Issue:
Despite various material and legislation, it is widely thought that the effectiveness of Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) is generally not what it should be. There is an existing body of literature on JHSCs but there is a need for a distilling and synthesizing of this information to ensure that it can be translated into messages of value for workplaces. This research aims to clearly identify where evidence is sufficient to formulate more detailed guidance, as well as to identify where gaps exist in world knowledge in this area.
Objectives:
The objective of the research is to identify the most important factors for JHSCs, and to develop an evidence-based guide. A possible next phase of research would be to plan an intervention study to put into action the recommendations from the guidelines developed, along with an evaluation on their success.
Anticipated Results:
The research will produce an evidence-based guide to effective joint health and safety committee functioning, with the overall goal of reducing hazardous exposures, injuries, and illness in the workplace, and promoting a healthy and safe work environment. The researchers are also committed to producing a document which will guide workplaces throughout the province and the rest of Canada in setting up effective JHSCs.
Investigators:
Annalee Yassi (University of British Columbia)
