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Establishing and Running a Excellent H&S (SHEQ) committee

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TWDB
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Establishing and Running a Excellent H&S (SHEQ) committee

Post by TWDB »

Hi All,

I'm looking for some advice and top tips for the following:

I've recently started at an new company and their H&S (SHEQ) committee has been disbanded for some months so I'm keen to start their up again.

But I want to make sure we get the best out of the process and the committee going forward. and that i don't just get lots of actions from the Committee as the SHEQ manager

so a few questions-

- frequency of meeting (I'm proposing every 2 months)
-should we offer training for the committee members? (Internal auditor/ IOSH managing safely etc) to support and encourage staff to get involved (extra training as a perk and development tool)
- H&S Reps or SHEQ Champions?
- should a member of the senior management team attend the meetings? or will this discourage staff to speak up? etc - should an SMT member attend for the first 15mins only then leave but stress the importance of the committee, the whole meeting or just a couple a year)? discuss.
- how do "reps" collate the information to bring to the meeting?
should they submit before the meeting to me and H&S manger
- meeting length ? max 1 hour?
- actions how are they collected and issued out? the best way (as everyone in ops is always busy)
- agenda ? what should it cover - just inputs form reps and works force - or should I supervise what is happening SHEQ wise in the company to the reps?

and anything else you guys might want to suggest from good and bad experiences .

all help appreciated as always

T
Update: taken a new job :D hopefully confidence and positivity will return with new challenge - scary though leaving current place after 16 years (6 years H&S !) :shock:
(previous signature: was motivated once ..................... searching to get it back ! .scratch)
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quality_somerset
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Re: Establishing and Running a Excellent H&S (SHEQ) committee

Post by quality_somerset »

Hi TWDB

Firstly I would check whether your company is 45001/9001 as this can affect the format of the meeting. ISO like certain questions asked + also consider the information flow between your management review meetings and this meeting, ideally information should flow both ways.

- Frequency of meeting (I'm proposing every 2 months) will depend on lots of factors i.e. accident rate, incidents and what you hope to achieve
- Should we offer training for the committee members? (Internal auditor/ IOSH managing safely etc) to support and encourage staff to get involved (extra training as a perk and development tool) committee members should know the format of the meeting, the basic rules and what you hope to achieve + also listen to what format the members would feel more comfortable attending, extra training is always good if you can get it funded
- H&S Reps or SHEQ Champions? This will depend on whether your workplace is unionised, volunteers are good as it shows commitment. I like to get at least one person from each area, this can be via informal agreement or a vote
- Should a member of the senior management team attend the meetings? or will this discourage staff to speak up? etc - should an SMT member attend for the first 15mins only then leave but stress the importance of the committee, the whole meeting or just a couple a year)? discuss. Senior managers should attend as it shows that the company is not just playing lip service to H&S, ideally I would like them to stay as they will be able to answer questions regarding finance/operations/cap ex spending etc.
- How do "reps" collate the information to bring to the meeting? reps should have a chat with people in their area and get feedback on any issues regarding their working area
- Should they submit before the meeting to me and H&S manager in an ideal world yes, but I was normally ok with them bringing genuine issues to the meeting unannounced.
- Meeting length ? max 1 hour? an hour should be long enough to hold most meetings. (Tip) if you want to control the length of a meeting, schedule it an hour before going home time, I guarantee that the meeting will end on time!
- Actions how are they collected and issued out? the best way (as everyone in ops is always busy)minute the meeting and create action points, remember to make the actions point SMART
- Agenda ? what should it cover - just inputs form reps and works force - or should I supervise what is happening SHEQ wise in the company to the reps?If your meeting is part of your ISO system they will mandate what needs to be covered, otherwise: those present/apologies/matters arising from last meeting/review of audits/review of training resources/matters arising in each area/accidents/legal compliance/any other business/date of next meeting

I have a few documents I can beam over if you require a quick look at what I did (not that i'm always right); PM me your email and i'll beam them over tomorrow night.

Regards

QS
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