OSHA Hazard Identification and Control Program

Purpose   

This Hazard Identification and Control Program establishes guidelines and procedures to identify and recognize hazards that are present or could be anticipated within the company. This program aims to protect the health and safety of employees and reduce the risk of accidents and injuries related to company operations.

Scope

This program applies to all employees, company contractors, visitors and vendors who will perform work on the premises or for the company at job sites.

Responsibilities

Senior management will:

• Require the full application and integration of this program into daily operations, as applicable, in all areas of responsibility and with all direct reports.
• Assess managers and supervisors on their ability to apply this program to their areas of responsibility.

The safety administrator will manage all aspects of this program, including:

• Developing, reviewing and updating the Hazard Identification and Control Program
• Coordinating hazard assessment safety training for employees
• Conducting periodic inspections to ensure compliance with the program Overseeing incident reporting, investigation and corrective actions

Managers and supervisors will:

• Provide necessary resources and equipment to implement the Hazard Identification and Control Safety Program.
• Appoint a designated safety coordinator responsible for program development, implementation and periodic review.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state and local regulations.
• Know how this program applies to those under their direct control.
• Integrate and enforce the provisions of this program in their areas of responsibility.
• Periodically audit the effectiveness of this program in their areas of responsibility.
• Coordinate training for all affected employees. 
• Provide appropriate coaching and corrective action when necessary to ensure this program is fully integrated.
  
• Investigate and document all incidents that result in employee injury.

All affected employees will: 

• Integrate the provisions of this program into their daily activities as applicable.
• Follow all training, instructions and directives related to this program.
• Seek clarification whenever there are questions concerning the application of this program to daily operations.
• Bring to management’s attention any unsafe or hazardous conditions or practices that may cause injury to themselves or other employees.
• Report any incident that causes injury to an employee, regardless of its nature.

Program and Evaluation Updates

As a matter of policy, this program will be reviewed on an annual basis by the safety administrator to determine whether all aspects still meet the needs of this organization. If there are significant events that take place during the year that indicate the program is less than effective, an immediate evaluation will be conducted, and appropriate steps will be taken to increase the reliability of this plan.

Definitions

The following OSHA definitions are intended to clarify key words or phrases found in this program:

• Hazard—A potential source of harm that can cause damage to life, health or property.
• Hazard control—A way to prevent the potential source of harm from causing damage to life, health or property.

Hazard Identification and Control Training Requirements

• Employers will provide employees with the knowledge and skills needed to do their work safely and avoid creating hazards that could place themselves or others at risk.
• Employees will have the awareness and understanding of workplace hazards and how to identify, report and control them.
• Employees will receive specialized training when their work involves unique hazards.
• Once training is completed, employees will receive a certification of completion of training to go in their training file.
• Training will be done when new equipment is added or an employee has been deemed to need retraining.
• Additional training may be needed depending on the roles assigned to employers or individual managers, supervisors and workers. For example, employers, managers and supervisors may need specific training to ensure they can fulfill their roles in providing leadership, direction and resources for the safety and health program.
• Workers assigned specific roles in the program (e.g., incident investigation team members) may need training to ensure their full participation in those functions.

Identifying and Assessing Hazards

To identify and assess hazards, employers and workers should:

• Collect and review information about the hazards present or likely to be present in the workplace.
• Conduct initial and periodic workplace inspections of the workplace to identify new or recurring hazards.
• Investigate injuries, illnesses, incidents and close calls/near misses to determine the underlying hazards, their causes, and safety and health program shortcomings.
• Group similar incidents and identify trends in injuries, illnesses and hazards reported.
• Consider hazards associated with emergency or nonroutine situations.
• Determine the severity and likelihood of incidents that could result from each hazard identified and use this information to prioritize corrective actions.
• Some hazards, such as housekeeping and tripping hazards, can and should be fixed as they are found. Fixing hazards on the spot emphasizes the importance of safety and health and takes advantage of a safety leadership opportunity. 

This policy is merely a guideline. It is not meant to be exhaustive nor be construed as legal advice. It does not address all potential compliance issues with federal, state, local OSHA or any other regulatory agency standards. Consult your legal counsel to address possible compliance requirements. Design © 2023 Zywave, Inc.