More employers have established a safety committee today than at any previous time in the history of this country. In 1951 the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported only 28% of the 2,411 collective bargaining contracts surveyed provided for joint labor management safety committees. A follow-up BLS survey reported in 1972, that joint labor management safety committees were found in 29% of the collective bargaining agreements surveyed. Subsequent surveys of collective bargaining agreements conducted by the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA), in 1986 reported 45% had provisions for labor management safety committees. A comprehensive 1993 Reader Survey conducted by Chilton's Industrial Safety &; Hygiene News indicated that 92% of respondents reported the presence of a safety committee at the responding reader's company.
What has caused the proliferation of Safety and Health Committees across the United States? There are five major influences currently underway that are shaping this propagation across the country.
Since it's creation, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has attempted to motivate the nation's employers to establish and maintain employee involvement programs. Essentially this has meant a traditional safety and health committee. The agency clearly advises owners of small businesses on page 8 of the OSHA Handbook for Small Businesses:
"Consider forming a joint employee-management safety committee. This can assist you in starting a program and will help maintain interest in the program once it is operating. Committees can be an excellent way of communicating safety and health information. If you have few employees, consider rotating them so that all can have an active part in the safety and health programming. The men and women who work for you are among the most valuable assets you have. Their safety, health and goodwill are essential to the success of your business. Having them cooperate with you in protecting their safety and health not only helps to keep them healthy - it makes your job easier."
The OSHA of today continues to stress employee involvement in safety and health programs as the agency searches for acceptable reform measures. Regardless of which course is ultimately chosen, all leading options embrace compulsory safety and health committees as a key element.
For example, the draft proposed safety and health program rule that's been under development by OSHA includes as a core program element "management leadership and employee participation". Among the suggestions offered to employers concerning employee involvement, OSHA submits:
Communicate regularly with employees about workplace safety and health matters;
Provide employees with access to information relevant to the program; and
Provide ways for employees to become involved in hazard identification and assessment, prioritizing hazards, training and program evaluation.
