• Section 1 - Overview
• Establishment of Committee
• Objectives
• Section 2 - Committee membership
• Membership
• In Attendance
• Chair
• Gender representative's objectives
• Section 3 - Terms of reference
• Functions
• Reporting
• Section 4 - Sub-committees and working groups
• Section 5 - Delegations
• Section 6 - Conduct of Committee business
• Meetings
• Business papers
• Quorum
• Use of Technology
• Resolutions
• Confirmation of minutes
• Self-review
• Review of sub-committees
• Secretary to Committee
• Section 7 - Definitions

Section 1 - Overview

Establishment of Committee

(1) The Work Health and Safety Strategic Committee (WHSSC) is an advisory committee reporting to the Vice-Chancellor. This committee acts as a forum for health, safety and well-being consultative processes and leads the direction for managing health, safety and well-being issues as well as addressing operational matters where appropriate.

(2) The establishment of this committee and the delegation of powers to it are actions authorised by the Vice-Chancellor.

Objectives

(3) A key objective of the Committee is to ensure that the University recognises the need for continuous improvement of its work health and safety performance for the benefit of its workforce and the student community.

Section 2 - Committee membership

Membership

(4) Committee membership will be as follows:

1. Chief Services Officer or nominee;
2. Director Human Resource Services;
3. Director Facilities Management Services;
4. Health & Safety Consultant;
5. Manager, Employee Relations;
6. Chair, Hazardous Substances Reference Group;
7. Chair, Radiation Safety Committee;
8. Chair, Institutional Biosafety Committee;
9. Elected HSR from:
   1. WHS Work Group 1;
   2. WHS Work Group 2;
   3. WHS Work Group 3;
   4. WHS Work Group 4;
   5. WHS Work Group 5;
   6. WHS Work Group 6;
   7. WHS Work Group 7;
   8. WHS Work Group 8a;
   9. WHS Work Group 8b;
   10. WHS Work Group 9; and
   11. WHS Work Group 10.
10. Up to two other persons appointed by the Chairperson, taking into account the need for additional expertise. i.e. Workers Compensation, Environment, Sustainability, Health Surveillance.

In Attendance

(5) Official attendees:

1. Director of Audit and Risk or nominee.
2. Any other person invited by the Chair.

Chair

(6) The Chair is appointed from the membership by the Vice-Chancellor. If the Chair is unavailable to act as Chair then the Director of Human Resources will act as Chair. If the Director of Human Resources is unavailable to act as Chair, then the Committee will elect a Chair to act during the period that Chair and the Director of Human Resources are unavailable.

Gender representative's objectives

(7) The University is committed to gender equality and, so far as is practicable, it is an objective that the Committee membership should comprise a balance of genders.

Section 3 - Terms of reference

Functions

(8) The terms of reference of the Committee are to monitor and advise the Vice-Chancellor and Senior Executive on work health and safety issues in order to:

1. facilitate an effective and efficient cooperation among the University community in establishing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment;
2. provide a forum for frank and open discussion on work related health, safety and well-being issues;
3. review the Hazard Registers (UNE, WHSSC and work group registers) and incident investigation findings and the implementation of those findings;
4. review the Health and Safety Audit Registers (UNE, WHSSC and the various reference group registers) and ensure Audit findings are actioned;
5. identify hazards and risks that cross work groups or relate to the whole University or that relate to the common environment of the university. To make recommendations to Senior Management for control of these hazards as identified;
6. discuss, resolve and or make recommendations to Senior Management on any Strategic WHS issues or initiatives that are across work groups or relate to the whole University or that relate to the common environment of the university;
7. ensure that the business unit WHS work groups are performing as required, including but not limited to:
   1. Ensuring that the individual hazards are being identified and eliminated and controls put in place and actions documented;
   2. That Equipment registers are current; and
   3. Audits are being conducted and actions closed out.
8. discuss and make recommendations to Senior Management of any WHS issues or any specific identified hazards that are directed to it by individual work groups that could not be resolved by the work group themselves;
9. make recommendations for relevant educational programmes affecting the WHS of the University community;
10. consider and report on any matter referred to the Committee by the Vice-Chancellor; and
11. make recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor on the Work Health and Safety (WHS) strategies and implementation of Workplace Health and Safety Management Systems (WHSMS) in the workplace.

Reporting

(9) The Chair of the Committee will report to Vice-Chancellor regularly, through the relevant Senior Executive, on the business conducted by the Committee.

Section 4 - Sub-committees and working groups

(10) The sub-committees and working groups are:

1. WHS Work Group 1;
2. WHS Work Group 2;
3. WHS Work Group 3;
4. WHS Work Group 4;
5. WHS Work Group 5;
6. WHS Work Group 6;
7. WHS Work Group 7;
8. WHS Work Group 8a;
9. WHS Work Group 8b;
10. WHS Work Group 10;
11. Multi-Business Enterprise Work Group /WHS Work Group 9;
12. Radiation Safety Committee;
13. Institutional Biosafety Committee; and
14. Hazardous Substance Reference Group.

Section 5 - Delegations

(11) This committee has delegated authority from the Vice-Chancellor to perform on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor the advice and monitoring functions set out in these terms of reference and all matters ancillary to those functions. The Vice-Chancellor retains the discretion to withdraw, modify or override this delegation at any time.

Section 6 - Conduct of Committee business

Meetings

(12) The Committee will meet quarterly or otherwise as required in order to perform its functions. Committee members should be given at least fourteen days' notice of meetings, or such shorter notice period as is practicable where the matter is urgent.

Business papers

(13) Unless the Chair directs otherwise, Committee business papers will be distributed to Committee members and official attendees at least ten working days prior to the meeting, or such shorter period as is practicable in the circumstances.

Quorum

(14) A quorum shall consist of a nine members of the Committee, of which at least five shall be elected Health and Safety Representatives at the time the meeting is held.

Use of Technology

(15) For its business papers, meetings and otherwise to conduct its business the Committee and its members may use technology including telephone, video-conferencing, telepresence, email and internet as arranged by the Chair and/or Committee Secretary.

Resolutions

(16) The committee may pass a resolution by "flying minute" provided that the resolution has been approved by a simple majority of the Committee members at the time the resolution is made.

Confirmation of minutes

(17) Draft minutes will normally be circulated to members for comment promptly after each meeting. The minutes will be finalised and adopted at the next Committee meeting.

Disclosure of information

(18) Disclosure of business papers, minutes and other information received by the Committee should be made via the Chair or Secretary to the Committee.

Self-review

(19) Once every twelve-month period, the Committee shall devote at least one part of the meeting to the review of its policies, practices and procedures over the preceding 12 months.

Review of sub-committees

(20) Once every twelve-month period, the Committee shall devote at least one part of the meeting to the review of its sub-committees, including relevant Committee Terms of Reference.

Secretary to Committee

(21) Human Resource Services or nominee will provide administrative support to the committee.

Section 7 - Definitions

(22) HSR — Health and Safety Representative.

(23) WHS — Work Health and Safety.