Tennessee Safety Committees: What you need to know

Tennessee law requires all private and public (state and local government offices and operations) sector employers subject to the state's workers' compensation law and whose claims experience places them in the top 25 percent of all covered employers to establish a safety committee (Rule 0800-2-3-.01 to 0800-2-3-.14).

Committee members develop or oversee development of safety and health programs, monitor and help implement program elements, and evaluate program progress toward the reduction of workplace illness and injury rates.  A safety committee assists the employer and makes recommendations for change.

Rule 0800-2-3-.01 to 0800-2-3-.14

Every private or public (state and local government offices and operations) sector employer subject to the state's workers' compensation law and whose claims experience places them in the top 25 percent of all covered employers must establish a safety committee at each of the employer's primary place(s) of employment.   The committee(s) must help devise safety inspection and accident investigation procedures and evaluate injury and illness prevention programs.

Safety committees must be established at each of the employer's primary places of employment. A primary place of employment means a major economic unit at a single geographic location comprised of a building, group of buildings, and all surrounding facilities.  The location would have both management and workers present, and one or more employees at the location would have control over a portion of a budget and would have the ability to take action on the majority of the recommendations made by a safety committee.  An employer's auxiliary, mobile, or satellite locations may be combined into a single, ...