Safety Plans / Safety Manuals

In May 2011 we wrote about Planning: http://safetyrich.blogspot.com/2011/05/planning.html. We discussed three types of plans: Emergency Plans, Contingency Plans and Safety Plans or Safety Manuals.

Federal law requires a written Emergency Plan or Emergency Action Plan that describes the various emergencies your company and workers could face, then how you plan to deal with these emergencies to minimize injuries and loss of life.

A Contingency Plan is usually required by your insurance company, but good business practice and common sense dictate that you plan for disasters.

Written Safety Plans are required by OSHA and most other federal agencies worldwide. Some agencies refer to Safety Plans as Safe Work Programs, Work Plans, Safety Manuals and other terms. We shall use the term Safety Plans here.

Although a federal agency requires a written Safety Plan, little guidance on writing the plans. Several methods of writing plans are available. As long as the plans cover a basic set of criteria, all methods are acceptable. We develop Safety Plans according to a specific process to ensure full coverage

Management Commitment. Every plan of every type should begin with a state of Management Commitment, preferably signed by CEO or another top manager. If workers see management commitment to safety, they are more inclined to adapt safe practices.

Safety Policy. The next item should be the corporate Safety Policy, a simple one or two page statement of the corporate policy regarding safety. A commitment by management, while important, is not enforceable. A Safety Policy, on the other hand, is enforceable. Many good safety policies are available. Our covers management, employees and contractors.

Safety Plan. The method we use is to write a series of plans – one plan for each type of hazard. We have small clients that use plans with as few as 25 plans and larger companies with as many as 50 or more individual plans. Each plan describes the hazard and what the company does to abate, mitigate, eliminate or minimize the danger of the hazard to worker’s health and lives. Be sure to read: http://safetyrich.blogspot.com/2011/05/four-levels-of-protection-from-hazards.html to get an understanding of the benefits of addressing hazards early in the process.

Ask questions, then answer them completely:

What is the hazard?

What could the hazard do in terms of injury and damage?

How do we train workers to recognize and avoid hazards, work safely?

How do we plan to mitigate harm to people, property and the environment?

How do we intend to protect workers and the facility from damage?

How do we plan to review and deal with the hazard?

We urge you to hire a professional, an expert on writing Safety Plans. You may save money in the short term by writing it yourself, but a single injury or fatality not only devastates a family, but costs could be extremely high.

“If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait until you hire an amateur.” – Red Adair

However you address the issue. Be sure to do something in writing. The law requires it and your employees will be safer for you having done it.

See our Web site: SafetyRich  

Watch for release of white paper on Planning. Check SafetyTraining and SafetyRich Web sites for posting in later half of October 2011. Follow @OSHAnetwork and @SafetyRich on Twitter for notifications.

Future white papers on Risk Management and Employee Behaviour before end of 2011.

Contingency Planning.

As we mentioned in our 31 May post (http://safetyrich.blogspot.com/2011/05/planning.html), OSHA requires written plans on several subject. While OSHA requires an Emergency Action Plan (EAP), Contingency plans are required mainly by insurance companies to ensure their clients are prepared to mitigate loss in the case of a catastrophe.

Experts are reporting the Hurricane Irene that raked up the East coast at the end of the third week in August 2011, caused more loss than any other natural disaster in history. At one time, more than 7.4 million folks had no electricity. One restaurant owner from South Carolina spoke in an interview about how he had more than 80 employees waiting for him to reopen. Thinking about the economic impact of the storm will boggle the mind. Dealing with a disaster is even more difficult if no plan is in place.

Imagine being able to open a plan and start going down a series of checklists and plans that were made when all was well. Plans to restore data, rebuild facilities and restart cash flow.

When writing a Contingency Plan, start with the assumption that a total loss has occurred: a hurricane, tornado, fire or explosion has wiped out everything. Although, as we shall see, all is not lost regardless of the level of destruction – IF planning for the worst case has been done properly.

This list of items is not intended to be complete, but to create a starting point – all companies are different.

DATA – Backing up data to a tape drive that your IT person takes home once a week is a good start, but inadequate in real emergencies. Back up your data as often as possible (how much work not backed up can you recreate in a reasonable time?) to a distant location which is less susceptible to catastrophic events. An online backup to a place 1000 miles away is no farther than across the street.

FACILITIES – Assume your offices, warehouses and storage facilities are completely gone. Where will your employees work? Chances are, their homes are also severely damaged, or without power. By making plans to temporarily move inland, a suitable location can be identified: a hotel, vendor or client’s office. Contact a Realtor in several cities at least 50 miles way, have them identify office/warehouses with vacancies, have agreements in place that trigger short-term occupancy. By making a deal when the sun is shining, you beat everyone else during the scramble.

PRODUCTION: Equipment, tools, raw materials – identify vendors by name, make plans for them to provide you with an emergency supply. If possible, pay for a cache stored at the vendor’s facility or in a storage facility 100+ miles away.

EMPLOYEES – Assume that most of your employees are working on their own homes or with their families. Identify key employees to manage activities using the Contingency Plan, after the disaster. Make plans on communications and make sure everyone has everyone’s phone numbers.

Consider also how you will clean up and rebuild. Companies and residents in the area are also cleaning and rebuilding, the companies that make plans and agreements in advance are the ones that get serviced first, right after the storm.

Now go make the same plans for your own home and family.

See our Web site: SafetyRich