UW News

October 2, 2003

Health and Safety Committee Elections under way

Elections for employee representatives to the 11 organizational University Health and Safety Committees have begun. These positions will be two-year terms, beginning Jan. 1. Staff, faculty, hourly, temporary, and student employees are eligible to participate in these elections. Nominations are still open in some organizational units and departments.


The committees, mandated by the Department of Labor and Industries, are important in assuring that employee health and safety issues are identified and addressed throughout the University system. Committee members review and evaluate incident and accident reports, review and evaluate accident and illness prevention programs, and provide a forum for employee concerns about health and safety. The Committees work at the unit level, advising deans, vice presidents, and other administrative heads.


After the call for nominations, the ballot will be available for voting. Look for election announcements from your organizational unit or department. In most elections, these will be on the Web. For areas that do not have Web access, election announcements should indicate an alternate voting method, as well as the start and closing dates of the two election phases.


After the organizational committees are set for the next term, two representatives from each of the 11 committees will be selected to sit on a University-wide Health and Safety Committee, which helps provide a consistent approach throughout campus. To learn more about the Health and Safety Committees, go to the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) homepage, http://www.ehs.washington.edu and click on Safety Committees.