Health, Safety and Environment - International Labour Organization

Manual 3:HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTFOR WORKER HS&E REPRESENTATIVES Joint health, safety and environment committeesIntroductionA joint union/worker-management HS&E committee can be one way ofacting in partnership with the employer, and solving problems. However, itis most important that health, safety and environmental activity is not justrestricted to the committee.Worker HS&E representatives will need to decide whether they want a jointunion/worker-management safety committee and how it should function,before any approach is made to the employer. In some countries, tradeunions have formed trade union health and safety committees, wheredecisions about policy matters can be taken. For example, the constitutionof the Tanzania Plantation and Agricultural Workers’ Union allows for theformation of trade union HS&E committees at all field/workplace branches.Trade unions may wish to include the membership, constitution andfunctions of a joint union/worker-management HS&E committee in aCollective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).Activity – Joint health, safety andthe environment committeeAIMSTo help us to: think about the benefits of a joint health, safety and the environmentcommittee decide who should sit on it, and what is should doTASKIn your small group, discuss the formation of a joint union/worker-managementsafety committee. Include in your discussions: the advantages and disadvantages of forming a committee who should sit on it? what it should do? how often it should meet?Elect a spokesperson to report back, with the main points from your groupdiscussions76 Health, Safety and EnvironmentA Series of Trade Union EducationManuals for Agricultural Workers