Joint Health and Safety Committee – British Columbia

Empower | Prevent | Respond

Main Learning Points

Course Description

In British Columbia, WorkSafeBC legislation requires employers with more than 20 employees to support the activities of a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). The responsibilities of the JHSC are meant to support the employer in ensuring that the workplace is healthy and safe. The committee gathers representatives of the employer and workers together, to assess safety issues, and collaborate to resolve them. In this course, you will learn about legislative requirements, as well as the structure of a successful and efficient committee. The course will also provide knowledge of hazard control and risk management, inspections, and investigations, all which committee members may be expected to participate in.

Course Content

Module 1: Legislation

• What is a Joint Health and Safety Committee?
• Legislation
• Internal Responsibility System
• Worker Rights
• The Right to Refuse Process
• Work Refusal Example
• Due Diligence

Module 2: Joint Health and Safety Committee

• Joint Health and Safety Committee Representatives
• Structure of the Committee
• Setting up the JHSC
• Committee Member Roles
• Duties and Functions of the Committee
• Member Selection
• Terms of Office
• Rules of Procedure
• Recommendations to the Employer
• Delay or Disagreement of Recommendations
• Training

Module 3: Hazard Control and Risk Management

• Types of Hazards
• Hazard Assessments
• Risk Matrix
• Hierarchy of Controls
• Safety Hazards vs Health Hazards
• Violence, Harassment and Bullying

Module 4: Inspections

• What is an inspection?
• Types of Inspections
• The Inspection Process, Steps 1-4
• What to look for during an inspection
• Finding Immediate Hazards or Dangerous Conditions

Module 5: Investigation

• Why are investigations important?
• Definitions
• Types, Reporting and Investigating of Incidents
• Incident Examples
• The Investigative Process (Steps 1-8)
• Gathering Evidence
• Communicate Findings & Follow-up

Course Duration

3 Hours

Course Completion

Upon completion of the course, learners will be required to pass an assessment of knowledge. Demonstrating a firm grasp of the content, with a score of 80% or higher on the assessments, will generate a digital certificate of completion that can be downloaded in PDF form.