joint health & safety committees operating in an effective irs environment

Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

• Characteristics of an effective JHSC• What is IRS?• IRS analysis• Roles & responsibilities of the JHSC• Summary


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What is the objective of the JHSC?

11 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

What is required for an effective JHSC?


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• Working knowledge of the OHSA• Industry knowledge & experience• Knowledge to recognize, evaluate and control workplace

hazards• Experience in workplace inspections• Inspections done in pairs (rep & management)*• Need to have a focus (IRS, fall arrest, mobile equip,

standards, etc)• Experience in emergency preparedness/response• Experience in understanding causation models• Understand incident investigation and capable of doing it



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• Safety leaders in the workplace• Passion and dedication• Sincere interest in worker health & safety• Cooperation and transparency• Good written and oral communication skills• Stick to the direction that the JHSC is mandated• Not to be used as a political platform for either

side to try and gain an upper-hand.• Not get caught up in daily safety/production

issues*





• Effective meetings• Employees awareness of JHSC• Professionalism, proactive, positive• Committee evaluation• Terms of reference• Knowledge of roles and responsibilities• Clear understanding by all of the

Internal Responsibility System (IRS)• Management support*

“Employers across Ontario should take a good look in the mirror when it comes to providing assistance to ensure committees function as prescribed. Link everyone in the green book to the IRS concept.”

- Rick Farrell, Worker Rep. Xstrata Copper, Kidd Mine

Required for effective JHSC


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What is the “Internal Responsibility System?”*

Internal Responsibility System (IRS)


The IRS is a system, within an organization, where everyone has direct responsibility for health and safety as an essential part of his or her job.

It does not matter who or where the person is in the organization – they achieve health and safety in a way that suits the kind of work they do.

Each person takes initiative on health and safety issues and works to solve problems and make improvements. They do this both simply and cooperatively.

Taken from the Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report

IRS Description


IRS survey results

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• Most think IRS working well• Workers less positive in some areas– Relationship with supervisors perceived to be

good– Perceived lack of commitment to safety and IRS

by management• Gap between workers’ and supervisors’

views.*


IRS survey results

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• Not everyone understands the role of Joint Health and Safety Committee– Views not always in line with model of IRS

described in IRS study– Only half of workers see committee as a

resource (other groups had higher percentage).– Only half of workers see committee as final step

in resolving issues• JHSC members not always familiar with the

functions of executive/board levels of the organization*


IRS survey results

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• Issues common to the majority of companies:– Understanding IRS – roles within IRS need to be

better understood by all parties– JHSC – workers often use JHSC to address issues– Communication – feedback to workers– Roles and responsibilities – require improvement

between company JHSC and contractor JHSC– Commitment to safety and IRS by senior

management needs to be more visible.*


DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY• Assigned to parties who make operative decisions

about conditions in the workplace

• The responsibility of the company President to ensure that direct responsibility within a company is established, promoted & improved

CONTRIBUTIVE RESPONSIBILITY• Assigned to parties who are in a position to consult,

advise, audit or inspect conditions in the workplace

• Parties can be internal or external to the workplace.*

IRS Responsibility


Internal Responsibility System

DirectDirectors

Executives

Employers

Supervisors

Workers

InternalContributive

JHSC

Health & Safety staff

Engineers

Other staff

Unions

ExternalContributive

Unions

HSA

Workers’ Centre

Suppliers

MOL

WSIB

Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment25

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“The IRS model can be used to analyze OHS situations, problems and opportunities in new ways. Most health and safety problems can be analyzed in terms of the root problems with ‘people factors’ in the organization”

IRS Analysis


Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report*

IRS Analysis


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The OHS professional and the JHSC members would do a much better job of handling issues if they became accustomed to thinking in IRS terms. IRS analysis would take us beyond the question "is this work safe?", to "why wasn't this hazard dealt with by the people responsible within the day to day routine?"

Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report*

• Internal Responsibility System is the heart of the OHSA.

• What is OHSA?• Do you want to be known as a

“minimum standards” company?*

OHSA & The Internal Responsibility System


OHSA• Rights of workers• Duties of workplace parties –

[Part III of OHSA]*

The Act & the Internal Responsibility system


The following workplace parties are identified in Part III of the OHSA:

‐ Constructor‐ Licensee‐ Employers‐ Supervisors‐ Workers‐ Owners‐ Suppliers‐ Engineers and architects‐ Directors and Officers of a corporation*

Workplace Parties


On flip chart paper, list the

responsibilities of:– Employer

– Supervisor

– Worker

– Directors and officers

– Suppliers

– Owners*

Workshop:Internal Responsibility System


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The IRS is a system, within an organization, where everyone has direct responsibility for health and safety as an essential part of his or her job.

It does not matter who or where the person is in the organization – they achieve health and safety in a way that suits the kind of work they do.

Each person takes initiative on health and safety issues and works to solve problems and make improvements. They do this both simply and cooperatively. Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report

IRS Description


Analyze every OHS issue in terms of the underlying IRS issues, e.g.:‐ Incident Investigations‐ Inspections‐ Complaints‐ Orders‐ Work Refusals‐ Work stoppages*

“IRS Analysis”

33Joint Health & Safety Committees

Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

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• Be an advocate for the IRS and its continuous improvement;

• Monitor the functioning of the IRS and make recommendations for its improvement;

• Inspect the workplace for the purpose of ensuring that workers and supervisors are reducing risks on a continuous basis;

• Investigate serious incidents and other events with a view to identifying and recommending elimination of fundamental causes of losses;*

JHSC Roles and Responsibilities in an Effective IRS Environment


Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report

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• Intercede to resolve a worker’s concern where the IRS fails;

• Assist in the development of safe and healthy working procedures;

• Monitor the elements of the health and safety system (policies and programs) and suggest ways of improving them;

• Contribute to the health and safety assessment of new facilities, equipment, material and processes;*




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• Determine what failures in the IRS caused work refusals to occur;

• Facilitate discussion among all members of the organization, particularly with respect to system-wide problems and opportunities;

• Provide a means by which insights and concerns of workers can be communicated to senior management;

• Act as another channel of communication between workplace parties;*




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• Act as a liaison for the MOL so that weaknesses in the IRS, and continuing health and safety concerns, can be brought to the attention of the inspector;

• Check that mechanisms are in place to monitor the performance of work; and

• Check that, when recommendations are made to change work procedures, the changes are made and maintained.*




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• The attitudes of employers, employees and unions are critical to the success of the JHSC

• Key ingredients are a strong commitment by the employer expressed in policies, procedures and actions as well as the interest and involvement of the employees on the JHSC

• Everyone must understand the IRS process, believe in it, and take steps to make it effective at all levels in the organization. *

Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating inan Effective IRS Environment


Summary

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Thank you for your participation

Questions?



joint health & safety committees operating in an effective irs environment

Documents

safety of workers

safety experience

safety concerns

result of health

effective irs environmentjhsc

effective irs environment66it

employees section

irs description