Establishing Safety Programs and Procedures – 07/06/2020

Safety E-QuickTips

U.S. Compliance Systems, Inc.

Monday, July 6, 2020

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Last week we reviewed the idea of keeping workplace safety simple.

The main reason we find this to be one of the most effective ways to protect your employees from hazards in the workplace is because anyone can do it!

So, let’s get to it.

As you may recall I mentioned that there are 4 steps to implementing a simple but effective safety program.They are:

1. Establish safety policies and procedures

2. Effectively communicate your policies and procedures on safety (provide training)

3. Perform regular and frequent worksite safety inspections

4. Enforce safety with your employees

Today we’ll talk a little about the first – establishing safety policies and procedures.

This first step is often the place where a company’s safety program begins and comes to a quick end because we tend to over complicate the process. But it’s really doesn’t have to be that difficult.

Why is that?

Because there are simply 5 things you really need to consider when establishing safety policies and procedures.They are:

• What are the hazards that your employees are exposed to? This used to be more difficult, but today with all the online companies providing programs, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel on this one. Keep in mind when putting your program in place that OSHA says you have to protect your employees from all hazards in the workplace, not just those created by the work you perform. So, you may need to address a few additional hazards if your employees are exposed to hazards created by other employers, such as contractors.
• A way to provide employee safety training, as well as a way to ensure employees are aware of your company policies and procedures when it comes to employee safety and OSHA compliance. Most safety programs will allow you to train employees on specific hazards. Again you might check online to find information on specific hazards (short safety meetings) or even online training.
• An effective program for performing workplace safety inspections.This can include procedures that provide for regular and frequent inspections by supervisors along with upper management inspections to ensure everyone, including supervisors, are following your workplace safety policies and procedures.
• A way to enforce safety with your employees.Although many in management disagree with the idea that they should have to hold employees accountable for following their safety policies and procedures (it’s required by OSHA), this process does not have to be that complicated to implement.If you stay consistent with your enforcement procedures, any good employee will be safe from being terminated.Again, look online or check with the developers of your safety program to see if they have enforcement procedures you can follow.
• A process to evaluate your program on a regular basis to ensure it is effective in preventing employee accidents and OSHA citations. I would consider establishing policies and procedures that provide for at least an annual review of your program.Once again, you will find plenty of ideas online that will work for you.

Once you have your policies and procedures in place, you are more than halfway there. Next week we’ll look at our last 3 steps, which are more about implementing your program.

Have you received your first Safety E-QuickTip or just want to look at 300+ past issues? Check out our Safety E-QuickTips Archive Page on our website.

If you know of someone or a company that might benefit from receiving Safety E-QuickTips, please take a moment to share this with them so they can sign-up today.

Thanks for Reading and Please – Stay Healthy and Work Safe This Week!

Have you received your first Safety E-QuickTip or just want to look at 300+ past issues? Check out our Safety E-QuickTips Archive Page on our website.

If you know of someone or a company that might benefit from receiving Safety E-QuickTips, please take a moment to share this with them so they can sign-up today.

Thanks for Reading and Please – Stay Healthy, Stay at Home When You Can, and/or Work Safe This Week