the Town of Truro

Program Administration

Terms of Reference:

1. The Name of the Committee shall be the Town of Truro , Occupational Health and Safety Program Administration Committee.
2. The function of the Safety Program Administration Comm. (Safety P.A.C.) is to ensure that:
1. The Program as required under Section 28 (1) of the Safety Act is established and maintained by the employer: Section 28(1) " Where twenty or more employees are regularly employed by an employer the employer shall establish and maintain a written occupational health and safety program, in consultation with the committee, that is adapted to the circumstances of the organization for the purpose of implementing the employer's policy, this Act and the regulations.";
2. The Town of Truro Safety Program and the various Departmental Safety Programs comply with Section 28(2) of the Act as defined on page 1 of the Program Development Strategy of the Town of Truro Safety Program ;
3. The various Departmental Safety Program Implementation Committees (Safety P.I.C.) are performing their functions as set out in Section 31 (1) of the safety Act and are stated in the Safety P.I.C.'s Terms of Reference in Appendix "A-2";
4. The various Departmental Safety P.I.C.'s are implementing their respective Departmental Safety Programs; and
5. All the established safety policies are administered and enforced in all areas.
3. The Structure of the Committees will provide for a chairperson and a vice chairperson (elect one (1) employee representative and one (1) employer representative) and a secretary;
   1. The vice chair and secretary positions will be filled by elections to be held at the April meeting. The past vice chair will be appointed has chairperson, with the past chairperson resigning their position (equal employer/employee representation must be maintained with the election of a new vice chair);
   2. The committee shall be composed of ten (10) members, five (5) employer representatives with an equal or greater number of employee representatives;
   3. Each of the members shall remain on the committee for a minimum two year term and provide for at least one alternate and shall be represented as follows:

Employer Representation shall be one each from :
Mayor / Town Council
Engineering / Public Works
Clerical / Planning
B.I.D.C. / Parks and Recreation
Police / Fire

Employee Representation shall be one each from :
C.U.P.E. Local 734
I.A.F.F. Local 1627
P.A.N.S. Local 102
Clerical / Planning
B.I.D.C. / Parks and Recreation

The Duties of the Committee Members shall be as follows:

Chairperson

• to set agenda circulated prior to the meeting;
• to chair meetings
• to approve and sign minutes at meeting with Secretary.

Vice Chairperson

• to fulfill the duties of the chairperson as required.

Secretary

• to type and distribute agenda to members of committee one (1) week prior to meeting date;
• to record minutes at meeting on standard minute form;
• to have minutes typed to be distributed and posted within one (1) week following meeting date.

1. The committees shall meet monthly or bimonthly (to be determined by the Safety P.A.C.) at a regular prearranged time, date, and place as set by the employer ;
2. Meeting quorums shall consist of six (6) members of the committee present with at least three (3) employer representatives and three (3) employee representatives;
3. Emergency meetings may be called by the chairperson by giving due notice to the committee membership;
4. Meetings held at other than regular working hours will be paid at the respective members applicable rate or time off in lieu;

Meeting locations shall be at a specified location at or near the workplace.

Program Implementation

Terms of Reference :

1. The Name of the Committee shall be the Engineering and Public Works Occupational Health & Safety Committee.
2. Under Section 31(1) of the Act, the Committee's function is to involve employers and employees together in occupational health and safety in the workplace and without restricting the generality of the foregoing, includes:
   1. the co-operative identification of hazards to health and safety and effective systems to respond to the hazards;
   2. the co-operative auditing of compliance with health and safety requirements in the workplace;
   3. receipt, investigation and prompt disposition of matters and complaints with respect to workplace health and safety;
   4. participation in inspections, inquiries and investigations concerning the occupational health and safety of employees and in particular, participation in an inspection referred to in Section 50 of the Safety Act;
   5. advising on individual protective devices, equipment and clothing that, complying with this Act and the regulations, best adapted to the needs of the employees;
   6. advising the employer regarding a policy or program required pursuant to this Act or the regulations and making recommendations to the employer, the employees and any person for the improvement of the health and safety of persons at the workplace;
   7. maintaining records and minutes of committee meetings in a form and manner approved by the Director and providing an officer with a copy of these records or minutes on request; and
   8. performing any other duties assigned to it :
      • by the Director,
      • by agreement between the employer and the employees or the union, or
      • as are established by the regulations.
3. The Structure of the Committees will provide for a chairperson and a vice chairperson (elect one (1) employee representative and one (1) employer representative) and a secretary;
• The vice chair and secretary positions will be filled by elections to be held at the March meeting. The past vice chair will be appointed as chairperson, with the past chairperson resigning their position (equal employer/employee representation must be maintained with the election of a new vice chair);
• The committee shall be composed of ten (10) members, representing all departments on Engineering and Public Works, five (5) employer representatives with an equal or greater number of employee representatives;
• Each of the members shall provide for at least one alternate and shall always be represented at meetings. Members are as follows:

The Duties of the Committee Members shall be as follows:

Chairperson

• to set agenda circulated prior to the meeting;
• to chair meetings
• to approve and sign minutes at meeting with Secretary.
• to represent Eng. & P.W. Comm. on the Program Administration Committee.

Vice Chairperson

• to fulfill the duties of the chairperson as required.
• to represent Eng. & P.W. Comm. on the Program Administration Committee.

Secretary

• to type and distribute agenda to members of Committee one (1) week prior to meeting date;
• to record minutes at meeting on standard minute form;
• to have minutes typed to be distributed and posted within one (1) week following meeting date.

1. The committees shall meet monthly on the first Wednesday of every month. Meetings will begin at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted. No regularly scheduled meeting will take place in July and August;
2. Meeting quorums shall consist of six (6) members of the committee present with at least three (3) employer representatives and three (3) employee representatives;
3. Emergency meetings may be called by the chairperson by giving due notice to the committee membership;
4. Meetings held at other than regular working hours will be paid at the respective members applicable rate or time off in lieu;
5. Meeting locations shall be at a specified location at or near the workplace.

(amended May 17,1999 )

Program Development Strategy

Whereas the Town of Truro is committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment as stated in it's Safety Policy;

Whereas Section 28, subsection (1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires the Town of Truro to establish and maintain a written occupational health and safety program in association with our Occupational Health and Safety Committee, that is adapted to the circumstances of our various work sites for the purpose, of implementing our Policy, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and it's regulations;

Whereas Section 28, subsection (2) states that The Program shall include:

1. provision for the training and supervision of employees in matters necessary to their health and safety and the health and safety of other persons at the workplace;
2. provision for the preparation of written work procedures required to implement safe and healthy work practices, including those required pursuant to this Act, the regulations or by order of an officer, and identification of the types of work for which the procedures are required at the employer's workplace;
3. provision for the establishment and continued operation of a committee required pursuant to this Act, including maintenance of records of membership, rules of procedure, access to a level of management with authority to resolve health and safety matters and any information required under this Act or the regulations to be maintained in relation to a committee;
4. provision for the selection and functions of a representative where required pursuant to this Act, including provision for access by the representative to the level of management with authority to resolve health and safety matters;
5. a hazard identification system that includes :
   • evaluation of the workplace to identify potential hazards,
   • procedures and schedules for regular inspections,
   • procedures for ensuring the reporting of hazards and the accountability of persons responsible for the correction of hazards, and
   • identification of the circumstances where hazards must be reported by the employer to the committee or representative, if any, and the procedures for doing so;
6. a system for workplace Occupational Health and Safety monitoring, prompt follow-up and control of identified hazards;
7. a system for the prompt investigation of hazardous occurrences to determine their causes and the actions needed to prevent recurrences;
8. maintenance of records and statistics, including reports of Occupational Health and Safety inspections and Occupational Health and Safety investigations, with provision for making them available to persons entitled to receive them pursuant to this Act; and
9. provision for monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of the program.

• Whereas some of these provisions are quite complex to the Town of Truro and has various implications to the Town's many departments of differing occupations; and
• Whereas The Town Engineering and Public Works has become a member of the Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association, which promotes a model Safety Program that meets and exceeds the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
• The Town of Truro shall adopt this model Safety Program and adapt it for all of it's various departments; and
• The Town of Truro shall adopt a tiered System of Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees, with Town Council and Senior Management together with employees taking part in a Safety Program Administration Committee as set out in this General Town of Truro Safety Program's Terms of Reference in Appendix "A-1".

The Departmental Program Implementation Committees shall adapt and implement this Town Safety Program to the needs of their departments as set out in Departmental Safety Programs and their Terms of Reference in Appendix "A-2".