What is a Health and Safety Committee? 

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Chapter 3 of the WHS Regulation 2025 sets out the requirements for how a business manages health and safety in workplaces.

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Part 5 of the WHS Act 2011 addresses representation, consultation and cooperation in regard to an organisation's legal obligation to consult workers on work health and safety matters in the workplace that may or will affect them.

 

The organisation's first step to resolving WHS matters is to consult the people who may be affected, get their views and suggestions. With that information, the organisation can make the final decisions and commit the finances to eliminate or control the risk.

 

Businesses must have systems and processes that facilitate ongoing consultation on WHS matters in the workplace. A health and safety committee can be established as an additional consultative mechanism to help address WHS issues and to assist the organisation develop and instigate WHS plans, procedures and measures that support the successful operation of the overarching WHS management system.  

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A health and safety committee therefore addresses WHS matters for the workplace as a whole, whereas HSRs deal with the concerns of the people in the workgroups they represent within the workplace. HSRs may also be members of the Health and Safety Committee. ​

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SafeWork NSW FACT SHEET

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Running effective HSCs - Solutions to common problems (courtenell.com.au)​​