Rule 1040: Health & Safety Committee

RULE 1040
HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE

1041: General Requirements:

In every place of employment, a health and safety committee shall be organized within sixty (60) days after this Standards takes effect and for new establishments within one (1) month from the date the business starts operating. In both cases the Committee shall reorganize every January of the following year.

1042: Types and Composition of Health and Safety Committee:

1042.01: Type A:

In every workplace having a total of over four hundred (400) workers the following shall compose the

Health and Safety Committee:

Chairman – The manager or his authorized representative who must be a top operating official.

Members – Two department heads, Four workers (must be union members, if organized), The company physician

Secretary – The safety man

1042.02: Type B:

In every workplace having a total of over two hundred (200) to four hundred (400) workers, the following shall compose the Health and Safety Committee:

Chairman – The manager or his authorized representative who must be a top operating official.

Members -One supervisor, Three workers (must be union members, if organized), The company

physician or the company nurse

Secretary – The safetyman

1042.03: Type C:

In every workplace with one hundred (100) to two hundred (200) workers, the following shall compose the

Health and Safety Committee:

Chairman-Manager or his authorized representative
Members – One foreman, three workers (must be union members, if organized), The nurse
Secretary – The part-time safetyman

1042.04: Type D:

In every workplace with less than one hundred (100) workers, the following shall compose the Health and
Safety Committee:

Chairman – Manager

Members – One foreman, Three workers (must be union members, if organized), The nurse/first-aider

Secretary – The part-time safety man

In this workplace, the line type as defined in 1048.02 may be organized.

1042.05: Type E: Joint Committee

When two or more establishments are housed under one building, the health and safety committee organized in each workplace shall form themselves into a Joint Coordinating Committee to plan and implement programs and activities concerning all the establishments.

The Joint Coordinating Committee shall be composed of the following:

Chairman – The chairman of the establishment committee

Members – Two supervisors from two different establishments, Two workers from two different establishments (union members, if organized)

Secretary – Appointed by the Chairman (in high rise, the Secretary shall be the building administrator)

1042.06: Membership of Committee:

The membership as provided are minimum requirements and nothing shall prohibit increases in the number of members as may be found necessary.

Where the workers are not organized, they shall be selected by a simple majority of votes of the workers.

1043: Duties of the Health and Safety Committee:

1043.01: Health and Safety Committee:

The Health and Safety Committee is the planning and policymaking group in all matters pertaining to safety and health. The principal duties of the Health and Safety Committee are:

(1) Plans and develops accident prevention programs for the establishment.

(2) Directs the accident prevention efforts of the establishment in accordance with the safety programs safety performance and government regulations in order to prevent accidents from occurring in the workplace.

(3) Conducts safety meetings at least once a month.

(4) Reviews reports of inspection, accident investigations and implementation of program.

(5) Submits reports to the manager on its meetings and activities.

(6) Provides necessary assistance to government inspecting authorities in the proper conduct of their activities such as the enforcement of the provisions of this Standards.

(7) Initiates and supervises safety training for employees.

(8) Develops and maintains a disaster contingency plan and organizes such emergency service units as may be necessary to handle disaster situations pursuant to the emergency preparedness manual for establishments of the Office of Civil Defense.

1044: Term of Office of Members:

1044.01: Health and Safety Committee:

In order to provide an opportunity for other workers to become member and participate in safety program planning, a periodic change in membership is encouraged. For this purpose, the term of office of the department head in the committee may be one (1) year. The term of office of the worker members in Type A and Type B may be for two (2) years each; in Type C, D and E Committees, may all be one (1) year.

The chairman, physician or nurse and the safety man shall be permanent members of the committee.

1044.02: Joint Committee:

The term of Office of the Chairman and the Members shall be one (1) year. Membership in the Joint Committee shall be rotated among members of the health and safety committees in other establishments.

1045: Duties of the Employers:

Health and Safety committees play very important roles in eliminating work hazards. Developing workers’ interest and participation in the planning and development of safety program is the responsibility of the employer. The employer must exercise the leadership necessary and provide support to make the program work. The principal duties of the employer are:

(1) Establishes and adopts in writing administrative policies on safety in conformity with the provisions of this Standards outlining therein his responsibility and authority delegated.

(2) Reports to the enforcing authority in two (2) copies of the policies adopted and the health and safety organization established to carry out the program on safety and health within one month after the organization or reorganization of the health and safety committee.

(3) Reports to the enforcing authority having jurisdiction at least once in every three (3) months, counting from January, the health and safety program of the organization outlining the activities undertaken including its safety performance, health and safety committee meetings and its recommendations and measures taken to implement such recommendations.

(4) Acts on recommended measures by the health and safety committee by adopting the elements of the health and safety program in the production process or workplace and in case of non-adoption of the Health and Safety Committee’s recommendation, to inform the committee of his reasons.

1046: Duties of the Workers:

(1) Works in accordance with accepted safety practices and standards established by the employer in compliance with the provisions of this Standards.

(2) Reports unsafe conditions and practices to the supervisor by making suggestions for correction or removal of accident hazards.

(3) Serves as members of the Health and Safety Committee.

(4)Cooperates actively with the Health and Safety Committee.

(5) Assists government agencies in the conduct of health and safety inspection or other programs.

1047: Duties of the Safety Man:

The principal function of the Safety Man is to act as the employers’ principal assistant and consultant in the application of programs to remove the hazards from the workplace and to correct unsafe work practices. For this purpose, the Safety Man has the following duties:

(1) Serves as Secretary to the Health and Safety Committee. As such, he shall:

a. prepare minutes of meetings;

b. report status of recommendations made;

c. notify members of the meetings; and

d. submit to the employer a report of the activities of the committee, including recommendations made.

(2) Acts in an advisory capacity on all matters pertaining to health and safety for the guidance of the employer and the workers.

(3) Conducts investigation of accidents as member of the Health and Safety Committee and submits his separate report and analysis of accidents to the employer.

(4) Coordinates all health and safety training programs for the employees and employer.

(5) Conducts health and safety inspection as member of the committee.

(6) Maintains or helps in the maintenance of an efficient accident record system and coordinates actions taken by supervisors to eliminate accident causes.

(7) Provides assistance to government agencies in the conduct of safety and health inspection, accident investigation or any other related programs.

(8) For purposes of effectiveness in a workplace where full-time safety man is required, he shall report directly to the employer.

1048 Other Types of Health and Safety Organizations:

Subject to the approval of the Secretary or his duly authorized representative, the employer may establish in his place of employment the line or staff type of organization.

1048.01: Line Type:

A form of organization where the general manager or head of the establishment directs the health and safety programs and assumes overall responsibility for the safety in the establishment. He in turn delegates the application of health and safety programs to plant personnel occupying line positions.

1048.02: Staff Type:

Staff safety organization or safety engineer type consists of a line organization with specialized personnel employed to advise and assist management in all matters of safety. Said personnel are responsible to the top executive exercising staff functions, serve all departments in an advisory capacity and supervise the application of the health and safety program in the workplace.