Roles and requirements
Workplace health and safety is a shared commitment among everyone. While employers and supervisors have key accountabilities in keeping workers safe, everyone has a responsibility to contribute to a safe and healthy work environment. An additional group that assumes a significant role in workplace health and safety is a joint health and safety committee (JHSC).
A JHSC’s members represent both workers and management in an organization. Together, committee members work to identify health and safety issues in their workplaces and make recommendations to the employer for their correction. Committees fulfill this shared goal by completing workplace inspections, discussing health and safety with other workers, sharing ideas on ways to reduce exposure to hazards, and through routine committee meetings for ongoing safety conversations.
In Ontario, workplaces employing 20 or more people are required to have a JHSC. If a workplace has a designated substance on site such as asbestos, lead, or mercury, it must also have a JHSC, regardless of the number of personnel employed. While smaller workplaces do not require committees, they must still have someone responsible for health and safety, such as a health and safety representative (in workplaces with 6 to 19 workers) or the company owner in workplaces with 5 or fewer employees.
JHSCs must undertake certain roles as mandated in Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). By law, monthly workplace inspections are required and must be conducted by a committee member who represents workers (someone who does not exercise any managerial functions at work). Committee meetings must take place at least once every three months. The time taken to participate in committee activities is not volunteer time. Those participating in committee functions are on the payroll for time taken toward fulfilling their roles.
The OHSA also requires that a minimum of one member representing workers and another representing management become certified JHSC members. This is done by completing a series of training courses approved by the Chief Prevention Office under Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD). To become certified, a member takes a Part One Certification course (three days in duration, which can also be taken in a self-paced e-learning format) that provides an overview of occupational health and safety in Ontario, and how a committee contributes. A Part Two Certification course is also required. These courses are typically two days in duration and provide a more in-depth look at health and safety from an industry-specific perspective while also outlining committee roles and requirements. While it is not required to have everyone certified on a committee, it is recognized as best practice.
Workplace Safety North (WSN) offers JHSC Certification training in French and English and in different delivery methods (virtual and classroom).
For more information, contact a WSN Health and Safety Specialist in your region.
Related
Joint Health and Safety Committees: What they are and what they do – WSN
Learn more about the JHSC certification process – WSN
Upcoming JHSC training – WSN
Guide for health and safety committees and representatives – MLITSD
Training for joint health and safety committee members – MLITSD