Quick Links
Customer Centres
The effectiveness of joint health and safety committees (JHSCs) and safety training in reducing fatalities and injuries in British Columbia forest product mills
|
Issue: |
Effectiveness of Joint Health and Safety Committees in forest product mills. |
|
Agency: |
Simon Fraser University, Faculty of Business Administration |
|
Representatives: |
Stephen J. Havlovic & Steven L. McShane |
|
Funding: |
$15,210.91 |
The purposes of this study were to increase the understanding of the capabilities of joint health and safety committees, health and safety training, and specific management initiatives to reduce fatalities and disabling accidents in the forest product mills of British Columbia and to identify corporate and mill characteristics that contribute to a safer work environment and lower accident rates. Management (n=106) and employee (n=137) representatives from 137 mills participated in the study by returning questionnaires. Through a series of correlation analyses, this study found the following statistically significant relationships were found between JHSCs and minor and serious accident rates in mills:
- Longer service on JHSCs by employee representatives was positively related to serious accident rates.
- Favourable employee-management JHSC committee relationships were negatively related to serious accident rates.
- Length of mill meetings was negatively related to serious accident rates and mills that record and send meeting minutes to the WCB also had lower serious accident rates.
- Posting the JHSC minutes in the workplace was related to fewer serious accidents.
- Review of the dangerous substance programs by the JHSC was associated with lower serious accident rates but when the JHSC was responsible for determining the causes of work injuries, this was associated with higher serious accident rates.
- The more effective the JHSC was perceived to being the lower the minor accident rates while JHSCs that serve as decision makers and one dimension of the perceived effectiveness of the JHSC (the implementation of JHSC recommendations) was related to serious accident rates.
- Mills where management received the JHSC minutes had lower serious accident rates and the frequency of employee JHSC representative participation in critical or fatality accident investigations was positively related to the serious accident rate.
- While only hazard recognition training for employees was significantly correlated with minor accident rates, almost every type of training for management measured in the survey was related to the serious accident rate such that when management JHSC representatives received OHS training there were lower serious accident rates.
- The availability of material safety data sheets and WCB inspection reports were positively associated with minor accident rates and the availability of information from workplace medical staff and safety personnel were negatively related to serious accident rates.
- Mills that conduct internal safety audits had a lower incidence of serious accidents and management JHSC members are more likely to be involved in these audits in mills with lower minor accident rates.
- WCB sanctions were positively related to serious accident rates.
- Employee JHSC representatives meet with the labour union officers more often in mills with lower minor accident rates and unionized mills have significantly lower serious accident rates.
- Mills with better labour-management relationships have lower serious accident rates.
- Mills with higher job satisfaction, an emphasis on work teams, good quality communication, an emphasis on product/service quality, and a readiness to adopt new practices or technologies have significantly lower minor accident rates.
As this is a single-time survey using correlation analyses, caution should be exercised in interpreting the causality and direction of associations found among variables.