Committees, Members and Meetings
The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) (external link) prescribes minimum standards for the composition of Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) members, the methods by which members are selected, their rights and their duties.
The JHSCs are co-chaired by two members: one chair representing workers, the other representing university management. They share responsibilities for meeting agenda preparations and chairing the committee meetings.
Worker members must be representatives appointed by the workers or their union. If you are interested in joining the JHSC, contact your union or a committee co-chair.
JHSC Committees at TMU
TMU has three JHSCs that reflect the diversity of functions and operations at the university: one for administration, one for laboratories/workshops and one for university operations.
This structure targets different types of work environments on campus and ensures that our JHSCs are representative of our entire workforce. As a result, each JHSC is better able to focus its efforts on the specific health and safety needs of each area.
Meetings and minutes
The JHSC is required to meet at least once every three months. Meeting minutes are taken and documented to be made available online for TMU employees. Employees must be logged in with their my.torontomu ID account to review the JHSC meeting minutes.
The minutes are provided as a PDF. If you require an accessible format, please contact Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@torontomu.ca.
If you would like to attend a meeting as a guest, please contact the co-chairs of the committee whose meeting you wish to attend.
Certification of committee members
Each committee is required to have at least one worker representative and one employer representative who have completed certification training with an approved provider under the training standards developed by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. The certification is valid for three years after the successful completion of the approved training program. TMU encourages and supports all JHSC members to participate in certification training.
The certification provides an overall knowledge of health and safety concepts, legislation and a number of standards for health and safety. The training also provides the members with the skills required to recognize, assess and control workplace health and safety hazards and proper procedures for performing accident investigations and workplace inspections.
To learn more about the JHSC Certification Training offered by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and certification requirements, visit the ministry’s website (external link) .