative way!
Sofie Z
Sofie Z
The training was interesting and educativeI enjoyed it
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Oluwatosin Enitan
Daniel was excellent!!
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Alaa Dimitri
Julie was the best instructor for standard first aid , very informative and easy to listen
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Suhad Sa'doun
I had a great experience with debbie at the kingbridge location She made it very easy to stay alert in the class That all students were able to receive her lessons she was amazing 👏
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AsianDomination104
Great experience.Mario gave clear and detailed instructions that were easy to follow and remember. He was very professional and gave so much input than I expected. Would highly recommend!
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Shiela Mae Arca
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Laziz Eibov
Great instructor Mario! Thank you :)
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Leila Yohannes
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Nanzala Anna
Was a lot of fun while also providing the education and performance testing needed!! Mario was great!!
Hai Psycho
Hai Psycho
Mario is very knowledgeable. Mask fit testing went smoothly.
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Kathryn Lantican
olubunmi olaoye
olubunmi olaoye
Mario was a great instructor. Thoroughly explained and provided a great learning experience!
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Simran Sandhu
I have amazing experience. My instructor explained everything very well and it was very easy for me to understand the whole process.
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Gurkirat Kaur Grewal
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WANG RUXIN
Wonderful class. Goi instructor daniel
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Marlene Cromwell
Perfect 👍 teaching 👌
ese Dukuye
ese Dukuye
Daniel was great!! Everything was explained so well that I manage to score hundred percent
Zarah Ali
Zarah Ali
Mario was great! We had fun with our N95 activities!
Alieh Ramezani
Alieh Ramezani
Chirag Rangani
Chirag Rangani
The mask fit training was very informative and beneficial. I had a fun time attending the class and I feel confident in correctly fitting my mask for safety.
Acemark Pellos
Acemark Pellos
Zhanming Chang
Zhanming Chang
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Aline Chusl Fotso
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Keirol Mallari
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Dawa Sherpa
Mario is excellent! Great job! Highly recommended!
Marsi Siobal
Marsi Siobal
It’s very good session…
sagar amin
sagar amin
I have very good experience here
sonu3115
sonu3115
It was good
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Amandeep kaur
Mario is very helpful and accommodating.
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gurwinder dhanda
very quick and friendly instructor!
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Von Immanuel Yagong
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Barkat Khalid
Huang Yang
Huang Yang
Mario was missing Luigi. Perfect session very informative and straight to the point. Perfect session highly recommend.
Robert Rebelo
Robert Rebelo
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GC Tobino
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Zantrav Motovin
genevieve gelinas
genevieve gelinas
I learnt a lot especially what to do when someone has got a snake bite.
Chidimma Onwughalu
Chidimma Onwughalu
Ally and Doug were great at explaining and teaching. They made the class fun and easy to understand. Loved it!
Samra s
Samra s
Navdeep Kaur
Navdeep Kaur
Wen Fan (Yvonne)
Wen Fan (Yvonne)
Went here three times already and I can confidently say that they deliver the most effective lesson for N95 certification. I had Mario as my lecturer and he was able to simplify and highlight important details on the use of N95's. Highly recommend
xkristiann (xkristiann)
xkristiann (xkristiann)
Excellent instructor
Manpy Sehmi
Manpy Sehmi
Araba Wood
Araba Wood
Marian De Villa
Marian De Villa
It was a splendid experience and very educative.
Kayla Asante
Kayla Asante
Great Mask-Fit session with Mario
Mel B
Mel B
Session was really informative and interactive. Mario has good humour and makes the session lively.
Polina Loukianenkova
Polina Loukianenkova
Mario was great. The session was informative and mario made it entertaining and enjoyable.
Ed de Vries
Ed de Vries
Jennifer Nana Arku-Entsie
Jennifer Nana Arku-Entsie
Great and engaging!!
Chidera Eleh
Chidera Eleh
Ally was absolutely the sweetest, most informative and great teacher, I have ever had. To have her patiently answer questions, while also providing real life examples that make it all better to understand! So smart! Loved it!
Leo Andruchovici
Leo Andruchovici
Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Mario is very friendly and approachable. Learned a lot from him. Never a dull moment during our lesson for N95. Good job!
Derlin Baywas
Derlin Baywas
Jasmeet Dulay
Jasmeet Dulay
A fun session
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Shivangi Aatli
Quick and informative
Jahleen Reid
Jahleen Reid
Lima Siddiqi
Lima Siddiqi
It was very informative and Mario was a good instructor.
Witney Akowuah
Witney Akowuah
Very informative session!
Chelle Rubio
Chelle Rubio
Victoria Cuthbert
Victoria Cuthbert
For something I was dreading spending money on and doing, I actually ended up wanting more of and am looking forward to another opportunity to take more classes with SOS! Learning from Ally has been both enjoyable and inspiring. My classmates and I spent our break time discussing the material we learned and also how impressed we were with the content and delivery. We had all done the CPR and First Aide courses in the past, but all agreed this course was a game changer! We couldn’t thank Ally enough!
Jenna Bernard
Jenna Bernard
Ezinma Kingsley
Ezinma Kingsley
Mario was very informative and made the learning process enjoyable.
Sarah Byrne
Sarah Byrne
hyun been seo
hyun been seo
Very informative and proper courseJess was an amazing instructor
Arsany Maged
Arsany Maged
Jess was awesome! It was a very interactive and informative class. Easy to learn environment. Would definitely recommend SOS First Aid.
Ronak K
Ronak K
Marlon Murray
Marlon Murray
Learned how to provide the first aid.
Aiden Muliett
Aiden Muliett
Very good classAlly made it very fun
Justin Mancini
Justin Mancini
Peter Ayoub
Peter Ayoub
Prakash was very enjoyable approachable fun and supportive. He was very empathetic in his teaching and instruction and corrections. I had a very enjoyable and supportive experience with him in the classroom
joan rupram
joan rupram
I really enjoyed every time I spent throughout .
alonge segun
alonge segun
I did my first aid training for the first time and Karen was fun and so knowledgeable. Would do the training with them again for sure!!
Puneet Khangura
Puneet Khangura
Surprised that we weren’t bored out of our minds when we took the course
the filipinaa
the filipinaa
Our instructor Karen was amazing. Very knowledgeable. Highly recommended
Radesia Campbell
Radesia Campbell
Karen Parker is funny and smart and one of the best instructors I’ve came across ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Silvester Nirmal
Silvester Nirmal
P Style
P Style
john modafferi
john modafferi
My name is janeka walsh and I wanted to say Ms viola is the besttt instructor ever !! Nice sweet and patient teacher ! I’m going to miss her
Tiffany Smith
Tiffany Smith

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