Creating a Safety Plan for Your Business

The first step in developing a safety plan is determining what the hazards are in your particular business. If you have a manufacturing business, you may have many safety hazards such as machinery and chemicals. If you have a more white-collar type of business, you would typically have less potential hazards to deal with. Whatever dangers exist, they must be identified. Once the hazards have been identified, there must be a protocol written to avoid injury due to these hazards. This part of the safety plan cannot be vague or general. There must be a complete description of the danger and specific instructions written to prevent injury.

Once the safety program has been written, you should make sure the program complies with OSHA safety training. OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The primary goal of OSHA is to make sure that workers are protected and safe in their work environments. The provide guideline that, when not strictly enforced, can cause a business owner a great deal of money in fines and damages. When you have an approved safety program, you must distribute the program to your workers when they are hired. If they program is updated, existing workers must be made aware of any changes to the program. It is always a good idea for the business owner to require that the employee sign documentation that proves a copy of the program has been provided to the employee and that the employee has read the program. You will also want to make sure that you schedule safety trainings on a regular basis with all employees, especially new ones. These safety trainings will need to be documented and each employee would need to sign stating that he or she participated in the safety training.

Hiring a safety consultant is also a good way to make sure your safety program is OSHA compliant and that it is appropriate for your type of business. A consultant who specializes in work place safety and in your type of business can identify possible pitfalls in your existing program. While a consultant might be expensive, the cost is far less than a lawsuit from an injured employee or employees. You should also consider hiring an outside compliance firm to document your safety programs adherence to OSHA guidelines. A compliance firm is different from a consultant in that it is their job to be sure that you meet all requirements possible. They also retain a great deal of liability in that these firms vouch for the company’s safety program. If there is a safety issue that was not identified, the compliance firm can also be liable.

A proper safety program can insure health and happiness for all your employees. If you, as the business owner, remain informed of workplace security requirements and follow them, your employees will appreciate you that much more as their boss.


Edword Bella started writing as a hobby. Writing is her passion & she is completely dedicated for that. She has written various informative articles and blogs for past five years. To know more about OSHA online safety training courses visit http://www.osea.com.