Written Safety Programs OSHA Requires
Federal OSHA doesn’t require one overall written safety program, but many specific standards require a written program or plan. Workers have a right to know what’s in the ones that apply to them, and a good written program is a working tool, not a binder on a shelf.
- Employers
- Construction
- General Industry
- California
Common written requirements
| Program or plan | Standard | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard communication program | 1910.1200(e) | Hazardous chemicals in the workplace |
| Respiratory protection program | 1910.134(c) | Respirators required (or voluntary use of most respirators other than filtering facepieces) |
| Energy control (lockout) procedures | 1910.147(c)(4) | Servicing machines with hazardous energy |
| Permit-required confined space program | 1910.146 / 1926.1203 | Workers enter permit spaces |
| Emergency action plan and fire prevention plan | 1910.38, 1910.39 | When another standard requires them; written if more than 10 employees |
| Bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan | 1910.1030(c) | Workers reasonably expected to contact blood, including designated first aiders |
| Silica written exposure control plan | 1926.1153(g), 1910.1053(f) | Silica exposure covered by the standard |
| Lead compliance program | 1926.62(e) | Exposure above the permissible limit |
| Site safety and health plan | 1910.120 / 1926.65 | Hazardous waste operations |
| Process safety management elements | 1910.119 | Highly hazardous chemical processes |
| Fall protection plan | 1926.502(k) | Only where conventional fall protection is infeasible in leading edge, precast or residential work |
This list isn’t complete, and state plans often require more. For example, California and several other states require a written injury and illness prevention program for nearly every employer. See Safety & Health Programs.
What makes a written program useful
- Specific to your site, equipment and tasks, not a generic template with someone else’s name.
- Names who is responsible for each part.
- Written in plain language, and in the languages your workers use.
- Reviewed at least yearly and whenever equipment, processes or rules change.
- Available to workers. Many standards give workers a right to see or get a copy.
- Matches what actually happens on the job. Inspectors compare the paper to the practice.
Program review checklist
- We know which standards apply to our work
- Each required program exists and is current
- Responsible people named and still employed here
- Workers trained on the programs that affect them
- Programs reviewed after incidents and changes
Standards & references
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