You can use OSHA requirements as a guide to developing and implementing a safety program for your workplace. For a program to be effective, you need to analyze your work site and involve your employees in the process.
The first step to establishing an effective safety program for your workplace is to become knowledgeable regarding what your requirements as an employer are under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Once you know what your requirements are for purposes of OSHA, you can use those requirements to help you set up a workplace safety program.
Your plan should consider your company's immediate needs and provide for on-going, long-lasting worker protection. Once your plan is designed, it is important to follow through and use it in the workplace. You will then have a program to anticipate, identify, and eliminate conditions or practices that could result in injuries and illnesses.
If you have difficulty in deciding where to begin, checking with your state consultation program (or the services of a private consultant) will get you the assistance you need. A consultant will survey your workplace for existing or potential hazards. Then, if you request it, he or she will determine what you need to make your safety and health program effective. The consultant will work with you to develop a plan for making these improvements and to establish procedures for making sure that your program stays effective.
Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there are several complex issues within the broad scope of safety planning. In the event that you feel you have a conflict between the laws (for example, your safety program appears to prohibit you from making certain accommodations for a disabled worker), seek advice from an experienced attorney or consultant.
The process to develop a workplace safety program will require analyzing your workplace and is likely to involve your employees in the creation. Basically, you need to concern yourself with the types of accidents and health hazard exposures that could happen in your workplace. Because each workplace is unique, your program will differ from that of your neighbor or competitor.
It is your responsibility to know what you have in your workplace that could hurt your workers. Work site analysis is a group of processes that helps you make sure that you know what you need to keep your workers safe. You may need help in getting started with these processes. You can call on your state OSHA Consultation Program or employ private consultants for this help.
Gather specific facts about your situation. Before you make any changes in your safety and health operations, you will want to gather as much information as possible about the current conditions at your workplace and about business practices that are already part of your safety and health program. This information can help you identify any workplace problems and see what's involved in solving them.
The assessment of your workplace should be conducted by the person responsible for the safety and health program and/or a professional safety and health consultant.
After you complete a work site analysis, act on your assessment by fulfilling the requirements you discover. Once you know what your hazards and potential hazards are, you are ready to put in place the systems that prevent or control those hazards. Your state or private consultant can help you do this. Whenever possible, you will want to eliminate those hazards. Sometimes that can be done through substitution of a less toxic material or through engineering controls that can be built in. When you cannot eliminate hazards, systems should be set up to control them.
Here are some actions to take:
In order to successfully fulfill the above requirements, consider the following:
The beginning steps of safety programs usually start with a clean-up effort to get employees engaged in the process. Poor housekeeping is a major contributor to low morale and sloppy work in general, even though it is not usually the cause of major accidents. Most safety action programs start with an intensive cleanup campaign in all areas of business to get the attention of the staff.
Get everyone involved and impress upon them exactly what it is that you want to do to make your workplace safer, more healthful, and more efficient. Consider a cleanup for the entire facility.
To start the cleanup:
You may be able to recycle some of your refuse. Your green effort will be rewarded if you can get cash for your recycling and use the proceeds to fund the safety committee's reward program.
At all times, demonstrate your personal concern for employee safety and health and the priority you place on them in your workplace. Your policy must be clearly set. Only you can show its importance through your own actions.
As the owner, your attitude toward job safety and health will be reflected by your employees' behavior. If you are not interested in preventing employee injury and illness, nobody else is likely to be.
Demonstrate to your employees the depth of your commitment by involving them in planning and carrying out your efforts. If you seriously involve your employees in identifying and resolving safety and health problems, they are more likely to commit their insights and energy to achieve the goals and objectives of your program.
If you have at least a few employees, consider forming a safety committee. This can assist you in starting a program and will help maintain interest in the program once it is operating. Committees can be an excellent way of communicating safety and health information. If you have few employees, consider rotating them so that all can have an active part in the safety and health programming.
Here are some actions to take: