Paul Esposito is president of Star Consultants, a Maryland firm that specializes in EHS management consulting. Top ten lists are always a matter of opinion, but given Mr. Esposito's experience, his list and explanations are valuable. We discussed what he was going to do and the hazards, and he went back to get his glasses. If you put your mind to it, everyone can think about something they recently did on or off the job that involved either safety precautions or risks. Safety committee start-up Have a line manager serve as committee chair for the first six months to a year that the committee is operating.
Line managers understand documentation, tracking, motivation, and delegating to get results.
They can facilitate documenting a charter, written with realistic goals. Make sure each member has an assigned responsibility, especially between meetings. Everyone has to contribute to goals and action plans to remain on the committee. Policy statements have signature blocks for the plant manager, EHS manager, and union leaders. One plant manager had a kick-off event to publicize the policy with photos, newsletter articles, and a party for both shifts.