OSHA Updates Workplace Safety Recommended Practices

October 21, 2016 - OSHA has released a set of Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs to help employers improve safety and health in their workplaces. The recommendations update OSHA’s 1989 guidelines to reflect changes in the economy, workplaces, and evolving safety and health issues. They feature a new, easier-to-use format and should be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized businesses.

 

Also new is a section on multi-employer workplaces and a greater emphasis on continuous improvement. Supporting tools and resources are included. The programs are not prescriptive, according to OSHA, but are built around a core set of business processes that can be implemented to suit a particular workplace in any industry. Key principles include: leadership from the top to send a message that safety and health are critical to the business operations; worker participation in finding solutions; and a systematic approach to find and fix hazards.

 

Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said the OSHA recommendations include seven core elements: management leadership; worker participation; hazard identification and assessment; hazard prevention and control; education and training; program evaluation and improvement; and communication and coordination for host employers, contractors and staffing agencies.