OHS634
|
|
|
|
|
Level 3 OHS Committee Constitution
|
|
|
|
|
FACULTYOF
SCIENCE
SCHOOL
OF PHYSICS OHS COMMITTEE
1. Role of the Committee
This Committee is a Level 3 Workplace
OHS Committee as described in the UNSW OHS Consultation Procedure.
The role of the Committee is to:
·
assist the Head of
School to meet their legal responsibility to consult with employees on matters
that impact on their health, safety and welfare;
·
facilitate
effective consultation with employees and students in order to identify and
resolve OHS issues at the local level where they arise; and
·
perform
functions specified in section 18d of the NSW
Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 and clause 30 of the NSW
Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001.
2. Scope of the Committee
The physical
areas covered by the Committee include:
·
All areas within and immediately
surrounding the School of Physics including Stores, Offices, Laboratories, Bathrooms,
access corridors, stairs, courtyards, Theatres and CATS Rooms.
The Committee will address OHS issues
pertaining to:
·
the work
environment and business activities on campus;
·
employees who are
working from home; and
·
employees and
students who work and study off-campus, eg on field excursions.
3. Composition of the Committee
·
the
composition of the Committee meets the requirements specified in the NSW
Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001;
·
the workgroups represented on the Committee are:
·
the total number of
Committee members is {specify} and the membership ratio is:
o
Elected employee representatives – 8
o
Employer representatives – 2
·
a current list of
Committee members and their role on the Committee (ie workgroup represented and
whether employee or employer representative) is provided as Attachment 1
·
the list of members
will be maintained by the Secretary and made available to staff via {specify eg
School web site, OHS noticeboard}
4. Election of Employee Representatives and Chairperson
·
elections are
conducted in a manner consistent with recognised democratic principles{outline the
agreed election process, eg notice given, call for nominations, etc};
·
the Chairperson is
elected from the elected employee OHS Representatives;
·
new elections for
employee representatives and for the Chairperson are called as soon as
practicable after a position becomes vacant, and are held at least every two
years;
·
election records are maintained
{describe process/record location and who is responsible}
5. Employer
Representative(s)
·
the Head of School is the employer
representative on the Committee;
·
if the Head of School} is unable to
attend a meeting they will appoint a delegate with authority to act on their behalf
in OHS matters;
·
{record here if additional employer
representatives are appointed}
6. Committee
Meetings
{in this section include the meeting
arrangements agreed by all parties}
·
Ordinary meetings are held every 3
months;
·
Special meetings can be called at the
request of any Committee member, provided notice is given at least 14 of days
before the meeting;
·
the meeting quorum is 4 of employee
OHS Representatives including Chairperson or deputised employee representative and one Employer Representative ;
·
a meeting agenda is prepared by the
Secretary with input from all Committee members and approved by the Chairperson
for dissemination 7 days prior to the meeting date;
·
minutes are recorded by the Secretary
and approved by the Chairperson for dissemination within two-weeks of the meeting being held
·
minutes are communicated to all
constituents via notice board email and website.
7.
Decision Making Procedure
·
Where possible, decisions will be
made by consensus;
·
When this is not possible, a vote
will be taken amongst the members of the Committee
8.
Process for Review of this Constitution
·
The Constitution will be reviewed by
the Committee at least every two years;
·
A Committee member may make a request
to the Chairperson that the Constitution be reviewed;
·
Where possible, decisions will be
made by consensus;
·
When this is not possible, a vote
will be taken amongst the members of the Committee, with 75% of the vote
required to approve changes.
9. Functions of the Committee
·
Facilitate effective consultation and
communication on OHS matters with management, staff and students in the
School/Centre/Unit {specify}. Activities include:
o
Talking with people in the workplace
about their health and safety concerns,
o
Raising OHS issues with management
and the Committee,
o
Following up on outstanding items and
giving feedback,
o
Preparing for and participating in
Committee meetings and allocated tasks;
·
Keep under review the measures taken
to ensure the health, safety and welfare of persons at the place of work.
Activities include:
o
Conducting scheduled workplace
inspections,
o
Making recommendations on elimination
or control of risks,
o
Assisting in the development or review
of OHS processes, documentation and initiatives (both local and UNSW),
o
Making recommendations on OHS
training requirements;
·
Investigate and attempt to resolve
OHS problems using the resolution process described in the UNSW OHS
Consultation Procedure;
·
Collaborate with supervisors on the
investigation of work related incidents and ill health issues, recommend
corrective and preventive action, and track completion of actions; and
·
Where appropriate, be an observer
during any formal OHS-related investigation or inspection conducted by UNSW or WorkCover;
·
Assist management with other agreed
OHS initiatives, provided that adequate resources are made available to do so.
10. Evaluation
of Compliance and Committee Effectiveness
·
The Committee will evaluate itself at
least annually using the UNSW Level 3 OHS Committee Evaluation Checklist;
·
A summary of the self-evaluation and
recommendations for improvement will be recorded in the minutes of the next
meeting for communication to constituents.
Attachment
1: Membership of School/Centre/Unit {insert
name} Level
3 OHS Committee
Effective Date: 12 August 2010
Chairperson: Jon Everett
Secretary: Patricia Furst
{Use the table below or list the
members and identify which workgroup they represent}
|
Workgroup |
Management Representative |
Employee Representative |
|
Richard Newbury |
Head of School |
|
|
Sue Fraser |
Safety Officer |
|
|
Michelle Price |
|
CQCT Representative |
|
Peter Reece |
|
Academic Representative |
|
Tamara Retzova |
|
General Staff Representative |
|
Vicki Lowe |
|
Postgrad Student Representative |
|
TBD |
|
Undergrad Student Representative |