School of Materials Science & Engineering - Materials Sci & Eng, OHS

SCHOOL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING OHS COMMITTEE

1. Role of the Committee

This Committee is a Level 3 Workplace OHS Committee as described in the UNSW OHS Consultation Procedure.The role of the Committee is to:

assist the Head of School to meet their legal responsibility to consult with employees on matters that impact on their health, safety and welfare;
facilitate effective consultation with employees and students in order to identify and resolve OHS issues at the local level where they arise; and
perform functions specified in section 18d of the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 and clause 30 of the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001.

2. Scope of the Committee

The physical areas covered by the Committee include:

Materials Science Buildings E8 and D7; Red Centre Basement H15

The Committee will address OHS issues pertaining to:

the work environment and business activities on campus;
employees who are working from home; and
employees and students who work and study off-campus, eg on field excursions.

3. Composition of the Committee

the composition of the Committee meets the requirements specified in the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001;
the workgroups represented on the Committee are: Academic Staff, Professional and Technical Staff.
the total number of Committee members is 3 and the membership ratio is:

Elected employee representatives 2
Employer representatives 1

a current list of Committee members and their role on the Committee (ie workgroup represented and whether employee or employer representative) is provided as Attachment 1
the list of members will be maintained by the Secretary and made available to staff via School web site and OHS noticeboard.

4. Election of Employee Representatives and Chairperson

elections are conducted in a manner consistent with recognised democratic principles:
election is held every 2 years in the Annual School Staff Meeting (in October-November)
2 weeks notice including request for nominations is given for this meeting
election is done by show of hands
the Chairperson is elected from the elected employee OHS Representatives;
new elections for employee representatives and for the Chairperson are called as soon as practicable after a position becomes vacant, and are held at least every two years;
election records are maintained as part of the minutes of the Annual School Staff Meeting and are reported in the next meeting of the School OHS Committee

5. Employer Representative(s)

the Head of School is the employer representative on the Committee;
if the Head of School is unable to attend a meeting they will appoint a delegate with authority toact on their behalf in OHS matters;

6. Committee Meetings

Ordinary meetings are held every 2 months;
Special meetings can be called at the request of any Committee member, provided notice is given at least 3 days before the meeting;
the meeting quorum is 2 of employee OHS Representatives and one Employer Representative ;
a meeting agenda is prepared by the Secretary with input from all Committee members and approved by the Chairperson for dissemination prior to the meeting date;
minutes are recorded by the Secretary and approved by the Chairperson for dissemination within approximately 2 weeks of the meeting being held
minutes are communicated to all staff via email and posted on School website and OHS noticeboard (and stored in Safety server)

7. Decision Making Procedure

Where possible, decisions will be made by consensus;
When this is not possible, a vote will be taken amongst the members of the Committee

8. Process for Review of this Constitution

The Constitution will be reviewed by the Committee at least every two years;
A Committee member may make a request to the Chairperson that the Constitution be reviewed;
Where possible, decisions will be made by consensus;
When this is not possible, a vote will be taken amongst the members of the Committee, with 75% of the vote required to approve changes.

9. Functions of the Committee

Facilitate effective consultation and communication on OHS matters with management, staff and students in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. Activities include:

Talking with people in the workplace about their health and safety concerns,
Raising OHS issues with management and the Committee,
Following up on outstanding items and giving feedback,
Preparing for and participating in Committee meetings and allocated tasks;

Keep under review the measures taken to ensure the health, safety and welfare of persons at the place of work. Activities include:

Conducting scheduled workplace inspections,
Making recommendations on elimination or control of risks,
Assisting in the development or review of OHS processes, documentation and initiatives (both local and UNSW),
Making recommendations on OHS training requirements;

Investigate and attempt to resolve OHS problems using the resolution process described in the UNSW OHS Consultation Procedure;
Collaborate with supervisors on the investigation of work related incidents and ill health issues, recommend corrective and preventive action, and track completion of actions; and
Where appropriate, be an observer during any formal OHS-related investigation or inspection conducted by UNSW or WorkCover;
Assist management with other agreed OHS initiatives, provided that adequate resources are made available to do so.

10. Evaluation of Compliance and Committee Effectiveness

The Committee will evaluate itself at least annually using the UNSW Level 3 OHS Committee Evaluation Checklist;
A summary of the self-evaluation and recommendations for improvement will be recorded in the minutes of the next meeting for communication to constituents.

Attachment 1: Membership of School of Materials Science and Engineering Level 3 OHS Committee

Effective Date: 22 April 2009

Chairperson: Owen Standard
Secretary: Soo Woon Chong

Management Representative
Head of School Mark Hoffman

Employee Representative
Academic Staff Owen Standard
Professional and Technical Staff Soo Woon Chong
Administrative Staff Soo Woon Chong

Other ex officio persons for advice to the Committee:
Rahmat Kartono (Professional Staff)
Ruiping Zou (Academic Staff - Research)
Postgraduate student
Undergraduate student