The HSE Research Ethics Committee was set up in 1993 and its Terms of Reference agreed by the Executive to whom it is responsible and for whom it produces a biannual report.
Although primarily concerned with HSE internal research there are instances where extramural research and other HSE activity will be reviewed and these have been set out as [Criteria for Submission].
The Committee has up to 12 members, including an independent Chair, and is supported by a medical and administrative secretariat. Five of the 12 members will come from within HSE & DWP, to provide expertise in field H&S inspection, Medical Employment issues, H&S law, and the Health and Safety Laboratory sciences. The seven non-HSE members will include specialists in occupational health, medical research, social sciences, general medical practice and nursing as well as lay representatives.
Despite being drawn from groups identified with particular interests or responsibilities in connection with research or health and safety issues, REC members are not in any way the representatives of those groups. They are appointed in their own right, to participate in the work of the REC as equal individuals of sound judgment, relevant experience and adequate training in ethical review.
The detailed membership and process have been agreed by the Executive.
The Committee meets quarterly and, where business is urgent, communicates by correspondence.