Page 68 - 2016-2021-OSU

Article 15

Safety and Health

§15.1 The State remains committed to providing and maintaining safe
working conditions, and to initiating and maintaining operating practices

that will safeguard employees, in an effort to eliminate the potential of
on-the-job injury/illness and resulting Workers’ Compensation claims.

The State and CSEA will cooperate in the identification of safety hazards,
will work mutually toward their elimination or control and strive to insure

compliance with safety guidelines and policies established in the interest of
providing a safe and healthful workplace.

§15.2 Safety and Health Committee
(a) There shall be a Statewide Safety and Health Committee consisting of

six (6) representatives selected by CSEA and six (6) representatives selected
by the State. The Chairperson of the Committee will alternate between

CSEA and New York State representatives each six months.
(b) The Committee Chairperson or Co-Chairpersons will submit progress

reports to the President of CSEA and the Director of GOER every six
months.

(c) The purpose of the Committee shall be to review and discuss matters
of mutual concern in the area of safety and health in a proactive cooperative

fashion. The Committee is not intended to be policy making or regulatory
in nature, rather, it is intended to be advisory on matters of employee safety

and health. The Committee shall foster its objectives in the following ways:
(1) Awareness - to raise the consciousness of the State work force,

regarding issues of occupational safety and health.

(2) Education - to develop and implement programs which will enhance
skills and knowledge pertaining to general and job-specific safety and
health matters.

(3) Enrichment of Agency Level Safety Committee Activity - to

encourage, foster and assist agency level safety committee activity to
consider the funding of labor/management initiated projects and

proposals that deal with safety and health related matters that seek to
identify, analyze and prevent on-the-job accidents and injuries through

fact- finding and appropriate training.
(4) Development of a Statewide Safety Communications Network - to

integrate the Committee’s activities with the preventative safety and

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