Safety Program Tools

A health and safety program is made up of policy statements, procedures, assessment and reporting tools, recordkeeping, checks and reviews that a company puts into place and carries out in their operations to ensure the safety of the workplace.

With a documented OHS Program, you create and maintain an action plan for how you will:

• Define safety responsibilities
• Identify and control hazards
• Train workers in safe work procedures
• Investigate workplace incidents and injuries
• Document and track health and safety issues and activities in your business.

Documented means that you:

1. Write it down or type it out;
2. Share it with your workers by either
   • printing it out and posting it on bulletin boards or at each worker’s workstation
   • share it electronically with your workers through a website or emails, and
3. Can easily find it and refer back to it when you need it.

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Documented Health and Safety Program

Do you have a documented policy or procedure for each of the following?

1. OHS Policy Statement
   • Signed and posted Safety Policy
2. Hazards identification and control program
   • Job Hazard Assessments
   • Risk Assessments
   • Field Level Risk Assessments
   • Safe Work Procedures
3. Emergency Response Plan
   • Posters and Signage with Evacuation Routes and Muster Points
   • Emergency Services Phone Numbers posted
   • Emergency Response Plan Handbook or Manual
   • Alarms and Communication Systems to Alert Workers
4. Defined Roles and Responsibilities
   • Safety Policy
   • Job Descriptions
   • Safe Work Procedures
   • Hazard Reporting Procedures
   • Injury Reporting Procedures
5. Inspection guidelines including work site, work processes and procedures
   • Inspection Reports from the OHS Committee or OHS Representative.

   Informal inspections include:

   • Field Level Risk Assessment
   • Pre-work equipment check
   • Maintenance logs
   • Vehicle pre-trip logs
6. OHS training plan
   • Training Record Matrix: Lists employees and all training applicable to the workplace, indicating who has what training and when they need to renew or update certification.
   • Employee Training Record: Individual employee’s training and certifications, indicating when the employee needs to renew or update the training.
7. Incident investigation and reporting procedures
   • Incident Investigation Procedure including roles of the Joint OHS Committee or the OHS Representative, the supervisor and the worker.
   • Incident Investigation Report Form
8. Joint OHS Committee (when you have 20 or more workers)
   • JOHS Committee meeting agendas and minutes
   • Inspection Reports including corrective actions and follow-up

   An OHS Representative (when you have less than 20 workers)

   • Workplace inspection reports which include corrective action recommendations and follow-up tracking
9. Program revision plan for the OHS Program
   • Revision Policy
   • Dated and signed safe work policies and procedures that indicate when the document will be reviewed and who will review them.
10. Worker orientation
    • Worker orientation checklist, signed by supervisor and new worker
11. Safe and timely return to work
    • Return to Work Policy
    • Return to work plans for injured or ill workers
12. Control of Hazardous Substances: Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)?
    • WHMIS training certificates for each worker.