Environmental Health and Safety Committee

The Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Committee is charged with supporting the University in its endeavors to comply with local, state and federal laws applicable to campus operations and academics. Their purpose is to help promote insight into EHS planning and training, avoidance of workplace injuries and illnesses and act as points of contact for employees of the University.  The Committee ensures UNC Asheville, as a state agency, is represented by the faculty and staff so that all employees provided the opportunity to be involved in the on-going responsibility of providing a safe and environmentally responsible work place. This is accomplished via active participation and communication by committee members.

The University charges this Committee with the responsibility of representing every employee so that everyone is engaged in the environmental, health and safety process. They ensure that each of the EHS Programs receive the appropriate support required for successful implementation. As a result, both the Committee consists of employees from several divisions that include members of both management representatives and non-managerial employees and both staff and faculty from across the University.

The EHS Committee meets on a quarterly basis to review program quality and performance through review of metrics designed to assess compliance with regulatory requirements and University continuous improvement efforts.

The Committee Agenda will address the following inputs and outputs:

• Status of actions from the previous meeting
• Changes in relevant external and internal issues including the applicable legal requirements and other requirements and the EHS risks and opportunities
• The extent that the EHS policy and objectives have been met
• Information on the EHS performance, including trends in:
  • incidents, corrective actions and continual improvement
  • worker participation
  • program monitoring and measurement results
  • audit results
  • results of evaluation of compliance (State of NC Office of Human Resources)
  • EHS risks and opportunities
  • Relevant communication(s) with interested parties
  • Opportunities for continual improvement
  • Adequacy of resources for maintaining an effective EHS system
• Decisions related to:
  • conclusions on the suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the EHS system
  • continual improvement opportunities
  • need for changes to the EHS system, including resources needed
  • actions needed when objectives have not been met

EHS Committee Duties, Appointments & Meetings

The Environmental Health and Safety Committee represents all University employees with members appointed by each University Division.  Meetings are held on a quarterly basis to evaluate and discuss new programs, injuries or illnesses experienced by employees and EHS inspections performed by external agencies.

Duties

• Review all safety and health policies and procedures established by UNC Asheville.
• Review incidents involving work-related fatalities, injuries, illnesses or near-misses.
• Review employee complaints regarding safety and health hazards.
• Analyze the agency’s work injury and illness statistical performance.
• Conduct meetings at least (4) times per year. Maintain written minutes of such meetings, send copies to each committee member and post in the appropriate workplace.
• Make written recommendations on behalf of the Committee to the Director of Emergency Management with annual reports to the Vice Chancellor of Public Safety.
• Additional duties may be added as the Committee develops bylaws and operating procedures.

Departments, Members & Appointments

• One member of Chancellor Staff Advisory Committee (appointed by the Chancellor’s Staff Advisory Committee which is a Staff Council Representative)
• One non-supervisory and one supervisory representative (appointed by the Director of University Enterprises and Athletics)
• Two faculty, each serving a three year term–staggered (appointed by Faculty Welfare and Development Committee)
• One non-supervisory and one supervisory representative (appointed by the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance)
• One non-supervisory and one supervisory representative (appointed by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs)
• One Student Government Association (SGA) Representative for student workers (Student Government Association President or designee)
• Academic Environmental Health and Safety Representative who represents Biological Safety, Lab Safety, Laser Safety, and Radiation Safety (voting ex-officio member)
• University Environmental Health and Safety Representative (and Institutional Director), Chair (voting ex-officio member)
• Recommendations and Reports: Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Safety

Meeting Agenda:

• Introductions
• Approval of the Minutes
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjournment

2024 Meeting Dates:

• September 2024 – TBD
• December 2024 – TBD

EHS Committee Members

Chapter 95, Article 22 § 95-252.  Safety and health committees are required.

(a) Establishment of safety and health committees.  Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, each employer with 11 or more employees and an experience rate modifier of 1.5 or greater shall provide for the establishment of safety and health committees and the selection of employee safety and health representatives in accordance with this section.

(b) Temporary help services.  Temporary employees of employers who provide temporary help services shall not be counted as part of the 11 or more employees needed to establish a safety and health committee under this section, and employers who provide temporary help services shall not be required to establish a safety and health committee under this section for its employees assigned to a client’s worksite. This subsection shall not apply to employee leasing companies.

(c) Safety and health committee requirements.

(1) In general.  Each employer covered by this section shall establish a safety and health committee at each worksite of the employer, except as provided as follows:

a. An employer covered by this section whose employees do not primarily report to or work at a fixed location is required to have only one safety and health committee to represent all employees.

b. A safety and health committee is not required at a covered employer’s worksite with less than 11 employees.

c. The Commissioner may, by rule, modify the application of this subdivision to worksites where employees of more than one employer are employed.

(2) Membership.  Each safety and health committee shall consist of:

a. The employee safety and health representatives selected or appointed under subsection (d) of this section.

b. As determined appropriate by the employer, employer representatives, the number of which may not exceed the number of employee representatives.

(3) Chairpersons.  Each safety and health committee shall be co-chaired by:

a. A representative selected by the employer.

b. A representative selected by the employee members of the committee.

(4)  Rights.  Each safety and health committee shall, within reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner, exercise the following rights:

a. Review any safety and health program established by the employer under G.S. 95-251.

b. Review incidents involving work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses, and complaints by employees regarding safety or health hazards.

c. Review, upon the request of the committee or upon the request of the employer representatives or employee representatives of the committee, the employer’s work injury and illness records, other than personally identifiable medical information, and other reports or documents relating to occupational safety and health.

d. Conduct inspections of the worksite at least once every three months and in response to complaints by employees or committee members regarding safety or health hazards.

e. Conduct interviews with employees in conjunction with inspections of the worksite.

f. Conduct meetings, at least once every three months, and maintain written minutes of the meetings.

g. Observe the measurement of employee exposure to toxic materials and harmful physical agents.

h. Establish procedures for exercising the rights of the committee.

i. Make recommendations on behalf of the committee, and in making recommendations, permit any members of the committee to submit separate views to the employer for improvements in the employer’s safety and health program and for the correction of hazards to employee safety or health, except that recommendations shall be advisory only and the employer shall retain full authority to manage the worksite.

j. Accompany, upon request, the Commissioner or the Commissioner’s representative during any physical inspection of the worksite.

(5) Time for committee activities.  The employer shall permit members of the committee established under this section to take the time from work reasonably necessary to exercise the rights of the committee without suffering any loss of pay or benefits for time spent on duties of the committee.

(d) Employee safety and health representatives.

(1) In general.  Safety and health committees established under this section shall include:

a. One employee safety and health representative where the average number of nonmanagerial employees of the employer at the worksite during the preceding year was more than 10, but less than 50.

b. Two employee safety and health representatives where the average number of nonmanagerial employees of the employer at the worksite during the preceding year was 50 or more, but less than 100.

c. An additional employee safety and health representative for each additional 100 such employees at the worksite, up to a maximum of six employee safety and health representatives.

d. Where an employer’s employees do not primarily report to or work at a fixed location or at worksites where employees of more than one employer are employed, a number of employee safety and health representatives as determined by the Commissioner by rule.

(2) Selection.  Employee safety and health representatives shall be selected by and from among the employer’s nonmanagerial employees in accordance with rules adopted by the Commissioner. The rules adopted by the Commissioner may provide for different methods of selection of employee safety and health representatives at worksites with no bargaining representative, worksites with one bargaining representative, and worksites with more than one bargaining representative. (1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 962, s. 1.)