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Creating a workplace safety and health committee

Creating a committee

Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and Health Act and Regulations require employers with 20 employees or more to establish a workplace safety and health committee.

Each workplace safety and health committee must meet the following criteria:

  • The committee must have at least four members and not exceed twelve members.
  • Half or more of the committee represents the workers (worker members) not associated with management (employer members).
  • Worker members must be appointed in accordance with the union’s constitution. If there is no union, they are to be elected by the workers they represent.
  • The employer appoints employer members.
  • A committee has two co-chairs. The employer members on the committee choose one management co-chair, and the worker members choose one worker co-chair.
  • Term of office is typically two years, at which point the representative is eligible for re-election.

Training

All workplace safety and health committee members must be competently trained to perform their duties. Competent training includes knowledge of safety and health rights, roles and responsibilities, and tasks they may be required to perform.

The employer is expected to provide the committee with information to identify hazards, assist with inspections and investigations, and give access to records as required by Regulation 217/2006 Part 2 Section 3.12.

In addition to providing training specific to the workplace’s needs, the employer must also allow each committee member to attend safety and health training programs or courses annually. The members must be paid at their regular rate for sixteen hours of training or the equivalent of two shifts, whichever is higher.

Committee training opportunities

Committee duties

Safety and health committees monitor workplace safety, listen to worker concerns and recommend actions for employers to take to remedy a hazard and prevent injury.

Meetings

A committee must meet at least once every three months. The first meeting must be within one month of establishing the committee, and committee members must be given at least three days’ notice that a meeting will take place.

Committee members are entitled to take time off from regular work duties to carry out the required duties of a committee member. This includes an hour or more to prepare for committee meetings, time to attend the meetings, and time to attend safety and health training as per the Workplace Safety and Health Act, Section 44. The employer pays members at regular or premium pay for time spent carrying out these duties.

If some members cannot attend a meeting, it can still occur. However, for any actions to move forward, at least half of the worker and half of the employer members must be present. Members who cannot attend the meeting can have someone attend in their place.

Committees must record the minutes of each meeting, which must be distributed to the committee members, alternates and relevant managers. The minutes must be signed by both co-chairs and kept on file at the workplace for at least ten years.

Minutes of the meetings must include:

  • the full name and address of the workplace
  • the number of total employees at the workplace
  • the names of those in attendance at the meeting
  • the list of concerns, the date the concern was first raised at a committee meeting, the recommendation for action, and who is responsible for taking action

Inspections and investigations

A workplace safety and health committee also has inspection and incident investigation responsibilities.

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