Your department should have a safety committee. Academic institutions and companies should all have safety committees. The committees should consist of employees, supervisors, faculty, staff, administration, and students.

The committees should meet regularly to discuss safety, health and environmental concerns/problems and to seek solutions to them. The committee should help to see that the safety policy is implemented. The committee can help to promote an interest and concern for health and safety issues. They might be the group responsible for conducting regular inspections, reviewing accident reports, and developing recommended safety procedures. Better is to be a coordinating group that engages all the other employees in the organization in these activities.

One type of safety committee is the central safety committee. It is chaired by the highest ranking onsite official. The members of the committee are his or her direct reports. In this way senior management/administration is involved and providing leadership in the safety program.

Source: Kaufman, James A., Laboratory Safety Guidelines - Expanded Edition, The Laboratory Safety Institute, www.labsafetyinstitute.org