Public Safety Advisory Committee

Bylaws

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Purpose

The purpose of the Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) and The Ohio State University at Newark Public Safety Advisory Committee is to advise the staff sergeant regarding best safety practices, services, and policies, staffing, operations, policing strategies, and OSHA requirements, to achieve and maintain a safe, healthful workplace.  

Functions

  • Involve employees in achieving a safe, healthful workplace.
  • Encourage employees to identify health and safety hazards in the workplace. Concerns raised by employees will be presented to the committee in writing; the committee will review new concerns at the next regularly scheduled meeting and make recommendations for resolving concerns to the staff sergeant.
  • Promptly review all safety-related incidents, injuries, and accidents.
  • Offer advice and constructive guidance to the staff sergeant.
  • Assist in educating the campus community about programs, services and initiatives offered by the Office of Public Safety.
  • Recommend improvements, as appropriate, about the college’s/campus’s safety and health policies and practices.
  • Evaluate its own activities each year and use the evaluation to develop an action plan for the next calendar year.

Membership

The committee shall consist of 13 regular members, including one member from the office of public safety appointed by the campus staff sergeant; one staff member each from custodial services, groundskeeping, and facilities maintenance, all appointed by the superintendent of facilities; one staff member from human resources appointed by the chief of staff to the president of COTC and the dean/director of Ohio State Newark; the library director; the director of DEI/chief diversity  officer, the residence hall director; two COTC faculty, one from the Institute for Public Safety, and one from the COTC faculty at large, and both appointed by the COTC president; two Ohio State Newark faculty appointed by the Ohio State Newark Faculty Assembly; and one student appointed by the director of student life/dean of students. In addition to the regular members of the committee, the campus staff sergeant and the superintendent of facilities serve as ex officio members. The superintendent of facilities chairs the committee.

Initial terms for appointed members will be for one or two years so that about half of the appointed members’ terms will expire each year. New members assume their responsibilities in June and serve for two-year terms ending in May. Members are eligible for reappointment; however, faculty members shall not serve more than two terms consecutively.

Meetings

The PSAC meets quarterly unless there are no discussion items brought forth and/or if there is no quorum and may hold special meetings, as necessary. Any representative unable to attend a meeting may appoint an alternate and inform the chair before the meeting. An alternate attending a meeting on behalf of a regular representative will be a voting representative for that meeting.

Minutes will be recorded at each safety committee meeting and distributed electronically to all committee members. The Office of Public Safety will retain the copies of the minutes consistent with the records retention schedule. All reports, evaluations, and recommendations of the committee will be included in the minutes. The minutes also will identify representatives who attended quarterly meetings and representatives who were absent.

Voting

A two-thirds majority quorum must be present for the PSAC to hold a vote. A majority vote of attending representatives is required to recommend all safety-committee decisions. A member participating remotely is considered an attending member.

Nov. 16, 2020
Edited and approved by Drs. Berry and MacDonald Oct. 3, 2023