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Is Your Workplace Safe?

You have a duty to your employees to protect them from injury and illness. It is also a cost-saving measure as workplace injuries and illness cost employers' productivity and money through rising costs for health and workers' compensation insurance. Keeping employees safe and healthy means keeping them working. It also protects your company from expensive OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) fines.

Employers are required to have certain programs in place.

Injury Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) must include:

• Management approval of plan and the person(s) responsible for implementation

•  Company safety policy statements

•  System to identify workplace hazards

•  Plan for periodic scheduled inspections

•  Plan for investigating injuries

•  Plan for safety training

•  Communication plan regarding employee safety

•  Record keeping and posting requirements

Emergency Action Plan must include:

•  Name or title of person(s) responsible for implementing the plan

•  How to communicate emergencies to employees

•  Fire and evacuation policies

•  Personnel assigned to provide first aid and emergency medical attention

Fire Prevention and Safety program must include:

•  The person(s) responsible for implementing the plan

•  Known fire hazards in the area

•  Fire-prevention strategies

•  Fire control measures in place (sprinkler system, e.g.)

•  Frequency of inspection and maintenance of control measures

•  Alarm systems

•  Special employee responsibilities

Hazard Communication Plan

•  Requires written program and inventory of hazardous materials in the workplace

• Obtain Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSes) from manufacturers for all hazardous substances

Maintaining Your Programs

Once your programs are in place, frequent review is imperative.

•  Make sure the persons or titles of persons named in the programs still work for your company, and have an alternative named in the event of a leave of absence.

•  Have a system to periodically check the safety of the workplace, such as expiration dates on fire extinguishers.

•  Review evacuation plans if desks have been rearranged or cubicles added.

• Schedule annual fire drills; contact your local fire department for assistance.

•  Contact manufacturers of copy toner, chemicals under the lunchroom sink or other materials that may be classified as hazardous to obtain the MSDS.

•  Meet with supervisors and managers to review these plans - they may be aware of other issues that you have not addressed.

•  Most importantly, make sure all employees are aware of these policies and are properly trained.

For all your HR needs or advice, contact Leslie philbrook, our certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) to discuss your particular needs at (510) 235-1044