Faculty Occupational Health & Safety Committee

(a) General Statement

To provide advice to the Executive Dean on all matters relating to the occupational health, safety and welfare of staff in the Faculty.

(b) Specific Functions

1. to provide a forum for consultation between area management and staff members in respect of OHSW;
2. to review incident reports with a view to identifying action required for the prevention of work related injuries;
3. to prepare the Faculty OHSW program, to ensure the implementation of that program and to monitor its effectiveness;
4. to provide an appeal mechanism if there is a dispute on an OHS issue which has not been able to be resolved between local area management and the elected HSR;
5. to ensure that OHS policies and procedures are disseminated widely in the Faculty;
6. to make recommendations to the Executive Dean on newly emerging training needs of staff in respect of OHS;
7. to monitor rehabilitation reports of Faculty employees if necessary with a view to making recommendations which will assist in return to work programs;
8. to provide advice as requested by the University OHS committee on matters of policy.

(c) Working Groups

The Committee may establish working groups to deal with specific issues which may arise from time to time.

Reporting Relationship
The Committee reports to the Executive Dean who is responsible for the occupational health, safety and welfare of staff of the Faculty.
The Committee has no power to allocate resources or prescribe the duties of staff.

Membership

(a) Composition

The Committee will be comprised of:
(i) the health and safety representatives (HSR) elected by staff in each of the designated work groups in the Faculty of Health Sciences
School of Medicine laboratories - Kerry Gascoigne
School of Medicine (non lab areas and external units) - Carol Gibb
Sturt Buildings - Didy Button
Rural Clinical School - David McNaughton
(ii) a number (no more than the number of HSR) of members appointed by the Executive Dean at least one of whom is at senior management level:
Tadija Petronijevic, School of Medicine
Diana Paice, School of Nursing and Midwifery
Ion Wallace, Faculty Registrar

(b) Term of Office

The term of office for all members of the Committee will be a minimum of three years.

(c) Chairperson

The Chairperson will be elected from amongst the membership. The term of office for the Chairperson will be 12 months.

(d) Vacancies arising

If a vacancy occurs the member will be replaced by:
(i) in the case of an elected HSR, by the person who is elected to replace the previous representative.
(ii) in the case of a management representative, a person appointed by the Executive Dean.

(e) Standing Orders

(i) Voting
All members will have a vote. The Chairperson will have a deliberative but not a casting vote.

(ii) Quorum
The quorum will be half the membership plus one.

(iii) Frequency of meetings
Meetings will be held at least every three months.

(iv) Procedures
All meetings will have formal agendas and minutes and will be serviced by a staff member of the Faculty Office.

(f) Observers

The following people will be invited to attend meetings of the Faculty OHS Committee as participating observers, but do not have the right to vote, and do not contribute to the quorum:

• Elected Deputy Health and Safety Representatives
  - FMC Lab Areas - Michelle Lewis
  - FMC (non Lab and external) - vacant
  - Sturt Buildings - vacant
• Medical Librarian (or nominee) - Miranda Morfey
• Head, FMC OHS and Injury Management Services (or nominee) - Shelley Short
• Head, FUSA OHS Unit (or nominee) - Kerry Jaunutis
• Assistant Manager, Support Services, SOM - Angela Binns

Minutes of meetings will be retained for at least three years in accordance with the OHSW Regulations, 1995.

2008 Meeting Dates
14 February
17 April
12 June
14 August
16 October

Contact
Karen Siegmann
Phone: +61 8 8201 2538
Fax: +61 8 8201 3905
Email: karen.siegmann@flinders.edu.au