OSHA Updates Safety and Health Recommendations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has updated its recommended safety and health guidance. Titled "Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs," the newly updated document replaces OSHA's old and somewhat archaic Voluntary Guidelines, which as created back in 1980.

You can click on the link above to access the newly updated document. Basically, however, it's designed to help employers establish a safer workplace by providing guidance on how to create and maintain effective safe and health programs in the workplace. The new document features a convenient web-based format, along with OSHA notes, tips to employers and even a new section for workplaces in which two or more employers operate. Furthermore, you'll find various tools and resources contained within OSHA's new Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs document.

OSHA recommends employers stress the importance of safety and health in their workplace. This can be achieved by providing workers with incentives, which can also be integrated directly into a workplace health and wellness program.

"Since OSHA's original guidelines were published more than 25 years ago, employers and employees have gained a lot of experience in how to use safety and health programs to systematically prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "We know that working together to implement these programs will help prevent injuries and illnesses, and also make businesses more sustainable," he added.

Of course, many of the recommendations listed in the document are just that: recommendations. They are not requirements by OSHA, and as such, employers are not required by law to follow or otherwise implement them. Even if you fail to create and maintain a safety and health program in your workplace, you aren't necessarily violating any workplace safety laws. With that said, implementing it can prove useful in protecting workers from injury or even death.

OSHA says its Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs are designed for a few specific purposes, including the following:

• To prevent work-related injuries and illnesses.
• To improve compliance with safety laws and regulations.
• To reduce costs associated with workers' compensation, lost productivity, etc.
• To engage workers.
• To enhance employer's social responsibility goals.
• To increase productivity and overall business operations.

So, what do you think of OSHA's new Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs?