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Written safety plans (or programs) are records of how an establishment is protecting or plans to protect employees overall for a safety or health hazard. The words plan and program can be and have been used interchangeably. Both simply document what a facility is doing to keep its employees safe and healthful. While safety procedures may also document how an establishment is protecting employees, they do this in a step-by-step fashion for a given operation rather than in an overall way, and safety procedures may be a part of written safety plans or programs. Safety policies, on the other hand, document an establishment’s philosophy or rules towards safety and health. Policies, too, can be rolled into a larger written plan or program. Note: For this ezExplanation, the use of the terms written safety plan, written plan, or safety plan will refer to all types of safety plans, programs, procedures, and policies that are put into writing. The terms will not include other safety records.
Essentially, written safety plans are the cornerstone of a complete safety and health program. Whether required or not, written plans may have several purposes and benefits:
Written safety plan requirements are found throughout 29 CFR 1910 for general industry and 29 CFR 1926 for construction, and, therefore, these documents cover a number of different work operations and hazards. Because written plans are required for specific hazard topics on a standard-by-standard basis, their scope depends on the scope of the standards that carry written plan provisions. Put another way, most regulations have a scope and applicability section(s), so if an employer finds that the regulation applies, the employer will want to check if there’s a written plan requirement.
General industry:
In simple terms, this statement means that each employer may be obligated to protect its employees from serious, recognized hazards in the workplace even if there is not an OSHA standard which applies to the situation or if hazards still exist after compliance with applicable standards. In effect, the General Duty Clause obligates employers to take additional steps toward safety if the well-being of employees is in jeopardy. In many cases, developing and implementing written safety plans (even if not required specifically by the regulations) is one of the added steps taken to protect employees.
Moreover, employers should check to see whether their states require any other written safety plans, beyond the ones required by federal OSHA. States may be more stringent than federal OSHA.
Note: For this ez Explanation, the use of the terms written safety plan, written plan, or safety plan will refer to all types of safety plans, programs, procedures, and policies that are put into writing. The terms will not include other safety records.