Health, Safety and Welfare Committee Manual

PREAMBLE

This “Health, Safety and Welfare Committee Manual” is intended for general use within the premises of _____________COMPANY NAME___________________________ & related extent. Though in-depth, it is generic in nature so that it can be applied equally to “industrial‟ and “office‟ environments across a wide cross section of the operations of the Company and its various support agencies or branches. This document is built around the framework of the general “Health, Safety and Welfare Policy” and “Health and Safety Beliefs” statements which have been established by the Government, as a demonstration of its commitment to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of its employee and all persons who may be impacted by its operations.

Most of all, this document constitutes a model which can be “adopted as is‟, “adapted‟ or “added to‟ in order to be implemented in any aspect of Government‟s operations, including those of highly technical or specialized nature.

1. Introduction

This official “Health, Safety and Welfare Committee Manual" is issued dated -------------------- for the information of all personnel of the _____________COMPANY NAME___________________________ .

This Manual gives effect to our Health, Safety and Welfare Policy Statement and Health and Safety Beliefs which are reproduced below, and is designed to outline the intent, responsibilities and arrangements for occupational health, safety and welfare for persons employed by the _____________COMPANY NAME___________________________ 

In order to accomplish our policy and beliefs, we will take all reasonable practicable steps to:

1. Provide safe and healthy places of work, with safe access and egress;
2. Provide buildings, plant, tools and equipment which are safe and without undue risk to health;
3. Provide safe systems of work, supported by adequate procedures;
4. Make arrangements for the safe use, handling, storage, transport and disposal of articles and substances;
5. Provide appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision to enable officers to avoid hazards and to contribute positively to the health and safety of themselves and others who may be affected by their acts or omissions;
6. Provide and maintain adequate and appropriate welfare facilities.

The copy of this Manual shall be kept by all Departmental Managers, Supervisors or other designated senior persons, and will be available for reference by all relevant personnel.

This Policy and Procedures Manual will be reviewed annually, or at any other time deemed necessary, in consultation with officers and their representatives; and all amendments will be communicated to Heads of Departments and other management level personnel for general circulation.

2. GLOSSARY

1. Dangerous Occurrence – an unplanned event which did not cause injury to a person or damage to property, but it had the potential to do so. Examples include: articles falling near to people, short-circuits on electrical equipment or an explosion.
2. First Aid - First Aid is the initial management of any injury or illness suffered at work. It does not include giving tablets or medicines to treat illness.
3. Hazard - any entity, agent, substance or situation in the workplace which has the potential to cause harm such as death, injury or to damage property.
4. Hazardous Chemical – any substance, mixture or article which may be used directly in a workplace or which may arise from work activities, and which can have significant adverse impacts on the health or physical body of a person.
5. Health and Safety Coordinator - A suitable officer or manager, so designated.
6. Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee – refers to the committee as required in accordance with Part IX of the Virgin Islands Labour Code 2010
7. Manual Handling - the use of the human body in activities involving the lifting, lowering, pulling, pushing, carrying or supporting of loads.
8. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - any equipment or special clothing which protects the wearer from a health or safety risk.
9. Reportable Accident – an event which causes the death of a worker or which results in disability of a worker, or any other person present in the workplace, for more than three days. Examples include: a fall resulting in a fracture, amputation or serious laceration.
10. Risk Assessment - the process of analyzing the level of risks, considering those in danger, estimating the severity of the possible outcome, determining the likelihood that an event will occur, evaluating whether hazards are adequately controlled ( taking into account any measures already in place) and deciding if additional controls are required.
11. Workplace – broadly defined to include “a place at which work is performed, and includes property belonging to or occupied by the Company”.
12. Work-related Violence - any incidents, in which persons are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.

3. Health, Safety & Welfare Committee

In pursuit of the statutory provision under section 19(1) & (2) & u/r 21(1) of Maharashtra Shops And Establishments (Regularisation of Employment & Condition of Employment) Act, 2017 & Rules 2018 _____________COMPANY NAME___________________________ is committed to ensuring the ‘Health, Safety & Welfare Committee’, so far as is reasonably practicable, the protection of its employee, clients, contractors, suppliers, visitors, neighbours and the general public from hazards and risks associated with its operations and to the provision of adequate workplace facilities.

Constitution of Health, Safety & Welfare Committee

To constitute a Health, Safety and Welfare Committee, consisting of an equal number of employer and worker’s representatives & shall include,- 

1. Senior official who by his position in the organisation can contribute effectively to the function of the said Committee and he shall be the Chairman.
2. Representatives of Head of all the Departments or In-charge of Sections of the establishment, e.g. sales, purchase, material, personnel, marketing, finance etc., if any.
3. Maximum ten workers representative nominated by the workers of the establishment as members of the said Committee.
4. The said Committee shall have sufficient number of representatives of women workers, wherever women workers are employed. Health, Safety & Welfare Committee - office bearers

The below exhibit office bearers shall be effective from DD/MM?/YYYY

Sr. No	Designate Role	Name
1.	Chairman	XXXXXX
2.	HOD- Finance	XXXXXXXX
3.	HOD- R&D	XXXXX
4.	HOD- Human Resources	XXXXX
5.	HOD- Sale	XXXXX
6.	HOD- Opration	XXXXX
7.	-	-
8.	-	-
9.	-	-
10.	-	-

The duties, functions and responsibilities of the said Committee are as follows

1. 
   
2. To survey the premises and to examine whether there are any accident prone spots in the premises or defects or hazardous objects or hazards in the premises.
3. To follow and pursue to get such spots, defects, objects or hazards rectified.
4. To conduct health care or wellness camps once in a year in the organisation or establishment.
5. To create awareness about any contagious disease or epidemics or any natural calamities or any calamities due to accident, fire, etc.
6. To conduct recreation, cultural, sports activities annually.
7. To conduct social and educational awareness programmes like Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan, Tree Plantation, Family Welfare, Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao, etc.
8. It shall be the duty and responsibility of the said Committee to organize the above event with due care and diligence.

First-Aid appliances

The committee need to maintain such duly equipped first-aid box in establishment with the following first-aid appliances and medicine, namely under under Maharashtra Shops And Establishments (Regularisation of Employment & Condition of Employment) Act 2017 & Rule 2018 :-

1. Small, medium and large sterilized dressing in required numbers;
2. Large size sterilized burn dressing in required numbers;
3. Packets of sterilized cotton-wool in required numbers;
4. Pair of dressing scissors;
5. Bottle containing solution of iodine or mercury-chrome;
6. Bottle containing solution of savolatine having the dose and mode of administration indicated on the label;
7. Bottle containing potassium permanganate crystals;
8. Any antidote for burns;
9. Sufficient numbers of sanitary napkins for women workers, wherever applicable.

• Persons responsible for first aid appliances or requisites shall be preferable by trained “first aiders”, and a list of such persons should be posted and kept up to date.
• The Health, Safety and Welfare Committee must maintain a record of such first-aid appliances & keep checking at regular defined frequency on availability & expiry of it.