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.

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