Public Employee Press

Safety Spotlight

Safety and health committees
An important tool for protecting members on the job is the agency-based joint labor management safety and health committees established under Article 14 of the Citywide Contract between New York City and DC 37.

These committees meet at least quarterly and work collectively to address safety and health concerns in the workplace.

Ideally, management rep-resentatives should include a person who is capable of making decisions and changing policy. Labor representatives are usually union activists who are familiar with all the worksites in their agency.

Committee issues
Some of the issues the committees tackle at meetings include:

• Annual right-to-know training
• Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning
• Housekeeping and vermin infestation
• Chemical exposures
• Machine safety
• Ergonomics (adapting the job to the worker)
• Infection control
• Emergency preparedness

The committees function at their best when both sides work cooperatively toward joint solutions to problems. However, if a resolution can’t be agreed upon, the union can still use the grievance procedure.

Many victories

• The prospective upgrading of the Dept. of Environmental Protection’s Port Jervis Wastewater Treatment Facility.
• Right-to-know training initiated at the Administration for Children’s Services.
• New procurement procedure for ergonomic furniture at the Police Dept.
• Improved fire safety at numerous Human Resources Administration facilities.
• Fall protection program at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
• Employer–provided personal pro- tective equipment for Dept. of Consumer Affairs Inspectors.
• Improved security at Dept. of Juvenile Justice facilities.

If you would like to find out more about your agency’s safety and health committee, contact your DC 37 rep.