Health and Safety Committees (HSCs) bring together workers and management in the development and review of health and safety policies and procedures for the workplace. HSCs enable a business and its worker representatives to meet regularly and work cooperatively to improve work health and safety.

If a Health and Safety Representative (HSR), or five or more workers, ask for a Health and Safety Committee, the business must establish one.

Main functions of an HSC

The main functions of an HSC are to:

• make it easy for the business and workers to cooperate on ways to ensure workers’ health and safety at work
• assist in developing standards, rules, and policies or procedures for work health and safety
• make recommendations relating to work health and safety
• carry out other tasks that are agreed between the business and the committee.

HSCs are particularly effective in workplaces with multiple businesses such as a construction site or university campus, with committee members drawn from each business. This helps a business that shares responsibility for work health and safety with other businesses to meet the HSWA requirement to consult, cooperate with, and coordinate activities with other businesses. 

What are the functions of an HSC?

The functions of an HSC are to:

• facilitate cooperation between the business and workers in instigating, developing, and carrying out measures designed to ensure workers’ health and safety at work
• assist in developing any standards, rules, policies, or procedures relating to health and safety
• make recommendations relating to work health and safety
• perform any other functions that are agreed between the business and the committee. 

An HSC must meet:

• regularly, at the times agreed by the members of the committee, but at least once every three months, and
• at any other reasonable time, on the request of a simple majority of members of the committee. 

What are the business’ obligations to an HSC?

The business must:

• consult with the HSC about health and safety matters
• allow each member of the HSC to spend as much time as necessary to attend meetings or carry out functions as a member of the committee
• provide the HSC with the necessary information to perform its functions, including information relating to hazards and the health and safety of workers at the workplace. 

If the HSC makes a recommendation regarding work health and safety, the business must either adopt the recommendation, or provide a written statement advising the HSC of the reasons for not adopting the recommendation.