Do you have a Safety Program?

XYZ Company

Safety Program

Safety is a key factor in any organization, and maintaining the interest of all employees of the organization will enable the individuals to take pride in their work and enjoy their workplace.  Ignoring the issue will eventually result in possible incidents where employees could be injured, questionable trust, and unwanted visits from OSHA themselves.  The need to have the organization in compliance with OSHA standards will ensure a safe and comfortable workplace for all concerned.  The main concept of this plan is to maintain the communication link between management and the employees.  In order to maintain the interest of the employees, specific activities will be developed and will involve all departments.  It will be necessary and important for top management to remain involved in all aspects of the safety plan so that employees will be able to remain informed. Communication is primary for all employees to stay current.  Any concerns or violations that are of concern should be brought immediately to management for corrective action. 

First, all management personnel, including all supervisors will be required to attend an introduction to OSHA Basics.  Review and discussion of workplace inspections will include the following:

“The selection of companies for workplace inspections is based on "Inspection Priorities" which are generally understood to be ranked as follows:

Imminent Danger
Catastrophes and Fatal Accidents
Employee Complaints
Programmed High-Hazard Workplaces
Random selection

If your worksite is chosen for inspection, you can generally expect that the following sequence of events will occur:

Presentation of the Inspector's Credentials
Opening Conference
Inspection Tour
Closing Conference
Required corrections and documented actions (when violations are found)
Assessments of fines/penalties (when violations are found)

During an inspection you have the following rights under the OSH Act:

To be presented with proper identification from an OSHA compliance officer prior to the inspection;
To be advised by the OSHA compliance officer of the reason for the inspection;
To participate in an opening and closing conference;
To accompany the OSHA compliance officer on an inspection;
To contest, through the filing of a formal "Notice of Contest"' any citations or proposed penalties;
To apply for temporary and/or permanent variances from an OSHA standard.

The focus of the inspection on your facility will be to determine the extent to which your company has met your responsibilities as an employer covered under the OSH Act including:

Meeting your responsibilities under the "general duty clause";
Exercising your responsibility as an employer to be aware of and in control of workplace health and safety issues and conditions;
Ensuring that employees have and use safe tools and equipment including proper Personal Protective Equipment;
How you have established, updated, and communicated safe operating procedures;
The extent to which you have provided required safety training;
Your compliance with Record keeping requirements for work-related injuries and illnesses;
Your compliance with OSHA posting requirements;
The extent to which you have complied with corrections of citations from previous inspections.”[1]

The above information, once relayed to all concerned, will only be the beginning of what will be required.  Further steps will be discussed upon the initial orientation of the above to include, but not be limited to; the following steps in developing the Safety Program:

1. Development and maintenance of safety information and procedures, including MSDS sheets, equipment startup and inspection procedures;
2. Performance of hazard assessments throughout the workplace;
3. Discussion with all employees, and if union, their stewards, on developing hazard assessments and prevention plans;
4. Periodic review of all documents, procedures, and manuals with updates made as appropriate and immediate notification and distribution to all employees;
5. Provide a minimum of yearly training programs for all employees to review policies and procedures dealing with the Safety Program;
6. Training of employees to include emergency procedures when appropriate or necessary;
7. Develop position for Quality Assurance Manager to ensure that all procedures are followed per the standards established and report deficiencies in a timely manner with expected correction time.

Ok, you are probably wondering what all of this was about.  Interesting that you would ask - the above was from a recent project that I had completed where I needed to develop a preliminary action plan for a Safety Program for an organization.  So - now it is your turn!  Think about it - do you have an idea of what you would need to do if you were in need of a Safety Program for your organization?  Safety is essential for both the employees and the employer!