The Recommended Practices are designed to be used in a wide variety of small and medium-sized business settings. The Recommended Practices present a step-by-step approach to implementing a safety and health program, built around seven core elements that make up a successful program. The main goal of safety and health programs is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths, as well as the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause for workers, their families, and employers. The recommended practices use a proactive approach to managing workplace safety and health. Traditional approaches are often reactive –that is, problems are addressed only after a worker is injured or becomes sick, a new standard or regulation is published, or an outside inspection finds a problem that must be fixed. These recommended practices recognize that finding and fixing hazards before they cause injury or illness is a far more effective approach. The idea is to begin with a basic program and simple goals and grow from there. If you focus on achieving goals, monitoring performance, and evaluating outcomes, your workplace can progress along the path to higher levels of safety and health achievement. Employers will find that implementing these recommended practices also brings other benefits. Safety and health programs help businesses:
Management provides the leadership, vision, and resources needed to implement an effective safety and health program. Management leadership means that business owners, managers, and supervisors:
Action item 1: Communicate your commitment to a safety and health program Action item 2: Define program goals Action item 3: Allocate resources Action item 4: Expect performance Action item 1: Communicate your commitment to a safety and health programA clear, written policy helps you communicate that safety and health is a primary organizational value –as important as productivity, profitability, product or service quality, and customer satisfaction. How to accomplish itEstablish a written policy signed by top management describing the organization's commitment to safety and health and pledging to establish and maintain a safety and health program for all workers.
Action item 2: Define program goalsBy establishing specific goals and objectives, management sets expectations for managers, supervisors, and workers and for the program overall. The goals and objectives should focus on specific actions that will improve workplace safety and health. How to accomplish it
Action item 3: Allocate resourcesManagement provides the resources needed to implement the safety and health program, pursue program goals, and address program shortcomings when they are identified. How to accomplish it
Note: Resource needs will vary depending on your organization's size, complexity, hazard types, and program maturity and development. Resource needs may include: capital equipment and supplies; staff time; training; access to information and tools (e.g., vendor information, Safety Data Sheets, injury/illness data, checklists, online databases); and access to safety and health experts, including OSHA's free and confidential On-site Consultation Program. Action item 4: Expect performanceManagement leads the program effort by establishing roles and responsibilities and providing an open, positive environment that encourages communication about safety and health. How to accomplish it
Note: Maintaining a positive and encouraging tone is important. Successful programs reward, rather than discipline, workers who identify problems or concerns, much like successful quality programs. Disciplinary measures should be reserved for situations in which an individual manager or worker is uncooperative or becomes an impediment to progress. |