Every day, there is the risk of getting injured at work. No matter where you work or what you do, there is always the potential of getting injured in the workplace.
Leading a safety committee (or starting one if there isn’t one in place) is a great way to keep everyone safe in the workplace.
Here’s what to know about being part of a great safety committee at work.
Bring a friend
A great safety committee has people who represent different people from the organization. Ideally, it would have representatives from all levels and all shifts. A diverse group of people in the committee will help determine what changes, if any, should be made to the current procedures.
By talking about safety committee to other coworkers (especially those who are on different shifts and those who are in upper management) you can help the safety committee have as many people as
Have an agenda for each meeting
If you’re leading the safety committee, try to create an agenda for each meeting so that you are able to use everyone’s time effectively. When you have a clear agenda, it will be easier to keep people involved in the safety committee.
An agenda will also make contributions more meaningful. Distributing the agenda beforehand will allow participants to prepare information and ideas for the meeting.
Upper management support
While there needs to be some diversity between upper management and other employees, upper management is critical to the safety committee. Involvement from upper management is important, not because the people in the committee need someone to tell them what to do, but because the presence of upper management is a way to show support for the health and safety of the people who, often, have a greater risk in their day-to-day work.
Even if it’s not realistic for upper management to be at every safety committee meeting, coordinating with the leader of the committee to be at some of the meetings can be valuable. Seeing upper management at safety meetings builds morale and can add to helpful input on safety topics.
