Operator Safety - Wastewater Operators - page 8

1.8 safeTy CoMMiTTee or CounCil
When working with upper management in the formulation of the
organization's safety program, it is important to set up a safety commit-
tee or council. The safety committee can provide valuable assistance to
the plant safety person. The safety committee should be composed of a
cross-section of the organization's workforce. Additionally, the safety
committee should consist of a combination of senior managers as well
as employees at mid-grade supervisory levels. If the organization is
unionized, then a designated union representative must be assigned.
1.9 WorKer inPuT
Safety officials sometimes overlook a valuable resource that is
always present in any organization: workers . Some would argue that
workers not only make up the organization but are the organization.
Safety persons are hired primarily to protect workers from injury, but
they sometimes forget this mission of ensuring that workers have a safe
place to work. Workers also have a role in maintaining their own safety,
which many may find surprising. At the beginning of this chapter, part
of the OSH Act was stated, the part dealing with an employer's respon-
sibilities under the Act. It may surprise many people, and almost always
the workers, to learn that according to the OSH Act:
Section 5(b) mandates that each employee shall comply with occupational
safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued
pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.
Several organizational safety programs, policies, manuals, or direc-
tives specifically define who is responsible for safety. When the reader
reviews such programs, policies, manuals, or directives, it usually is
clear whom has been made responsible for safety; however, when spe-
cific personnel are designated as being responsible for safety, the reader
might wonder about the rest of the organization's personnel. Aren't
these personnel also responsible for safety? Shouldn't everyone share
this responsibility?
Providing a safe place to work can be better accomplished when all
organizational personnel have input, especially the workers—the rank
and file. Input can be in the form of discussion between the worker and
the supervisor. Input can also be in the form of discussion between the
worker and the work center's safety committee member. On occasion,
workers provide input directly to the safety person.
1.10 aCCidenT rePorTing
The organizational safety person should ensure that supervisors
prepare and maintain records for reporting worker injuries and accident
investigations. In the wastewater industry, where exposure to various
microorganisms (some that are harmful to humans) in the wastewater
stream is a routine occurrence, even the most minor scratch, cut, or