Why Companies Need an Illness & Injury Prevention Plan
In California every employer has a legal obligation to provide and maintain a safe and healthful workplace for employees, according to the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973. As of 1991, a written, effective Injury and Illness PreventionProgram (IIPP), is required for every California employer.
An IIPP describes the employers’ responsibilities in establishing, implementing, maintaining, an IIPP. It also outlines steps that can be taken to develop an effective Program that helps assure the safety and health of employees while on the job.
Your Injury and Illness Prevention Program must be a written plan that includes procedures and is put into practice. These elements are required:
* Management commitment/assignment of responsibilities;
* Safety communications system with employees;
* System for assuring employee compliance with safe work practices;
* Scheduled inspections/evaluation system;
* Accident investigation;
* Procedures for correcting unsafe/ unhealthy conditions;
* Safety and health training and instruction; and
* Recordkeeping and documentation.
No operation can be successful without adequate recordkeeping, which enables you to learn from past experience and make corrections for future operations. Records of accidents, work-related injuries, illnesses and property losses serve as a valuable purpose.
Under Cal/OSHA recordkeeping requirements, information on accidents is gathered and stored. Upon review, causes can be identified and control procedures instituted to prevent the illness or injury from recurring. Keep in mind that any inspection of your workplace may require you to demonstrate the effectiveness of your program.
The Cal/OSHA enforcement unit conducts inspections of California workplaces in response to a report of an industrial accident, a complaint about an occupational safety and health hazard, or as part of an inspection program targeting industries which have a high rate of occupational hazards, fatalities, injuries or illnesses.
If you feel you are in need of developing an IIPP for your workplace or would like to have your existing IIPP reviewed, please contact one of our consultants at 916-444-6200.
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