Joint Health Safety Committees Operating in an Effective

Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment • • • 2 Characteristics of an effective JHSC What is IRS? IRS analysis Roles & responsibilities of the JHSC Summary Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

What is the objective of the JHSC? 11 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

What is required for an effective JHSC? 12 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

What is required for an effective JHSC? • Working knowledge of the OHSA • Industry knowledge & experience • Knowledge to recognize, evaluate and control workplace hazards • Experience in workplace inspections • Inspections done in pairs (rep & management)* • Need to have a focus (IRS, fall arrest, mobile equip, standards, etc) • Experience in emergency preparedness/response • Experience in understanding causation models • Understand incident investigation and capable of doing it 14 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

What is required for an effective JHSC? • • Safety leaders in the workplace Passion and dedication Sincere interest in worker health & safety Cooperation and transparency Good written and oral communication skills Stick to the direction that the JHSC is mandated Not to be used as a political platform for either side to try and gain an upper‐hand. • Not get caught up in daily safety/production issues* 15 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

What is required for an effective JHSC? • • Effective meetings Employees awareness of JHSC Professionalism, proactive, positive Committee evaluation Terms of reference Knowledge of roles and responsibilities Clear understanding by all of the Internal Responsibility System (IRS) • Management support* 16 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

Required for effective JHSC “Employers across Ontario should take a good look in the mirror when it comes to providing assistance to ensure committees function as prescribed. Link everyone in the green book to the IRS concept. ” - Rick Farrell, Worker Rep. Xstrata Copper, Kidd Mine 17 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

Internal Responsibility System (IRS) What is the “Internal Responsibility System? ”* 18 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

IRS Description The IRS is a system, within an organization, where everyone has direct responsibility for health and safety as an essential part of his or her job. It does not matter who or where the person is in the organization – they achieve health and safety in a way that suits the kind of work they do. Each person takes initiative on health and safety issues and works to solve problems and make improvements. They do this both simply and cooperatively. Taken from the Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report 19 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

IRS survey results • Most think IRS working well • Workers less positive in some areas – Relationship with supervisors perceived to be good – Perceived lack of commitment to safety and IRS by management • Gap between workers’ and supervisors’ views. * 20 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

IRS survey results • Not everyone understands the role of Joint Health and Safety Committee – Views not always in line with model of IRS described in IRS study – Only half of workers see committee as a resource (other groups had higher percentage). – Only half of workers see committee as final step in resolving issues • JHSC members not always familiar with the functions of executive/board levels of the organization* 21 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

IRS survey results • Issues common to the majority of companies: – Understanding IRS – roles within IRS need to be better understood by all parties – JHSC – workers often use JHSC to address issues – Communication – feedback to workers – Roles and responsibilities – require improvement between company JHSC and contractor JHSC – Commitment to safety and IRS by senior management needs to be more visible. * 23 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

IRS Responsibility DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY • Assigned to parties who make operative decisions about conditions in the workplace • The responsibility of the company President to ensure that direct responsibility within a company is established, promoted & improved CONTRIBUTIVE RESPONSIBILITY • Assigned to parties who are in a position to consult, advise, audit or inspect conditions in the workplace • Parties can be internal or external to the workplace. * 24 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

Internal Responsibility System Internal Contributive Direct External Contributive JHSC Directors Unions Health & Safety staff Executives HSA Engineers Employers Workers’ Centre Other staff Supervisors Suppliers Unions Workers MOL WSIB 25 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

IRS Analysis “The IRS model can be used to analyze OHS situations, problems and opportunities in new ways. Most health and safety problems can be analyzed in terms of the root problems with ‘people factors’ in the organization” Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report* 26 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

IRS Analysis The OHS professional and the JHSC members would do a much better job of handling issues if they became accustomed to thinking in IRS terms. IRS analysis would take us beyond the question "is this work safe? ", to "why wasn't this hazard dealt with by the people responsible within the day to day routine? " Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report* 27 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

OHSA & The Internal Responsibility System • Internal Responsibility System is the heart of the OHSA. • What is OHSA? • Do you want to be known as a “minimum standards” company? * 28 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

The Act & the Internal Responsibility system OHSA • Rights of workers • Duties of workplace parties – [Part III of OHSA]* 29 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

Workplace Parties The following workplace parties are identified in Part III of the OHSA: ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ 30 Constructor Licensee Employers Supervisors Workers Owners Suppliers Engineers and architects Directors and Officers of a corporation* Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

Workshop: Internal Responsibility System On flip chart paper, list the responsibilities of: – Employer – Supervisor – Worker – Directors and officers – Suppliers – Owners* 31 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

IRS Description The IRS is a system, within an organization, where everyone has direct responsibility for health and safety as an essential part of his or her job. It does not matter who or where the person is in the organization – they achieve health and safety in a way that suits the kind of work they do. Each person takes initiative on health and safety issues and works to solve problems and make improvements. They do this both simply and cooperatively. Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report 32 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

“IRS Analysis” Analyze every OHS issue in terms of the underlying IRS issues, e. g. : ‐ ‐ ‐ 33 Incident Investigations Inspections Complaints Orders Work Refusals Work stoppages* Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

JHSC Roles and Responsibilities in an Effective IRS Environment • Be an advocate for the IRS and its continuous improvement; • Monitor the functioning of the IRS and make recommendations for its improvement; • Inspect the workplace for the purpose of ensuring that workers and supervisors are reducing risks on a continuous basis; • Investigate serious incidents and other events with a view to identifying and recommending elimination of fundamental causes of losses; * Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report 34 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

JHSC Roles and Responsibilities in an Effective IRS Environment • Intercede to resolve a worker’s concern where the IRS fails; • Assist in the development of safe and healthy working procedures; • Monitor the elements of the health and safety system (policies and programs) and suggest ways of improving them; • Contribute to the health and safety assessment of new facilities, equipment, material and processes; * Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report 35 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

JHSC Roles and Responsibilities in an Effective IRS Environment • Determine what failures in the IRS caused work refusals to occur; • Facilitate discussion among all members of the organization, particularly with respect to system‐wide problems and opportunities; • Provide a means by which insights and concerns of workers can be communicated to senior management; • Act as another channel of communication between workplace parties; * Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report 36 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

JHSC Roles and Responsibilities in an Effective IRS Environment • Act as a liaison for the MOL so that weaknesses in the IRS, and continuing health and safety concerns, can be brought to the attention of the inspector; • Check that mechanisms are in place to monitor the performance of work; and • Check that, when recommendations are made to change work procedures, the changes are made and maintained. * Holliday Report – The IRS in Ontario Mines Final Report 37 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment Summary • The attitudes of employers, employees and unions are critical to the success of the JHSC • Key ingredients are a strong commitment by the employer expressed in policies, procedures and actions as well as the interest and involvement of the employees on the JHSC • Everyone must understand the IRS process, believe in it, and take steps to make it effective at all levels in the organization. * 42 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment

Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment Thank you for your participation Questions ? 43 Joint Health & Safety Committees Operating in an Effective IRS Environment