Being On Your Company's Joint Health And Safety Committee: What To Do

You might be an employee of a very large company in Canada and find that you're interested in the company's Joint Health and Safety Committee, or JHSC. However, there are some credentials you'll need and some knowledge to have about getting on the committee and sitting on it successfully. What JHSC information should you know before making an attempt to join it?

You'll Need JHSC Certification

While you might already know that the JHSC works on issues related to company safety. What may be a surprise is that JHSC members need specialized training regarding safety and business before they can work there. You'll need Joint Health and Safety Committee certification before you can imagine yourself in that position.

Certification generally involves learning about hazards and the workplace. You'll learn about how best to identify facility hazards and what falls within the realm of the law. After learning, you'll need to pass an exhaustive examination dictated by the Ministry of Labour.

Certification training can be done in less than a week, but you're likely to need approval from your supervisor to miss the work days. After you gain certification, you'll need to go in for refresher training periodically to ensure that you have retained the most important information.

You'll Need to Get Feedback from Existing Members

Depending on the size of your company, your business may have a set number of people sitting on the committee at any time. In order for you to get a seat, you may need to wait until someone steps down. While you're waiting for your shot on the JHSC, you can use that time to find out about the safety issues and hazard situations that are already going on in your building.

Getting feedback from those already on the committee can serve multiple purposes. For one thing, you can find out the history of certain problems and solutions; if similar problems are expected to arise, knowing what worked in the past can be helpful. By consulting existing members or older members, you can also get a feel for the various personalities on the committee. This knowledge will allow you to figure out how to work with a diverse group of people to find the solutions you all want.

With these details, a position on the JHSC in your business can seem more attainable. Talk with managers and sitting members to see what guidance they can pass on to you.