New OSHA White Paper “Injury and Illness Prevention Program”
Based on a proposal back in the spring of 2010, a new white paper by OSHA entitled “Injury and Illness Prevention Programs” makes a convincing case for a proactive approach to health and safety in the workplace through the identification and fixing of potential hazards before they injure employees.
The benefits, according to the white paper, include “higher productivity and quality, reduced turnover, reduced costs, and greater employee satisfaction.”
These findings are not based on conjecture but rather on some 34 states and numerous companies who’ve adopted and implemented this approach to safety in their workplace.
The approach is simple and includes:
- management leadership
- worker participation
- hazard identification and assessment
- hazard prevention and control
- education and training
- program evaluation and improvement
With the escalating cost of medical treatment, lawsuits, time off work, etc… (see chart below), any program that can help reduce the number of injuries and illnesses not only makes sense from the perspective of a company that cares about it’s employees but about the bottom line as well.
You can view and/or download the OSHA White Paper to read more on this subject and find out how to take this proactive approach for your own workplace.
