Committee meetings

A Health and Safety Committee must meet at least once every three months with the frequency of meetings outlined in the terms of reference.

A special meeting or a meeting resulting from extraordinary circumstances can be requested by:

• at least half the members of the committee
• a health and safety representative
• the employer.

A quorum of members must be present before the meeting can proceed or continue. A quorum is half of the committee members plus one. At least half of the quorum should be worker representatives.

For example, if a committee has ten members the quorum is six with three of the members being workers.

Appointing officers

The chairperson needs to be elected by committee members.

The chairperson holds the position for up to 12 months and can be either an employer or worker representative. The chairperson is responsible for:

• Scheduling and notifying committee members of meetings.
• Inviting specialists to attend meetings when requested by the committee.
• Guiding the meeting according to the agenda and time available.
• Ensuring all members are given the opportunity to express their opinions and have them considered.
• Ensuring all discussion items end with a decision, action or definite outcome.
• Ensuring a deadline or time frame is allocated to the action to be undertaken.
• Reviewing and approving the draft minutes before they are distributed.

Terms of reference

Terms of reference are important to the success of a committee and must be accepted and understood by all members. They should be written in a clear style to suit the individual needs of the organisation.

All committee members need to contribute to, and agree on the final document. The terms of reference define:

• how the committee should run
• the role of the committee
• the goals and objectives of the committee
• how workers can raise issues for consideration by the committee.

Terms of reference ensure regular meetings are held and can prevent disputes over the aim, composition and operation of the committee.

A well developed document should outline the agreed procedure for dealing with health and safety problems.