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THE EFFECTIVE JHSC 3 140-002-07-IGOT © 2013, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) 1 877 494 WSPS (9777) | 905 614 1400 | www.wsps.ca Here are a couple of examples showing how to apply the requirement for a JHSC: 1. A franchisee owns 3 locations, each with 25 workers. A JHSC needs to be established in each location because there are over 20 workers in each. The JHSCs must be made up of at least two members, one representing workers, one representing management. Worker members must not be outnumbered by management members. 2. A manufacturing company has a production plant with 100 workers and a storage warehousing facility with 21 workers. Again, a JHSC is required in each location. The production plant's JHSC must include at least 4 members, because there are more than 50 workers. There must be one worker member and one management member. At the storage warehousing facility, there must be a minimum of one worker member and one management member. As mentioned before (but we cannot stress it enough), worker members must not be outnumbered by management members. The Purpose of a JHSC The purpose of the JHSC is to identify hazards and make recommendations to the employer to control the hazards. The JHSC is an integral part of the company's Internal Responsibility System (IRS). The Internal Responsibility System (IRS) To explain the IRS in a simple way, everyone in the workplace is responsible for health and safety. An effective JHSC's role in a company's IRS is to monitor the system by identifying and suggesting how to correct breakdowns in the IRS (e.g., information about hazards is not communicated to workers). The Occupational Health and Safety Act ensures that the spirit of the IRS is reflected in the JHSC by requiring members from management and workers. There is a form in the Appendix that JHSC members can use to evaluate the company's IRS. Roles and Responsibilities of the JHSC Besides ensuring that there is common ground for working on health and safety issues, the JHSC has duties to fulfill on the job: ƒ Meet at least once every three months. Section 9(33) ƒ Maintain and keep minutes of meetings. Section 9(22) ƒ Post the names and work locations of committee members for all workers. Section 9(32) ƒ Inspect the workplace at least once a month according to a schedule Section 9(26), or where it is not practical, inspect a portion of the workplace at least once a month so entire workplace is inspected yearly. Section 9(27) WSPS.CA

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