Getting the crew onboard. Creating support for your safety efforts is crucial to establishing a culture of safety in your workplace. A great way to accomplish this is with a proper Safety Committee. (In fact, the Montana Safety Culture Act requires a Safety Committee for all employers with more than five employees.) Depending on the size of your business, this group can move the safety process forward with: • Clearly established goals • Delegation of responsibilities • Effective communication between you and your employees • Consistent effort and accountability Some guidelines. Your committee should be prepared to cover these responsibilities: • Get endorsement and authority from top management • Include both management and employees • Insist that every department be represented in the committee • Meet often enough to address and achieve specific goals and programs • Document meetings, topics, and participants • Establish mandatory attendance by committee members • Conduct periodic safety audits • Review circumstances and causes of accidents, and recommend corrective measures • Review employees’ reports of unsafe working procedures or safety hazards, and recommend corrective measures • Develop and conduct employee safety awareness programs and training. Be composed of employee and employer representatives and hold regularly scheduled meetings, at least once every four months RECOMMENDATIONS: The safety committee should: • Be of sufficient size and number to provide for effective representation of the workforce • Have more than one safety committee for employers with multiple sites • Include in its employee membership volunteers or members elected by their peers. • Include safety committee activities that assist the employer in fact finding. • The committee should document its activities and act as a fact finding body and report to the employer regarding: • Assessing and controlling hazards • Assessing safety training and awareness topics • Communication with employees regarding safety committee activities • Developing safety rules, policies and procedures • Educating employees on safety related topics • Evaluating the safety program on a regular basis • Inspecting the workplace • Keeping job specific training current • Motivating employees to create a safety culture in the workplace • Reviewing incidents of workplace accidents, injuries and illnesses