Six Elements to a Health & Safety Plan

​When it comes to employer Health & Safety Plans, the minimum requirements for an accident prevention program should include inspections of the workplace for potential hazards, training and evaluation of employees for tools and equipment on the job, and personal protective equipment (PPE) training and use practices. While these three components are important, many safety and health managers will agree that there are additional elements that should be included. Here are STAC’s six elements to a proper Health & Safety Plan:
 
Leadership Involvement
An effective prevention program must start from the top. With C-Suite and managing directors actively participating, tracking, and committing time and resources to your plan, this will leave a lasting impression for all employees involved and help reinforce positive behaviors mirrored in your plan. Studies have shown that management involvement in your program have a direct impact on reducing your DART and TRIR rates.
 
Worker Participation
Once management has helped create and implement the safety plan, it is up to the employees to participate in processes to help identify workplace hazards. Types of employee participation can include:

• Accident, Illness, Injury, and Near-Miss tracking and investigations
• Hazard Monitoring and Employee Exposure Reports
• Creating a Process to plan, evaluate, and implement Hazard Controls
• Conduct Workplace Inspections and Investigations
• Conduct Surveys of Work-Related Health Problems
• Make Recommendations for Workplace Improvement (ex. Stop Work)

 
Hazard Identification & Assessment
With employees actively participating in identifying workplace hazards, an assessment can be made with a Job Hazard Analysis to help identify ways to prevent and control the hazards. An example of a Job Hazard Analysis can be found here: OSHA JHA Sample Form
 
Hazard Prevention & Control
Once hazards are identified, employers can look to eliminate or control the hazards using OSHA’s Hierarchy of Controls:

• Eliminate Hazard – the most effective and efficient way to control hazards, but can be the most difficult to implement
• Substitute Hazard – if designing a process, substitute hazards out by changing equipment or changing procedures
• Engineering Controls – eliminate the hazard at its source by removing the hazardous condition with equipment/tools or by placing a barrier between the hazard and the employee
• Administrative Controls – while less effective than the controls above, administrative controls can include changes in work policies, schedules, or rules to help reduce the exposure to hazards
• PPE – the last type of control aimed at directly protecting the worker from hazards

 
Education & Training
Providing employees with the proper education about the workplace hazards and specific training on how to prevent, eliminate, and control these hazards are pivotal to keeping employees safe. Education can include orientation, safety manuals, and SDS sheets for the different chemicals and materials they will be handling. Workplace specific training should be done by a qualified employee and be given to those who operate equipment and machinery for their job.
 
Program Evaluation
The final element in the program is to evaluate how well your plan eliminates, prevents, and controls hazards. Different types of evaluations can include:

• Workplace Inspections and Training – frequent inspections of the jobsite, materials, and equipment from competent employees can help identify hazards not being controlled by the program
• Measurements and Tests of Worker Exposure – monitoring the health of your employees will identify if acceptable levels of hazards are found in your workplace
• Record Accidents, Illnesses, Injuries, and Near Misses – recording all types of incidents will help you review where and how employees are getting hurt to identify any changes that need to be made
• Record Hazard Identification and Removal/Control of Hazards – keeping a record of the hazards eliminated will help you see if any hazards continue to persist after controls have been implemented
• Compliance with Federal and State Law – staying compliant helps reduce the risk of OSHA inspections, fines, and shutdowns.

 
While Health & Safety Plans can have many different elements, the goal of all plans are to help keep employees safe and reduce the risk of injuries in your workplace. Remember, safety is everyone’s responsibility. To keep the conversation going, download the Health & Safety Plan Toolbox Talk (TBT) below or click on the QR code to see how STAC can be part of your plan.

Safety Plan TBT