OSHA requires all employers to have written Emergency and Fire Prevention Plans. Employers with 10 or more employees are required to keep (and post) recordkeeping on injuries. OSHA just raised their fines to $70,000 per citation, depending on the incident.
All it takes to trigger a visit from an OSHA inspector is a complaint. A disgruntled employee can file a complaint with OSHA very easily and an OSHA inspector can make an unannounced visit. Even if the original complaint is untrue, OSHA will conduct a thorough on-site inspection and issue citations for what they find.
As a part of the citation, employers are required to immediately develop a full safety program with employee training, safety plans and recordkeeping. Employers must post any citations and corrective actions for employees to see.
Don’t wait until OSHA shows up. Develop the mandatory safety programs required and keep yourself safe from inspections and fines.
Robust safety programs must include Emergency and Fire Prevention Plans. This is a baseline for all employers. With 10 or more employees, most industries must include OSHA Recordkeeping in their programs, including posting the 300Log from Feb – Apr every year.
Include safety training in your Orientation process. Conduct mandatory all-employee safety training on an annual basis. Conduct mandatory safety training for skills and trade positions including forklift certification for anyone driving a lift truck.
Start by attending an OSHA 10-Hour course that will cover how to setup a Safety Program. Only OSHA authorized instructors are allowed to conduct OSHA 10-Hour training and to issue OSHA 10-Hour cards once complete. My HR offers OSHA training on a quarterly basis. Check out the next dates on our website.
Safety programs are individual to the size, industry and culture of each organization. One size does not fit all. Start by taking a look at the common injuries for your industry. Don’t assume that injuries can’t happen in an office environment. Carpal tunnel, for example, is a common and expensive injury.
Look up safety tools on OSHA.gov. Look up safety stats on bls.gov. Talk to other organizations in your line of work. What injuries or illnesses are most likely to occur? Start with a list of most-likely safety hazards and work backwards from there.
Safety programs have three lines of defense: engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment. Engineering controls eliminate safety hazards. Administrative controls use safety processes to avoid injuries from hazards that can’t be eliminated. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the last line of defense. PPE stands between your employees and hazards that cannot be eliminated or avoided through good work practices.
Review each hazard and ask which line or lines of defense will work best for your organization. Implement those defenses and train your employees to understand both the hazards and required controls to prevent injuries and illnesses.
To learn more about tools and solutions that are low-cost interventions, contact My HR for a Safety Assessment. We will provide you with a Safety RoadMap that can keep both OSHA happy and your employees safe.