Posted By Steve Wood Is there any advice/guidance on the make up of H&S Committees (apart from the HSE guidance which just covers numbers/"groups")? Ours seems in danger of becoming "top-heavy" and I've been asked if yet another manager can be on it. I'm trying to resist (to keep the inhibitory factors to a minimum), but would like some concrete support! What I'd like is something that advises "H&S person, plus one senior mgr/exec, plus enough members of the workforce to cover the staff". Any ideas/help?

Posted By Raymond Rapp Steve, As a former TU h&s rep I think I can give you the advice you seek, but it would be in your best interest to obtain a a copy of the SR&SC Regs 1996, Reg 9 Safety committees and Guidance notes for further reference. Workplace safety committees should encompass all aspects of the working environment eg health, safety and welfare. That said, the committee should not be top heavy with management and ideally the balance between managers and workers should be equal. Others may be co-opted onto the committee as and when needed, ad hoc fashion. Hope this helps Ray

Posted By Bill Elliott The whole point of a Safety Committee is to CONSULT with employees - not just those represented by trades unions (the Safety Representatives & Safety Committees Regs refer) but also those employees NOT so represented (Health & Safety (consultation with Employees) Regs refer)Currently both these groups are covered in HSE books L95 and L87 but are the subject of review to combine them. Any Committee that does not have employee representation is not meeting the requirements. It is also generally accepted that Management representatives should balance the number of employee reps, people like H&S advisors etc should not be included as such, as they should be Advisory to the committee and independant. The committee might look like - 6 Managers, 6 staff reps, 3 Advisors plus ad hoc co-opted members.