Joint health and safety committee (JHSC)

A group of worker and management members that meets to find and fix safety problems at work. Provinces require one once you reach a set number of workers.

Also called: JHSC, occupational health committee, workplace safety and health committee, joint committee

What joint health and safety committee (JHSC) means

A joint health and safety committee is a group made up of workers and management who meet regularly to spot hazards, hear safety concerns, look at incidents and recommend fixes to the employer. 'Joint' means both sides are on it. The worker members are chosen by the workers (or their union), not picked by the boss.

The name changes by province. Ontario uses joint health and safety committee, Saskatchewan uses occupational health committee, and Manitoba uses workplace safety and health committee. They do similar jobs.

Whether you need one depends on how many workers you regularly employ. Smaller workplaces usually need a single health and safety representative instead. Once you have a committee or representative, several other rules expect you to consult them, for example when you write your harassment policy or program in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.

How it works

Count your workers the way your province does. Most rules count workers regularly employed at a workplace, which can include part-time staff. A seasonal business can cross the line in summer and fall back in winter, so check the rule for how to count.

Set it up properly. Workers pick their members; you appoint the management members. Post the members' names where workers can see them. Hold meetings on the schedule your province sets, keep minutes, and post or share them. Give members paid time to attend meetings, do inspections and take any required training.

Use the committee. A typical committee inspects the workplace on a set schedule, takes part in investigating serious incidents, reviews injury reports, and makes written recommendations. When the committee makes a recommendation, respond in writing, saying what you will do and when, or why you disagree.

Common mistakes: naming only supervisors as members, cancelling meetings when it gets busy, ignoring recommendations, and never training members. The committee is meant to be the workers' voice in safety. A committee that never meets does not meet the legal requirement.

Joint health and safety committee (JHSC) by province

Every province requires a committee once a workplace reaches a set number of workers, but the threshold, meeting schedule and training rules differ.

We are still confirming each province's worker threshold and meeting rules for this page. Check with your provincial safety regulator before deciding whether you need a committee or a representative.

Find your provincial or territorial office under official sources.

Example: A growing landscaping company

Tariq runs a landscaping company in London, Ontario. In the off-season he has 9 staff, and from May to October he hires seasonal crews. He checks the Ontario rule on how many workers trigger a committee and how to count seasonal staff, and learns his summer headcount puts him over the line.

He asks the crews to choose two worker members and appoints himself and his operations lead as management members. The committee meets on the province's schedule, inspects the yard and trucks, and recommends new hearing protection for mower operators. Tariq replies in writing within the time the law sets and buys the protection before the next season.

Hollis tracks the dates

Hollis tracks certification expiries, so you can keep an eye on when committee members' safety training needs renewing.

Try Hollis live

Free tools and guides for this

Questions about joint health and safety committee (JHSC)

How many employees before I need a health and safety committee?

It depends on the province and on how many workers you regularly employ. Smaller workplaces usually need a health and safety representative instead; check your provincial safety regulator for the exact number.

Can the owner choose all the committee members?

No. You appoint the management members, but the worker members must be chosen by the workers or their union.

Do committee members get paid for meetings?

Generally, time spent on committee duties counts as work time and is paid. Check your province's rule for training and inspection time too.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.