One packaging manufacturer encountered such confusion among its safety committee members that it developed an orientation program for newly-appointed safety committee members, including a job description of an effective safety committee member.

The concept of a job description was well known in this facility because the wage structure was tied in with job descriptions for each position.

That outline of duties reads like this:

To give your best efforts to make the department free from accidents and occupational health problems.

Duties
• Work safely yourself – set the example in the department.

• Attend and actively participate in safety committee meetings when on day or second shift. If you are on third shift, notify your supervisor so that your alternate can attend.

• Work with your supervisor to eliminate hazardous conditions and unsafe work practices in the department. Speak to your fellow employees if you believe that they are engaged in an unsafe work practice; report things which you feel you can't handle to your supervisor for further action.

• Investigate with your supervisor recordable case injuries which occur in your department. Participate in Plant Review Committee activities on Lost Work Day Case accidents or industrial illnesses in your department.

• Listen to employee suggestions about safety and bring those that appear to have merit to the department supervisor for review.

• Coordinate with your alternate to conduct department safety inspections in the first week of each month, using the pre-printed checklist as your guide. Each quarter participate with a plant management member in a facilitywide safety audit.

• Before each plant safety meeting review minutes and open items affecting your department and have answers or a progress report on each item for the meeting.

• Wear your safety committee button at all times while at work.