SA0800-H Safety Committee Charter

Objective

To define the function, membership, and operation of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Safety Committee and comply with University of Tennessee system-side policy SA0800, which requires the establishment of a safety committee at each major university location.

Scope

This procedure applies to all campuses of the UT Health Science Center except for Knoxville Graduate School of Medicine, which is covered by the UTK safety Committee.

Background

The University is responsible for providing a safe and healthy environment for faculty, staff, students, and visitors, performing University-related work responsibilities. The Safety Committee ensures an infrastructure that provides proactive identification, evaluation, and resolution of hazards for the safety and health of employees, students, and visitors. The Committee oversees safety-related matters for the campuses of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville).

Organizational Structure

The Safety Committee reports to the Chancellor through the Executive Vice Chancellor/Chief Operation Officer (EVC/COO). The Safety Committee consists of representatives from each college, campus, and the major operating units of the Health Science Center.

Responsibilities

Advise the Chancellor or EVC/COO in matters concerning workplace safety and health- related policies and procedures.
Ensure the adequacy and effective implementation of policies and procedures related to the safety and health of employees, faculty, students, and visitors. This specifically includes but is not limited to the UTHSC Exposure Control Plan and Emergency Response Plan.
Monitor, improve, and promote awareness of workplace safety, health, and environmental compliance.
Innovate, improve, and support enhancements to institutional safety culture.
Support an effective injury prevention program.
Ensure representation, coordination, and communication between UTHSC campuses with respect to safety and health programs.
Review and recommend action after an event where a serious or significant workplace safety or health issue arose during a university-related activity involving faculty, staff, students, and/or visitors.
Ensure the UTHSC is compliant with system-wide policy SA0800 establishing a safety committee.

Procedure

Committee Membership
Membership is a three-year appointment unless otherwise stated. Membership is appointed by the Vice Chancellor, Dean, Chair or Director of the college, campus, or operational division represented by that member. Members can be appointed to consecutive terms. Committee members can recommend an appropriate alternate to represent them in their absence.
Alternates approved by the UTHSC Safety Committee will have voting rights only in the absence of the assigned members. Ad hoc and Ex officio members may be added by Committee consent for one or more meetings to resolve specific matters or situations. Committee members are:
Proceedings
A quorum for a meeting will be a simple majority of assigned members. For purposes of passing a resolution or policy at a meeting, a simple majority of committee members attending a meeting with a quorum is sufficient. Voting rights may be exercised during the attendance of a committee meeting or by electronic ballot. All members of the Committee, except ad hoc and ex officio members, have voting rights.
Meeting Frequency
The Safety Committee shall meet quarterly. Special meetings of the Safety Committee may be called to address matters needing immediate attention. Members who are unable to attend are encouraged to send a representative from their respective unit to serve as their proxy. Members shall provide the name of their proxy, in advance, to the Chair for approval. Proxies shall have voting authority on behalf of the member. Members are asked to limit their proxy selection to no more than two alternate representatives. The Representatives shall have the ability to make commitments to the Safety Committee on behalf of their organization.
Agendas
Agendas are assembled by the Committee Chair and distributed to the Committee one week in advance of a scheduled meeting. However, sudden changes in circumstances or emergency events may require the Chair to present an updated agenda at the meeting. Also, all agendas should include updates from the subcommittees and an item for “Any Other Business.” Any Committee member may request of the Chair that an item be included in the agenda.
Minutes
Minutes of the meeting shall include a copy of the meeting agenda, a list of members present, and members absent, notes about the sequence of items discussed, the substance of the discussions, the statement of any resolutions and vote outcomes for those resolutions, statements about action items and who has responsibility for the action item and list of handouts, and a list of issues and/or trends to be briefed to the EVC/COO. Minutes shall be:
- Complied by a staff member reporting to the Committee Chair
- Available one week before the next meeting via e-mail and reviewed at the beginning of that meeting for correction and/or approval.
- Maintained on the UTHSC SharePoint site at a web link for the Safety Committee
- Minutes are provided in summary form to the EVC/COO.