What is a Safety Committee and do we need one?

The overriding purpose of a safety committee is to be the "staff advocate" for safety matters.  This is usually done utilizing the Review, Recommend and Disseminate concept.  For instance, the Safety Committee should review:

• the details of any accidents that occur in the practice,

• the specifics of any safety-related complaints from staff members or the leadership,

•  the procedures involved in any activity, service or program that could have adverse health or physical safety effects on the staff,

•  current literature, guidelines, regulations or position papers that relate to safety matters relevant to the practice operations.  

Based on these ongoing reviews, the Safety Committee should develop specific Ado=s and don=ts@ policies to govern the safe operation of the practice.  Although the Safety Committee does not have the specific authority to set or establish policy for the practice, it does have an implied authority to recommend procedures to the leadership of the practice.  In most cases, it is expected that the leadership will adopt the recommended policies of the safety committee unless there is a clear and overwhelming reason to reject it.  Rejection of Safety Committee recommendations is usually looked upon with a high degree of scrutiny during a regulatory agency review and perceived budgetary constraints are not usually considered "justification" for rejection.   

Once the recommendation or policy is accepted or Asanctioned@ by the leadership, it becomes the shared responsibility of the leadership and the Safety Committee to disseminate the new policy or information to the staff.  (See below for Raising Awareness ideas.)

Who should serve on the Safety Committee?

The Safety Committee should be composed of enough members to represent the diversity of the practice, but not so many as to inhibit the conducting of business.  Generally, there should be a representative from the professional staff, the technical staff, the animal caretaker staff and the reception or administrative staff.  It=s also normal to have one person represent two segments (such as a technician representing the techs and the animal caretaker staff).
 
In addition to the staff representation, there should be a representative of the leadership.  It=s best if this representative were not the owner since that may bring some Asituational intimidation@ to the process.  Normally, the leadership=s representative is the Practice Administrator or similar person. 
 
Finally, the Committee is typically Chaired by the Safety Director.  The Safety Director is the person who is charged with the overall coordination of the hospital's safety program.  The Safety Director should be a person who has both the personality and the "presence" to work individually with the entire practice team.  It's not critical that the Safety Director have authority for making unilateral decisions in the practice, but it helps.

Safety Committee members can serve a set term or can be appointed permanently.  In small practices, it may be necessary for the leadership to unilaterally appoint people to the Safety Committee, but in most practices, the appointments should be made with staff input. (Note: some states require a majority of safeety committee members to be elected or appointed by the staff.)

Do we need a Safety Committee in our Hospital?

Maybe.  In very small practices (like under 10 staff), communication and decision making processes are relatively easy and most staff members are Ain tune@ with the issues of the practice.  In those instances, a committee form of problem solving may not be necessary.  However in larger practices, especially those with more than one Ashift@ or multiple locations,  communication and problem solving are an on-going challenge.  Those are the practices where a Safety Committee works best.  Some states have rules requiring a safety committee for any business with a certain number of employees.  We've seen those numbers anywhere between 25 employees and 100 employees, so be sure to do a little checking on your state's rules.

How often should the Safety Committee Meet?

Formally, at least quarterly but preferably monthly and whenever a situation arises that requires immediate attention or action.

What should be the format of a Safety Committee Meeting?

It's best to pick a reoccurring time and place to hold the Safety Committee meetings so that the meetings become part of the practice "flow."  Try to schedule a time when interruptions will be minimized and attendance will be the greatest. 

Have an Agenda!

1. Review specific accident cases and investigations since last meeting.  Make recommendations for specific changes/rules/updates.
2.  Review current policies for specific safety areas and either "sanction" the policy to continue, or update the policy and disseminate the new policy, (e.g., radiation and animal handling)
3.  Issue "Safety Topic" training directives.
4.  Discuss current safety problems or complaints.
5.  Assign specific committee members to review the current policy for at least two safety areas (e.g., anesthesia and accident reporting) for discussion at the next meeting.

How can a Safety Committee raise awareness of the safety rules?

• Safety Bulletins
• Safety awards
• Input into staff training programs

How should the Safety Committee review the details of accidents or injuries?

First, the primary accident investigation should be conducted by the supervisor or someone appointed by the leadership of the practice.  This primary investigation should focus on finding out the exact set of circumstances that led up to the accident and is often referred to as the AAccident Follow-up.@  In some cases, this is a pretty simple task such as when someone is bitten by a fractious patient.  In other cases it may take a little Adetective work.@  For instance, if a staff member complains of headaches then passes out and must be treated at a hospital, reconstructing the facts may take a little more time and effort.  The initial investigation should not try to affix blame for the event or even judge whether a particular policy or action should be changed.  It should be as prompt and complete as possible with written notes comparable to the severity of the event.  (See sidebar for an example of the questions that should be used during an accident investigation.)

Once the initial investigation is completed, the accident report and investigator=s notes are presented to the Safety Committee (or leadership if no Committee is formed) for evaluation and review.  The job of the Safety Committee is to review the circumstances of not only that accident, but any similar ones in the recent past to determine if a trend or pattern may be developing.   Based on that review, the Safety Committee should make recommendations to the leadership for changes in policy procedures or even disciplinary action for willful violations of procedures.  In some cases, the Safety Committee may determine that the accident was just that...an accident and no further action is indicated.  In other cases, the Committee may recommend additional training for individuals or groups and may even recommend restricted duties for staff members with habitual accident histories.

Click here to see our recommendation for an accident investigation form.

Does each safety complaint to the Safety Committee require a change in procedure or the addition of safeguards?

No.  Some of the complaints related to the safety of a practice are because a staff member doesn=t understand the rules or needs additional training.  Of course, if the complaint or suggestion has merit, the Safety Committee should review all possible aspects of the issue, including the collection of scientific data and the recommendations of experts in the field before issuing a recommendation to the leadership.  In any event, communication back to the staff member making the complaint or suggestion is vitally important if the Safety Committee is to maintain credibility in the eyes of the staff.

How much money should be budgeted to the operation of a Safety Committee?

Of course, that depends on the expectations of the leadership and the Ainitiative@ of the Committee Members.  In some practices, the execution of the Safety Committee recommendations are executed by the leadership or other staff groups so aside from the personnel time involved in the meetings, there is almost no expense.  In other practices the Safety Committee produces newsletters or bulletins, presents safety awards or even utilized incentives.  In those cases, a higher budget amount may be earmarked by the leadership for Committee operations.  It=s best for the Safety Committee to have very free control over the expenditures of the committee up to a certain amount and not have to get leadership approval for each little Anickel and dime@ item.  This is viewed as giving the Committee an appropriate recognition status in the organization and not having it as an Ainstrument of the owners.@

 

 

 

 

Did You Know...?

The Complete Veterinary Practice Regulatory Compliance Manual is the most authoratitive reference on veterinary safety committees.  Order your copy today.



Click here to go to our order page.