Safety Committees

The purpose of a safety committee is to bring workers and managers together to achieve and maintain a safe, healthful workplace. It's easy to start a safety committee, but developing an effective one - one that achieves and maintains a safe, healthful workplace - requires workers and managers who are committed to achieving that goal. Can a safety committee help your business survive in the real world?
 

Yes! Effective safety committees find solutions to problems that cause workplace accidents, illnesses, and injuries. And fewer accidents, injuries, and illnesses mean lower workers' compensation claims costs and insurance rates.
 

You are required to have a safety committee if:

• You have 11 or more employees.
   
• You have 10 or less employees and your DART (Days Away, Restricted or Transferred) rate is in the top 10% of those rates for employers in the same industry.
   

To determine your DART rate, please see Do I need a Safety Committee . For more information on safety committees see our publicatation Safety Committees for the Real World .

Safety Committee rules for agricultural employers:

If you're an agricultural employer, you must follow the safety committee rules in Division 4, Subdivision C, 437-004-0250.

Safety committee rules for forest activities employers:

If you're a forest activities employer, you can meet the intent of the OR-OSHA workplace-safety-committee rules by complying with Division 7, Subdivision B, Forest Activities. These rules require you to have a written safety and health program that includes safety-committee activities. Program elements include management commitment, supervisory responsibilities, accident investigation, employee involvement, hazard identification, and employee training.

Do you have mobile or satellite sites?

If you have workplaces that aren't primary places of employment - construction sites or field offices, for example - you can have one central safety committee at your primary place of employment that represents all of the other workplaces.

If your company does not fit the typical mold, are there options available?

OR-OSHA's safety-committee requirements apply to "typical" workplaces - those that have fixed locations and traditional organizational structures. If your company doesn't fit the typical mold, you may be able to form an innovative safety committee that can work within your organizational structure while achieving a safe, healthful workplace.
 

To apply for innovative-safety-committee status, call OR-OSHA Standards and Technical Resources Section, (503) 378-3272. We'll ask you to describe what you intend to do that makes your committee innovative and how you will involve workers achieving and maintaining a safe, healthful workplace. We may also ask to attend a safety-committee meeting.

A safety committee option for small-business owners:

If you're a construction or general industry employer and your workplace has 10 or fewer employees - including part-time and seasonal employees - you can start a safety committee that meets the needs of your small business and meets the intent of our safety-committee rules. Paperwork is minimal and the meetings are less formal than traditional safety-committee meetings. To participate, you'll need a copy of our booklet, "Safety committees: a guide for workplaces with 10 or fewer employees." The booklet covers everything you need to do to start your safety committee.