Essential Safety Program Elements

Management Leadership

Top management demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement in safety and health, communicates that commitment to workers, and sets up program expectations and responsibilities.

Managers at all levels make safety and health a core organizational value, establish safety and health goals and objectives, provide adequate resources and support for the program, and set a good example.

Employee Participation

Employees are involved in all aspects of the program including setting goals, identifying and reporting hazards, investigating incidents, and tracking progress.

Management and employees work together to identify and select methods for eliminating, preventing, and controlling workplace hazards.

Workers are encouraged and have the means to communicate openly with management and to report safety and health concerns without fear of retaliation.

Hazard Prevention and Control

Plans are developed to ensure that controls are implemented, interim protection is provided, progress is tracked, and the effectiveness of controls is verified.

Education and Training

All managers, supervisors, and employees receive training on safety concepts and their responsibility for protecting workers’ rights and responding to workers' reports and concerns.

All workers are trained to recognize workplace hazards and to understand the control measures that have been implemented.

Program Evaluation & Improvement

Processes are established to monitor program performance, verify program implementation, and identify program shortcomings and continuous improvement.

Necessary actions are taken to improve the program, overall safety, and health performance.

Communication and Coordination for Employers on Multi-employer Worksites

Before beginning work, host employers and contractors coordinate on work planning and scheduling to identify and resolve any conflicts that could effect safety or health.

Host employers and contractors commit to providing the same level of safety and health protection to all employees.