My employers has asked me to look into forming a H&S committee. We are an SME all based in 1 office with periodical site visits, no employees have any union affiliation and nobody has formally requested we form this group. As far as I see it, a committee would be taking it a bit far due to the nature of our business and the associated risks. if the MD is keen to have representation of the workforce can we not simply ask for a couple of volunteers to act as representatives, passing on any concerns to the director responsible for H&S thus giving them a voice on the board or, are we required to go the whole hog.

achrn My view was that an actual committee would be more formal, requiring documented roles and responsibilities, scheduled and minuted meetings etc. If we can keep it less formal I think I will get more input.

I would schedule meetings (in my organisation, if you want three or more people in one place at the same time, you need to schedule any meeting), and I would always minute any meeting (that's more than exchanging a few words as you pass on the staircase) anyway. We don't have documented roles beyond that I chair the meeting. We do have a terms of reference but they basically just say the committee reports to the board and constitutes at least one person from each office, at least two board directors, at least one person from our rail group (because rail has lots of its own safety rules) and one from our geotechnics group (because they do more lone working and working where there isn't a site and contractor already established).