Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) A health and safety committee must be established in respect of employees on a prescribed ship or a prescribed unit if:
(a) the employees are included in one or more designated work groups; and
(b) the operator is requested to establish the committee by:
(i) the health and safety representative for the designated work group or for one of the designated work groups; or
(ii) an involved union in relation to such a group.
(2) The health and safety committee is to consist of:
(a) the person in command and the health and safety representative for each designated work group; or
(b) the person in command and such other persons as agreed between the operator and the involved unions.
(3) The agreement referred to in paragraph ( 2)(b) may:
(a) specify the persons who are members who represent management; and
(b) provide for the way in which persons who are to be members representing interests of employees are to be chosen.
(4) A health and safety committee must hold meetings at least once every 3 months.
(5) The procedure at meetings of a health and safety committee must, except to the extent provided for by the regulations, be the procedure agreed on by the committee.
(6) A health and safety committee must cause minutes of its meetings to be kept, and must retain those minutes for a period of not less than 3 years.
(7) The person in command is to keep the minutes in his or her custody and is to cause them to be, at all times, available for inspection.
(8) Minutes taken at a meeting of a health and safety committee must be tabled at the next meeting of the relevant shipboard management committee (if any) that occurs after the health and safety committee meeting.
(9) This section does not prevent an operator from establishing, in consultation with registered unions or any other persons, committees concerned with occupational health and safety in relation to undertakings carried on by the operator.