Health and safety committees standard

All staff members, students and other workers at the University.

To detail the levels and membership of University Health and Safety Committees and the frequency of their meetings.

The University encourages and supports worker participation, engagement and representation. Involving workers in health and safety matters is a key part of making the University community and workplaces safer and healthier. Workers are encouraged to actively participate in developing, implementing and monitoring the health and safety system in their workplace, and health and safety committees play a key part in this participation process.

The committees provide a forum of nominated management and health and safety representatives; to enable effective consultation, engagement and participation on health, safety and wellbeing issues; by assisting the University in providing a safe and healthy workplace, and the promotion of health, safety and wellbeing.

The committees allow for consultation, as a primary form of engagement, and provides advice to the University through its members, to assist in the management of health, safety and wellbeing and the continuous improvement of occupational health and safety management systems.

1. A University level Health and Safety Committee and faculty and service division level committees are to be convened
2. The committees are to be convened with equal membership taken from management and health and safety representatives
3. Health and Safety Committee(s) must meet at least quarterly

The following definitions apply to this document:

Consultation means health and safety consultation involves the sharing of relevant information between the University, as a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), and workers, and the University and other PCBUs. Consultation includes giving workers the opportunity to express their views, valuing these views and allowing them to contribute to the resolution of health and safety issues.

Health and safety committee (HSC) means a group including workers, Health and Safety Representatives (if they agree) and representatives of the PCBUs that is a forum for consultation on work, health and safety issues and assists in the development and review of health and safety policies and procedures for the workplace.

Health and safety representative (HSR) means a worker who has been nominated or elected by a work group (of which they are a member) to represent them on health and safety issues for a term of three years.

Person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) means an individual or organisation that conducts a business or undertaking including body corporate, unincorporated bodies or associations, partnerships and business franchises. The PCBU arranges, directs or influences work to be done or contributes something towards the work being done. There may be multiple businesses or undertakings and therefore multiple PCBUs involved in the work at the same location.

Staff member refers to an individual employed by the University on a full or part-time basis.

Worker (as defined by the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015) means the person who carries out work in any capacity for a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), including work as:
• An employee, contractor or subcontractor
• Employee of a subcontractor
• An employee of a labour hire company assigned to work for a PCBU
• An outworker
• An apprentice or trainee
• A student gaining work experience
• Volunteer

Workplace means a place where work is carried out for a business or undertaking and includes any place where a worker goes, or is likely to be, while at work.

Work group means a group of workers formed by negotiation and agreement that meets the legal representation criteria. A designated workgroup consists of all staff members in:
• A particular work area, department, school, centre, institute, or centre
• A building or series of buildings.
A designated workgroup may cover staff members at one or more workplaces on a campus; and/or at one or more campuses.

University means the University of Auckland and includes all subsidiaries.

University community includes all staff members (whether permanent, temporary or part-time), honorary staff, students (whether full-time or part-time), contractors, subcontractors, consultants, alumni, associates, business partners or official visitors or guests of members of the University or UniServices.

• Health, safety and wellbeing policy and protocols
• Health and safety consultation procedures

Document Control
Version: 1.0
Last Updated: Apr 2024
Next Review: Apr 2027
Owner: hsw@auckland.ac.nz
Approver: Associate Director, Health Safety & Wellbeing