(from the Springfield Division Safety Action Plan)
Site Safety Committees
Site safety committees are encouraged across the Division based on local needs.
Committee Structure
At locations where the UTU and/or the BLE have chosen to participate under the provisions of the Safety Summit Agreement, new committees and existing committees that have not already done so, will be (re)structured to be consistent with that agreement, the Division Safety Action Plan, and the Closed Loop Safety Process. All decisions and recommendations of the committee will be by consensus.
Each committee will select a chairman and vice-chairman from the crafts represented. A secretary/scribe/administrator will also be chosen to keep a written record of the committee's activities. Meetings are open for attendance by local supervisors, safety committee members, system departments, union representatives, FRA representatives and interested employees. The highest ranking officers at the location are expected to be present at the meetings. Where road train and engine employees work into, but are not headquartered at a location, a representative designated by those employees will be invited to attend. Adjoining committees will be represented by a member of their committee when there are related issues.
Mindful of the negative perception held by some employees toward safety committees and recognizing the importance of rank and file buy-in, all committee activities should be publicized as much as possible in order to promote a sense of transparency. The committee should reach out to interested non-committee members, including them in as many safety activities as possible.
Roles and Responsibilities
A local site safety committee should function as an oversight body rather than handling day-to-day "nuts and bolts" safety issues as was the traditional model. The committee should focus on strategic planning centered around the implementation and administration of the Division Safety Action Plan. Teams will review recent injuries and accidents/incidents in order to make corrective action recommendations. They will review the Safety Issue Resolution log to ensure that "immediate correction" items were timely handled, and "extended correction" items are following their designated timelines. This review will also serve as an opportunity for the committee to verify that items marked [closed] have been resolved to their satisfaction. From time to time it may become necessary for the committee to take a difficult item "on-hand" in order to resolve it. Any issue that cannot be resolved locally by the committee will be progressed to the Division General Manager and Safety Coordinator(s).
Recognizing and celebrating success is important to the health and welfare of any safety program. The committee should track the progress of their efforts to reduce risks to their lowest possible level, so that when important milestones are reached appropriate celebrations can be planned and organized.
Meeting Agenda
The following agenda should serve as a guideline to assure that essential committee functions are touched on at each meeting. Additional agenda items may be added at the committee's discretion.