Overview

Description: Clarifies and interprets OR-OSHA Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) requiring safety committees and outlines requirements and responsibilities. Provides and lists DHS-specific requirements and tools.

Purpose/Rationale: Maintaining safe DHS locations is essential to effectively providing DHS services. A safe workplace reduces risk of workplace injuries. Safety Committees help ensure that workplaces are safe. By providing direction beyond what is found in the OSHA rules, it is anticipated that DHS safety committees will be more effective at helping management to develop strategies to reduce workplace injuries.

Applicability: Defines responsibilities for DHS managers and safety committees. For more information see DHS policy “Safety & Risk Roles and Responsibilities”.

Failure to Comply: Individual offices are subject to citation and penalty by OSHA.

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Policy

1. General

All DHS staff will have access to a safety committees. Safety Committee responsibilities include, but are not limited to, conducting safety inspections, reviewing incident reports, analyze data to determine trends, provide recommendations to managers with recommendations to enhance worksite safety.

2. Compliance
1. DHS Management is responsible for ensuring that safety committees comply with OSHA standards and DHS policy.
2. Safety Committees and DHS managers shall comply with the OR-OSHA safety committee rules and the following DHS-specific requirements and clarifications. Safety Committees and DHS Managers are encouraged to review the safety committee rules at OAR 437-001-0765 (5) through (7).
3. Locations of Committees
1. All DHS clusters within a building, such as the Human Services Building, may be represented by a single committee or more than one committee.
2. Employees working for a single DHS cluster at different locations within a community may be represented by a single safety committee providing the contribution to a safe work environment would be at least as effective as having a committee at each individual location.
4. Membership
1. If there is a recognized labor union, they have the option of determining who will be its representatives.
2. Management will appoint its own representatives, which may include a non-management employee.
3. There will always be at least one DHS manager on a safety committee.
5. Meetings
1. The purpose of a meeting is to conduct safety inspections, reviewing incident reports, analyze data to determine trends, and provide recommendations to managers with recommendations for enhancing worksite safety.
2. Meetings will be held monthly.
1. Low hazard exception. OAR 437-01-0765(6)(C) allows low hazard work environments to meet quarterly. For assistance in determining if your work area may meet this requirement, contact DHS Safety & Health.
3. Offices that meet monthly may elect to perform the OSHA-required quarterly inspection instead of holding that month’s meeting.
4. The safety committee meeting may be held in conjunction with a staff meeting as long as there is a clear delineation between the two meetings and all the OSHA rules relating to safety committees are met.
6. Recommendations to Management
1. Recommendations are to be made in writing to management. Use of the DHS 0056, Safety Committee Recommendation to Management form is optional.
2. In turn, management will give consideration to the recommendations submitted and will respond in writing to the committee within a reasonable time limit.
7. Minutes
1. OR OSHA has specific requirements for meetings including keeping minutes. Safety Committees and Managers are encouraged to review the OAR for additional requirements.
2. Minutes may be distributed to staff by electronic mail in lieu of posting on bulletin boards.
3. Minutes and supporting documents shall be maintained for 3 years at the local office.
8. Inspections

See the DHS Safety Inspections policy.

9. Review of incidents
1. Committees shall review incident reports to identify additional contributing causes and corrective action in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.
2. It is recommended that committees review incident reports relating to visitor injuries on the premises.
3. When an incident report relates to disease exposure or other sensitive or confidential issue, neither the report nor name of employee shall be shared with the committee. It is recommended that the manager share the circumstances of the incident in order for the committee to make recommendations for how future similar incidents may be prevented.
10. Access to Safety Committee rules

A link to OSHA rules is located in the Reference section, below.

11. Training for Safety Committee Members
1. OR-OSHA requires training for safety committee members. Safety Committees and Managers are encouraged to review the OAR for additional requirements.
2. OR-OSHA workshops and on-line training meet OSHA’s requirements.
3. Non-institutional offices may contact DHS Safety and Health for other options.

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Procedure(s)

• N/A

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Form(s)

• DHS 0056, Safety Committee Recommendation to Management

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Reference(s)

• DHS-080-006, Safety & Risk Management Roles and Responsibilities Policy
• DHS-080-001, Safety Inspections Policy
• Inspection Guidelines for Safety Committees
• "Safety Committees for the Real World" OR-OSHA Guide
• ORS 654.176, OSHA Workplace Safety Committees
• OAR 437-001-0760(7), Rules for all Workplaces
• OAR 437-001-0765(6)(d), Rules for Workplace Safety Committees

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Definition(s)

• N/A

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Contact

• Name: Robert Salinas III; Phone: 503-945-6380; E-mail: robert.salinas@state.or.us

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Policy History

• Version 2.0:
  • 08/08/2006 - Deletes requirement to send safety committee minutes to DHS Safety and Health Office.
• Version 1.0:
  • 03/03/2004 - Initial Release.  Supercedes DHR Policy #50.200.09A released 7/1/1996.

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If you have comments about this site, send email to dhs.policyinfo@state.or.us.

Oregon Department of Human Services
500 Summer St. NE E25, Salem, OR 97301-1098
Phone: (503) 945-5944
Fax: (503) 378-2897
TTY: (503) 947-5330