Safety committees

Safety Committees

Safety committees help make SFU a safer place to work by identifying hazards, investigating incidents and recommending improvements to workplace safety. 

Safety is a shared responsibility. Many improvements to workplace safety begin with concerns raised and addressed through safety committees.

Why volunteer with a safety committee? 

Safety committees bring employees, supervisors and Safety & Risk Services together to identify hazards, report incidents, complete inspections and support solutions that prevent injuries and incidents.

Benefits of joining a safety committee

• Raise and address safety concerns in your work area and contribute to a safer workplace.
• Learn skills in risk assessment, incident investigation and workplace collaboration
• Training and support are provided for new committee members. No prior safety or committee experience is required.

For inquiries about joining a safety committee, contact ehrs_sfu@sfu.ca

A safety committee structure supports and guides programs at SFU. The committees are comprised of:

• A Central University Health and Safety Committee (CUHSC)
• Local Joint Health and Safety committees (LJHSC)
• Research-related safety committees (Radiation, Biosafety and Diving).

Local Joint Health and Safety Committees

The Local Joint Health and Safety Committees (LJHSC) report to department heads.

They assist in monitoring departmental safety programs, safety concerns raised by employees and students, make recommendations to department heads and promote safety communication.

• Terms of reference
• Additional LJHSC resources for committee members on Sharepoint site 

Central University Health and Safety Committee

The Central University Health and Safety Committee (CUHSC) reports to the Chief Safety Officer and addresses safety policies and safety issues arising in public areas.  

It also promotes communication and information sharing among local joint health and safety committees.  

• Terms of reference
• Review the current CUHSC list of voting members and meeting minutes.

The objective of inspections is to identify safety hazards in order for them to be mitigated/eliminated. The LJHSC are responsible for conducting inspections in their areas of responsibility.  

Inspections Management Module

Inspections are performed using an Inspections Management module, available at: https://safety.sfu.ca/

Inspection Resources:

• User Manuals are available for Inspectors.
• An Inspection guidance document is available for safety committee members. 
• An example template of the inspection checklist is available for download here.

Inspection reports

Current year

• March 2, 2026 - Inspection report confirming receipt of the incident investigation report for an incident involving a practicum student. 
• February 20, 2026 - Inspection report confirming receipt of the incident investigation report for the serious injury resulting from a slip/fall.
• January 30, 2026 - Inspection report requesting a copy of the full incident investigation for an incident involving a serious injury due to a slip/fall.
• January 27, 2026 - Inspection report outlining the requirements to immediately report certain incidents  to WSBC and to submit the final incident investigation report within 30 days.

Variations

A variation has been issued by WorkSafeBC for the safety committee structure at the Burnaby, Vancouver and Surrey campuses.  

• Burnaby campus: Expires June 2028
• Vancouver campus: Expires June 2028
• Surrey campus: Expires June 2028