Skip to main content

Industrial Safety Management >Chapter 3 > Topic –Employee Participation in Safety > Subtopic- Safety Committee-Structure & Functions

Safety Committee- Structure & Functions 





As per the section "41 G- Workers Participation in Safety Management" of the Factories Act 1948 & As per the  Rule "73 J-Safety Committee" of the Maharashtra Factories rules,1963

Formation of Safety Committee is mandatory where ,

1. Factories employing workers more than 250
2. Factories carrying dangerous operations u/s 87
3. Factories listed in the First Schedule and as per section 2-cb 

Structure of the Safety Committee -
  • A senior official shall be the Chairman
  • A Safety Officer or Factory Medical Officer shall be the Secretary
  • A representative each from the production, maintenance and purchase departments shall be members
  • Workers representatives, of equal number, shall be elected by the workers
Tenure-
  • The tenure of the committee shall be 2 years
  • At least one meeting in 3 months. Minutes shall be recorded and produced before the Factory Inspector on demand

Right-
  • The committee has right to be informed of potential hazards of work places and data on accidents and working environment. The committee shall keep the data confidential and use it solely to guide on safety measures

Functions & duties:
  1. Co-operation to implement health and safety policy.
  2. All matters of health, safety and environment and solutions to problems in that regard. 
  3. Creation of safety awareness amongst workers. 
  4. To conduct educational, training and promotional activities.
  5. To  discuss  reports on safety, health and environmental surveys, safety audits, risk assessment, emergency plans and implementation of the recommendations of the reports.
  6. To carry out health and safety surveys and identify causes of accidents.
  7. To look into complaints of imminent danger and suggest corrective measures.
  8. To review the implementation of its own recommendations.
  9. To form sub-committees, if necessary. 
Policy and Procedure: 
  • When a committee is formed, written instruction should be issued covering (1) Scope of activities (2) Extent of authorities and (3) Procedure as to time/place of meeting, frequency of meeting, order of business, records to be kept and attendance requirements. 
  • The management should make it clear that it wants results and should give effective executive supervision over the affairs of the committee. 
  • The committee members should have firm determination to advance the cause of Safety. 

Advantages of Safety Committee - 
  1. Brings together varying view points, yield sounder .decisions than the individual members. 
  2. Widens interest by allowing participants of work-people in their own work.
  3. Allows checks and cross-checks by different opinions which are essential for safety.
Disadvantages  of Safety Committee - 
  1. Causes delay into the decisions till the meetings are held. 
  2. Consumes more time in meetings 
  3. May sometimes turn into a trade union meeting if so pulled by the employees. Therefore its good control to the point is necessary.

References : 

  • Fundamentals of Industrial safety & health by Dr. K.U. Mistry 
  • The Factories Act , 1948

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Safety ,Health and Environmental Legislation > Chapter-6 > Topic- ILO Conventions and Recommendation concerning Occupational Health & Safety > Subtopic- Relevant Conventions and Recommendation of ILO in the furtherance of Safety , Health and Environment (SHE). SHE a human right issue. Trade policy affecting OHS

Relevant Convention and Recommendation of ILO in the furtherance of Safety , Health and Environment (SHE) , SHE a human right issue ,Trade policy affecting OHS.  Role, structure and function of ILO  The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that labour peace is essential to prosperity. Today, the ILO helps advance the creation of decent work and the economic and working conditions that give working people and business people a stake in lasting peace, prosperity and progress.  The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished only if it’s based on social justice. In 1946, the ILO became a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its unique tripartite structure gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments providing a unique platform fo
Post a Comment
Read more

Environmental Management > Chapter- 6 > Topic- Sustainability Reporting > Sub-Topic - Elements of Sustainability Reports , Purpose and advantage of Sustainability Reporting , Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), G4 Guidelines, Green Building Concept

Elements of Sustainability Reports , Purpose and advantage of Sustainability Reporting , Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), G4 Guidelines, Green Building Concept  What is Sustainability ?  Sustainability refers to the concept of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It involves finding a balance between economic development, environmental protection, and social well-being.  At its core, sustainability recognizes that our actions and decisions should not deplete or harm natural resources, degrade the environment, or exploit communities and individuals. Instead, it emphasizes responsible resource management, equitable distribution of resources, and the promotion of long-term social and economic stability. Sustainability includes three interconnected pillars: Environmental, economic, and social sustainability.  Achieving sustainability requires collective action at various levels, including governments,
Post a Comment
Read more

Industrial Safety Management >Chapter 4 > Topic –Behavior Based Safety (BBS) > Subtopic -Human Behavior -Individual differences , Causes of behavior changes, Behavior as a function of self and situation

Behavior Based Safety (BBS)  Behavior-based safety is a safety management system that specifies exactly which behaviors are required from each employee.  These behaviors are geared towards a safer work environment.  The system must have controls in place which will measure whether or not these behaviors exist as a routine element in the work environment.  Acceptable behaviors must be positively reinforced frequently and immediately as the behavior occurs.  Significance of the BBS-  BBS is based on solid principles about engaging, motivating, assisting, reinforcing, and sustaining safe behaviors.  It takes a systematic approach, examining the motivation underlying behaviors, in order to increase safe behavior.  BBS is an ongoing effort; not ‘once-off’ provisions, but a new way of working that the safety leader must continually promote for sustainable, positive results.  Takes time to achieve; however, results can be observed immediately due to the nature of measurement involved. Emphasi
Post a Comment
Read more