Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/681918
A fter 20 years of input, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is issuing new management rules for business. The good news is most of these rules are the same— they're just a revamping for the 21st century. This time around OSHA wants to get your employees involved in your safety culture, and that could be the best news of all. OSHA Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines These new OSHA rules cover safety and health program management guidelines, which provide underlying guidance on how to help businesses achieve a strong safety culture. In the draft document, OSHA states: These guidelines provide employers, workers, and worker representatives with a sound, flexible framework for address- ing safety and health issues in diverse workplaces. They are intended for use in any workplace, but will be particularly helpful in small and medium-sized workplaces. The guidelines encourage management to be proactive in addressing safety hazards before they arise. A key element to achieving a safer work environment is active employee partic- ipation in all aspects of the program—from planning through implementation. The new guidelines are made up of seven core elements. OSHA shows each of them as a different slice of the success- ful safety management pie. 1. Management leadership 2. Worker participation 3. Hazard identification and assessment 4. Hazard prevention and control 5. Education and training 6. Program evaluation and improvement 7. Coordination and communication on multi-employer worksites To help employers implement these core tenets, the OSHA Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines have suggested action items for each element. (1) Management leadership Providing management leadership means management fully embraces the changes in safety culture with both their time and their money. In the action items under this section, OSHA emphasizes employers should have clear written poli- cies, define the goals they wish to attain through the program, and give the program the money and time it needs to be suc- cessful, and expect performance. Allocating proper resources is key to the success of any endeavor, and the OSHA Guidelines stresses management leadership in safety is no different. Resource needs may include capital equipment and supplies, staff time, training, access to information and tools (e.g., ven- All Parties Involved New OSHA rules focus on employee involvement in safety. By Lana Straub OSHA continues on page 24 WWJ June 2016 23 Twitter @WaterWellJournl