Safety

Occupational Health & Safety Committee - Terms of Reference

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The Occupational Health and Safety Committee is a representative consultative committee reporting to Senior Vice-Principal through the Administration Policy and Procedures Group (APPG).

  1. MEMBERSHIP

    Management Representatives

    Dean or Executive Director appointed by the Vice-Chancellor

    Provost or nominee

    Dean of a Faculty or Graduate School or nominee

    Executive Director, Human Resources or nominee

    Executive Director, Property & Campus Services or nominee

    General Manager, Environment Health and Safety or nominee

    Employee Health and Safety Representatives

    Six employee Health and Safety Representatives (HSR), elected by the University’s employee HSRs in accordance with the Terms of Reference of this Committee.

    The term of office for other than ex-officio members is three years.

    Alternates

    Each committee member may nominate an alternate to represent the committee member in their absence.

    HSR members may only nominate alternate from the pool of current employee HSRs from the University of Melbourne.

    Management representative members may only nominate alternate from the pool of current management representatives from the University of Melbourne.

    Office Bearing Positions

    Chairperson: A Committee Chairperson shall be a Dean or Executive Director appointed by the Vice-Chancellor, endorsed by the Committee at the first meeting of each calendar year.

    Deputy Chairperson: A Deputy Chairperson shall be an employee HSR member elected by the OHSC. The Term of Office for the Deputy Chairperson shall be one year.

    Minutes Secretary: The OHSC may appoint a minutes secretary to support the committee.  The minutes secretary shall not hold voting rights.

    Committee Secretary: The General Manager – Environment, Health and Safety shall act as Committee Secretary to support the committee. 

    Gender balance observers

    Nominated by the Chair, if required.

    Observers – without voting rights

    One student nominated by UMSU Incorporated.

    One nominee of the President, University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association.

    Other observers as determined by the Committee and invited by the Committee Secretary.

    Observers may provide reports to the OHSC.

    Quorum

    The Quorum for the Committee is six (6) members, at least three (3) of whom must be employee Health and Safety Representatives.

  2. TERMS OF REFERENCE
    1. The Committee provides the peak OHS consultative mechanism of the University for management, staff and students to:
      • facilitate cooperation between Management, staff and/or students in instigating, developing and carrying out measures designed to ensure the health and safety of staff and/or students throughout the University;
      • formulate review and disseminate standards, rules and procedures relating to health and safety that are to be carried out or complied with throughout the University.
    2. The Committee receives reports from University Officers, Health and Safety Representatives, Observers, Health and Safety Committees and specialist sub-committees of the Committee.
    3. The Committee may appoint such specialist sub-committees as it may determine from time to time, to perform specific tasks on behalf of the Committee, the membership of which shall include at least one member of the Committee.
    4. The Committee shall appoint an Executive Committee to act on behalf of the OHSC between meetings of the Committee. The Executive Committee shall comprise of equal representation of management appointed members and employee appointed members. The members of the Executive Committee shall comprise:
      • Chairperson of the Committee as Chairperson of the Executive Committee;
      • Deputy Chair person of the Committee;
      • General Manager, Environment Health and Safety; and
      • One (1) of the five (5) remaining employee HSR members of the OHSC*.

        * This position shall be filled via election by the HSR members of the OHSC. The Term of Office for this position shall be one year. Casual vacancies for this position shall be filled by election by the HSR members of the OHSC. The casual vacancy Term of Office shall conclude at the end of the scheduled Term of Office.
        Each member of the Executive Committee may be represented by a nominee (from the membership of the Committee) as an alternate.

    5. The Committee shall determine the nomination and election procedures for the election of the six (6) employee Health and Safety Representative members of the Committee on advice from the HSR members of the OHSC.
    6. The Committee may establish and maintain standing orders for the orderly conduct of the OHSC.
    7. The Committee must meet at least quarterly.
  3. STANDING AGENDA ITEMS
    1. Attendance/apologies
    2. Minutes of the previous meeting
    3. Matters arising/outstanding action items from previous minutes
    4. Minutes and reports received from other Committees
    5. Reports and correspondence received by the Committee, including a report from the Executive Committee detailing business conducted by the Executive Committee.
    6. Review incident statistics
    7. Review of serious incident reports and investigations
    8. Review health and safety management plans and associated objectives and targets
    9. Review regulatory activity undertaken by Occupational Health and Safety regulators at the University of Melbourne
    10. Review the results of Occupational Health and Safety systems audits
    11. Review of Health and Safety Policies and Procedures
  4. DELEGATIONS

    The Committee may make recommendations to the Senior Vice-Principal through the APPG in relation to University health and safety policies, procedures, work instructions and guidelines.

  5. LEGISLATION

    Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)

  6. TERMS OF REFERENCE

    The Committee may review and/or amend the Terms of Reference.

 

Date: reviewed 10 November 2010
Version: 2.1
Authorised by: Occupational Health & Safety Committee
Next Review: Meeting 04/2011
© The University of Melbourne - Uncontrolled when printed

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