OSHA Safety Manual Requirements
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration, or OSHA, demands that each business have documented safety procedures and policies in the right ways. Since workers, in different industries go through different hazards & risks, a common safety manual is not applicable to all. Rather, OSHA requires businesses to create documentation that comprehensively takes care of specific situations. OSHA safety manual inspectors can review a firm’s safety manual for compliance.
Safety Program
Every organization should have the right safety program, OSHA says. An OSHA safety manual should explain what that safety program is all about, what employees need to know and how the program is executed.
Safety Officer
Every firm needs to appoint a safety officer as well. In a large firm, the duties and roles of safety officers may be that like a full-time job. In smaller firms, the safety officer responsibilities can be given to an operations manager. Ideally, the safety manual should list all the safety officer’s duties and responsibilities.
Hazard Communications
OSHA safety manual has particular guidelines governing the hazard communications standards. Organizations should impart training to every employee about the hazardous chemicals that are present in the organization. Employees also need to know where to find the MSDS or the Material Safety Data Sheets and what information it contains. The information provided about training in the safety manual should be repeated and highlighted, so employees have it as a constant reference.
Fire Safety
The safety manual should include the fire safety procedures of a firm in details. The fire safety section should contain information of employees meet, locations of fire extinguishers, different escape routes, guidelines fire drills and fire-prevention procedures.
Electrical Safety
Most of the industries include electrical safety as part of the OSHA-documented safety manual. These procedures describe all the electrical hazards likely to be present on the grounds, various other safety procedures and what all can people do in the event of an emergency.
Personal Protective Equipment
Safety manuals are very informative for employees in guiding them in finding personal protective equipment and their uses. It is important for the firms to document the wearing of personal protective equipment in all forthcoming hazardous situations.
Emergency Preparedness
While crises and emergencies do not happen without notice, firms can predict what type of emergencies are likely to threaten operations. For instance, businesses in northern region climates usually foresee blizzards and power failures caused by critical weather conditions. Coastal businesses predict hurricanes and flooding so they can plan accordingly. The safety manual has a list of things that each employee needs to do in case of an emergency.
Hazard Signs and Warnings
OSHA demands that businesses use specific hazard signs and warnings under specific conditions. The safety manual lists down all the hazard signs a business organization uses and explains what they look like and what they imply. The safety manual also helps to document where employees can find OSHA-required posters and safety warnings.
Forms
The safety manual is the single place to compile significant safety-related forms. It include forms that employees sign attesting they’ve received, safety training, MSDS, accident or crime reports, applications and other essential information.
