OSHA recently updated the Guidelines for Safety and Health Programs it first released 30 years ago to reflect changes in the economy, workplaces, and evolving safety and health issues. The guidelines present a step-by-step approach to implementing a safety and health program, built around seven core elements that make up a successful program. The updated guidelines can be found at https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/index.html.
Nov 2016
OSHA Assistant Secretary David Michaels recently released a set of Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs to help employers establish a methodical approach to improving safety at their workplaces. The recommendations update OSHA’s 1989 guidelines to reflect changes in the economy, workplaces, and evolving safety and health issues. Key principles include: leadership from the top to send a message that safety and health are critical to business operations; worker participation is of value in finding solutions; and a systematic approach is needed to find and fix hazards. “We know that working together to implement these programs will help prevent injuries and illnesses, and make businesses more sustainable,” said Dr. Michaels, who released the document at the National Safety Council Congress in Anaheim, CA. In his remarks, he asked business groups and safety and health professionals to help spread the word through a campaign that encourages creation of a safety and health program using OSHA’s recommendations or others.
The Joint Commission (TJC) recently published a new resource on workplace violence (WPV) prevention on its website. The purpose of the portal is to share information, useful resources and strategies to prevent workplace violence in healthcare settings. In addition to TJC resources, information from OSHA, NIOSH, professional associations and other external resources is also included. The webpage can be found at https://www.jointcommission.org/workplace_violence.aspx.
Oct 2016
The Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (CSHS) has published a Best Practice Guide for Occupational Health and Safety in Sustainability Reports. The guide outlines a framework that can be used to incorporate occupational health and safety metrics into sustainability reporting practices, which is a focus of businesses at this time. The complete guide can be found at http://www.centershs.org/assets/docs/CSHS_Best_Practice_Guide_Final.pdf.
Oct 2016
OSHA recently updated the Guidelines for Safety and Health Programs it first released 30 years ago to reflect changes in the economy, workplaces, and evolving safety and health issues. The guidelines present a step-by-step approach to implementing a safety and health program, built around seven core elements that make up a successful program. The updated guidelines can be found at https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/index.html.