Safety and Health Committee under SHC Regulations 1996

What is Safety and Health Committee – Safety and Health Committee Regulations 1996?

Safety at the workplace is not just a responsibility of the employer but also the right of every employee. In Malaysia, the Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Committee) Regulations 1996 was introduced under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514) to strengthen this right.

This regulation requires certain workplaces to establish a Safety and Health Committee (SHC). The purpose is to provide a platform where employers and employees can discuss safety and health matters regularly, identify risks, and take preventive actions together.

This article will explain what the Safety and Health Committee is, how it is supposed to be formed, and how its meetings are conducted, based on the SHC Regulations 1996.

What are the role of the Safety and Health Committee?

As highlighted in the Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Committee) Regulations 1996, SHC members have several important roles and responsibilities in ensuring workplace safety and health are maintained to the highest standards.

These functions are not merely formal requirements but practical actions that contribute to preventing accidents, improving employee wellbeing, and complying with the broader OSHA 1994.

a. Assisting in Development of Safety and Health Rules and Safe Systems of Work

One of the core functions of the committee is to assist the employer in developing safety and health rules as well as safe systems of work. This means the committee supports the formulation of clear, practical, and effective rules and procedures to ensure work is carried out safely, hazards are controlled, and employees understand their responsibilities in maintaining a safe working environment.

b. Reviewing the Effectiveness of Safety and Health Programmes

The committee is also responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of safety and health programmes implemented at the workplace. This involves assessing whether current programmes, such as safety training, emergency drills, and hazard control measures, are achieving their objectives and identifying any areas for improvement to enhance employee protection.

c. Studying Trends of Incidents and Recommending Corrective Actions

Another crucial role of the committee is to carry out studies on the trends of workplace incidents. This includes analysing accidents, near-miss accidents, dangerous occurrences, occupational poisoning, or occupational diseases that occur at the workplace. The committee must report to the employer any unsafe or unhealthy conditions or practices identified from these studies and provide recommendations for corrective actions to prevent similar events in the future.

d. Reviewing Safety and Health Policies

In addition, the committee is tasked with reviewing the safety and health policies of the workplace. If the committee finds that the existing policies are outdated or no longer effective, it should make recommendations to the employer for necessary revisions to ensure that the policies remain relevant and effective in protecting workers.

e. Conducting Workplace Inspections

The committee has the duty to inspect the workplace at least once every three months to identify any conditions that may pose risks to safety and health. It may also carry out additional inspections whenever necessary to check the effectiveness of safety measures.

After each inspection, the committee must discuss their observations as soon as practicable, record any unsafe or unhealthy conditions found in a report, and make recommendations to the employer for remedial measures, which must also be documented.

f. Investigating Accidents and Occupational Diseases

When an accident, near-miss, dangerous occurrence, occupational poisoning, or occupational disease occurs at the workplace, the committee must inspect the site as soon as it is safe to do so. If a Safety and Health Officer is employed, he or she must provide a report of the investigation to the chairman, who will then convene a meeting to discuss the findings.

If there is no Safety and Health Officer, the employer or authorised manager must immediately inform the committee, which will then conduct the inspection and hold a meeting to investigate the incident. During this meeting, the committee must discuss the causes and recommend measures to prevent recurrence.

g. Acting on Reports and Recommendations

Following inspections and investigations, the Safety and Health Officer or, if none is appointed, the committee chairman must forward the reports and recommendations to the employer or authorised manager.

Upon receiving them, the employer or manager must discuss the contents with the Safety and Health Officer or chairman, record decisions made in the report, and instruct any necessary actions to protect the safety and health of employees. All reports must be retained at the workplace for a minimum of seven years.

h. Considering Other Safety Reports and Audits

In performing its duties, the committee should also take into consideration other relevant reports, such as those submitted by the Safety and Health Officer, safety audits conducted by safety auditors, factual information provided by Occupational Safety and Health Officers, and reports from other government agencies regarding workplace safety and health matters.

i. Investigating Employee Complaints

Employers must maintain a system that allows employees to lodge complaints about any matter that may affect their safety and health. When such complaints are received, employers must attend to them as soon as practicable and take immediate steps to eliminate or minimise risks.

If the employer is unable to resolve a complaint, the issue should be referred to the committee, which will investigate the matter, prepare a report, and recommend solutions to address the identified risks.

j. Resolving Complaints

Finally, after the committee provides its recommendations, the employer must implement them as soon as practicable. If the employer or authorised manager is unable to implement any of the recommendations, they must communicate the reasons to the committee.

If the committee does not agree with these reasons, it may escalate the matter to the Director General of Occupational Safety and Health for inspection and resolution. For such escalation, the committee must submit copies of its inspection or investigation report, its recommendations to the employer, and any other relevant documentary or material evidence.

Employers must keep Safety and Health Committee meeting minutes for at least seven years for inspection by authorities.

How to Conduct the Safety and Health Committee Meeting?

The Safety and Health Committee must hold meetings regularly to ensure all safety and health matters at the workplace are addressed efficiently. These meetings should be held as often as necessary, depending on the level of risk involved in the work activities.

However, at a minimum, the committee must meet at least once every three months to remain compliant with the regulations and maintain effective safety monitoring. Below are the simple steps needed to conduct the meeting.

Provide the Meeting Agenda
Before any meeting, every committee member should be given reasonable written notice along with a copy of the meeting agenda. This allows all members to prepare adequately for the discussions.
Prepare Suitable Meeting Facilities
The employer must provide a suitable place within the workplace for the committee to hold its meetings. Additionally, all members must be allowed to attend these meetings during their working hours without any obstruction.
Conduct the Meeting and Verify Previous Minutes
During the meeting, the committee should conduct discussions in an organised manner. One of the first tasks is to verify and confirm the minutes of the previous meeting to ensure all agreed actions have been addressed before proceeding to new matters.
Prepare the Minutes of Meeting and Distribute to Members
After the meeting concludes, minutes should be prepared as an official record of all discussions and decisions made. These minutes must then be distributed to all committee members and the employer within two weeks.

Apart from these steps, it is important to note that an inaugural meeting must be organised by the employer when the committee is first formed. During this meeting, the employer should share the company’s safety and health policies, plans, and proposals to promote a safe working environment.

For subsequent meetings, if the employer is unavailable, an authorised manager may be appointed to chair the meeting. To proceed with any meeting, a quorum is required, meaning the chairman, the secretary, and at least half of the other committee members must be present.

Employers are also required to keep a copy of all meeting minutes at the workplace for at least seven years for inspection by Occupational Safety and Health Officers when needed.

Always prepare your meeting agenda early and share it with members to ensure productive and focused discussions.

What Should Be Discussed in a Safety and Health Committee Meeting?

Companies often hold various meetings to discuss operations, finance, management decisions, and other general matters. Sometimes, these meetings include too many agendas at once, and discussions about workplace safety and health can become mixed with unrelated topics.

However, it is important to understand that Safety and Health Committee meetings should only discuss matters related to occupational safety and health at the workplace. This ensures that all safety and health issues receive full attention, are discussed in detail, and necessary actions are properly planned and implemented without being overlooked by other unrelated business concerns.

If a company chooses to combine Safety and Health Committee meetings with other general meetings, it is crucial to ensure that the minutes of the Safety and Health Committee discussions are recorded and produced separately.

This is necessary to maintain compliance with legal requirements and to ensure that records of safety and health discussions, decisions, and action plans are clear, organised, and available for inspection by authorities when required.

How to Write a Good Minute of Meeting

Minutes of the Safety and Health Committee meeting are legally binding documents. Therefore, they must be written clearly, accurately, and concisely to reflect the discussions and decisions made during the meeting.

Writing good minutes is not difficult. The most important point is to ensure that the minutes record all necessary information in a structured and understandable way. Minutes can be written in any language, either in English or Bahasa Melayu, depending on the company’s internal practice and the composition of the committee members.

Safety and Health Committee meetings should only discuss occupational safety and health matters, not general business issues.

The format of the minutes can follow any standard that the company already uses. There is no fixed template imposed by law. However, it is essential that each minute clearly states the meeting agenda items discussed, the decisions made, and the actions to be taken, along with the person responsible and the completion timeline if applicable. This ensures accountability and proper follow-up of safety and health matters discussed during the meeting.

By keeping the minutes simple, organised, and focused on safety and health topics, the committee can ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and maintain effective communication within the organisation.

Table 1: Example of a simple Safety and Health Committee minute of meeting
Safety and Health Committee Meeting Minutes
No	Agenda	Action	Action By	Proposed Due Date
1	Review of previous meeting minutes	Confirm and endorse minutes without amendment	All members	Today
2	Workplace inspection findings	Repair damaged guard rail at loading bay area	Maintenance Department	15 August 2025
3	Recent incident report	Conduct refresher training on ladder safety	Safety Officer	20 August 2025
4	Safety training programme	Prepare training schedule for manual handling and PPE usage	HR & Safety Officer	25 August 2025
5	Any other matters	Review emergency response team membership list	Emergency Response Team Coordinator	30 August 2025

But… How to Conduct an Effective SHC Meeting?

Implementing an effective safety and health program at the workplace can feel daunting at first. This is because, like any other safety initiative, it is often viewed as an additional task beyond the existing job scopes of committee members and employees.

However, with proper planning, communication, and motivation, Safety and Health Committee (SHC) meetings can be conducted effectively and become an integral part of workplace safety culture.

To ensure meetings are productive, the secretary should work closely with the chairman and company leaders to provide accurate and updated information to all committee members before each meeting. This cooperation ensures that members are well-prepared and discussions can be carried out efficiently to achieve meeting objectives.

Here are some practical strategies you can implement to conduct effective SHC meetings and encourage active participation:

Incentivise Committee Members
Provide fixed allowances to committee members as long as they are officially appointed and have attended all meeting sessions. This small financial recognition acknowledges their additional responsibilities and encourages consistent participation.
Appreciate Their Efforts Publicly
Recognise and appreciate the contributions of SHC members during company townhall sessions or employee briefings. Highlighting their efforts as part of the company’s initiatives to maintain a safer workplace not only boosts their morale but also motivates other employees to support the committee’s work.
Engage Other Employees Beyond the Committee
Involve employees outside of the committee by seeking their feedback on safety issues and encouraging them to share their observations or suggestions during workplace inspections or hazard reporting sessions. This creates a culture where safety is everyone’s responsibility and not limited to committee members alone.
Provide Continuous Training and Capacity Building
Ensure all committee members receive adequate and continuous training in occupational safety and health topics relevant to their roles. This equips them with knowledge to make informed decisions and carry out their duties effectively during meetings.
Ensure Meetings are Structured and Time-efficient
Prepare the agenda in advance and allocate appropriate time for each topic to avoid unnecessary delays. Start meetings on time and end punctually to respect members’ work schedules while still achieving all meeting objectives.
Create a Safe and Open Communication Environment
Encourage open discussions where all members feel comfortable sharing their views or concerns without fear of judgement. This promotes active participation and ensures all safety issues are raised and addressed appropriately.

Dos and Don’ts for Safety and Health Committee Meetings

You should strive to ensure the following are implemented before, during and after a SHC program.

Always prepare and share the meeting agenda before the meeting so that all members can review the topics and come prepared for productive discussions.
Make sure to start and end the meeting on time to show respect for everyone’s schedule and encourage members to attend future meetings without hesitation.
Keep all discussions focused strictly on safety and health matters to ensure the meeting objectives are met and regulatory requirements are fulfilled.
Ensure the minutes of meeting are recorded accurately, clearly stating decisions made, actions to be taken, persons responsible, and proposed due dates for each item.
Encourage every committee member to participate actively by creating an environment where everyone feels their views are valued and heard.
At each meeting, review and follow up on previous action items to ensure all agreed actions have been implemented effectively and nothing is overlooked.
Maintain confidentiality when discussing sensitive information such as incident investigations, to protect individuals’ privacy and maintain professionalism.

And avoid the followings as much as possible.

Do not treat the SHC meeting as a mere formality, because it is a crucial platform to identify risks and implement measures to protect everyone at the workplace.
Avoid allowing only one or two people to dominate the discussion, as this can discourage others from contributing valuable insights or concerns.
Refrain from discussing topics unrelated to safety and health such as general operational, HR, or business matters, which should be addressed in other meetings.
Never ignore safety and health concerns raised by employees during the meeting, as this can damage trust and reduce the committee’s effectiveness.
Do not delay the preparation and distribution of meeting minutes, as timely sharing ensures that action plans are implemented without unnecessary postponements.
Avoid criticising members’ ideas harshly during discussions, as respectful and constructive communication fosters teamwork and a positive safety culture.

Conclusion

Establishing a Safety and Health Committee is not just about fulfilling legal requirements; it is about creating a safer, healthier, and more productive workplace for everyone. An effective committee brings together the experience, insights, and cooperation of both management and employees to identify risks early, solve problems proactively, and continuously improve safety standards.

Recognising and appreciating committee members’ efforts during company events can boost morale and commitment to workplace safety.

Every workplace, regardless of its size or industry, faces safety and health challenges. By implementing a well-functioning Safety and Health Committee, employers can build trust with their employees, reduce accident rates, avoid costly disruptions, and most importantly, protect lives.

If your workplace has not yet formed a Safety and Health Committee, now is the time to take this important step. Begin by reviewing the regulations, planning the structure of your committee, and empowering your team with clear roles and responsibilities. Together, we can make every workplace in Malaysia a safer and healthier place to work.