2. I. OSH Policy
Firstly, let us define what a policy is, policy as a plan or
course of action, as of a government, political party, or
business, intended to influence and determine decisions,
actions, and other matters.
A safety and health policy is a document stating the top
management’s safety objectives, the level of safety that
can be performed by the organization, and the
responsibility of the organization’s members for
executing the policy and ensuring
safety.
3. An OSH policy is characterized by the following:
1. Specific to the organization, concise, clearly written, dated,
and signed.
2. Indicates management commitment, support and
accountability.
3. Includes principle and objectives of protecting SH of all
members of the organization.
4. States compliance with OSHS and related laws.
5. States objectives to continually improve the OSH MS
6. Employees are aware of the Policy (communicated/posted)
7. Covers all workers and community
Characteristics of an OSH
Policy
4. II. Safety and Health Program
Defined
A Safety and Health Program is a plan or outline of
activities conducted to promote safety and health
consciousness among management and workers in order that
accidents and/or illnesses can be eliminated or minimized to
the lowest reducible
level.
The effective management of worker safety and health
programs:
1. Reduces the extent and severity of work related injuries and
illnesses
2. Improves employee morale and productivity
3. Reduces workers’ compensation costs
5. III. Safety and Health Program Criteria
1. Workplace specific
2. Must have commitment from the employer and senior
management
3. Must have input from the workers
4. Must assign clear responsibilities and accountabilities
5. Each of the program’s elements must be in writing
6. Must address the safety and health of contractors
7. Be available and effectively communicated
8. Must have an evaluation mechanism
6. IV. Safety and Health Committee
The Safety and Health Committee is the planning and
policy making group of the company in matters
relating to safety and health. This is composed of
employer and
employee representatives such as the following:
• CEO/Manager or his representative
• Workers’ Representatives (union members if
organized)
• Company Physician, nurse or first-aider
• Safety Officer
7. V. Functions of the Safety and
Health Committee
Being the focal group on workplace safety and health, the
functions of the committee includes:
• Plans and develops accident prevention programs for the
establishment
• Directs the accident prevention programs of the establishment
• Conducts safety and health meetings at least once a month
• Reviews report of inspection, accident investigations and
implementation of programs
• Initiates and supervises safety training
• Develops and maintains disaster contingency plans.
8. VI. Components of an OSH Policy
The OSH policy can now be translated into various program
interventions. It should cover a holistic approach and package
of programs and activities. The OSHC adopts a framework in
defining the components of an OSH policy.
The OSH Policy Framework identifies the following components:
1. Safety Control and Emergency Preparedness.
Examples of these are programs relating to:
a) Housekeeping
b) Material handling and storage
c) Electrical safety
d) Machine guarding
e) Personal protective equipment
f) Fire safety orientations and exit drills
g) Maintenance of firefighting facilities
9. Emergency preparedness encompasses all activities that are
necessary to prepare people and organizations to respond to
emergencies and disasters which include typhoons, floods,
industrial fire, chemical leaks, earthquakes and oil spills, among
others.
Therefore, proper planning for emergencies is necessary to
minimize employee injury and property damage. These include
areas on:
• declaring an emergency
• evacuating workers
• obtaining internal emergency resources
• obtaining help from external resources
• initiating emergency rescues
• tending to casualties
10. There are elements of an Emergency
Preparedness Program that should be
considered, namely:
a) Review the hazards
b) Evaluate resources
c) Develop emergency plan and procedure
d) Conduct training
e) Conduct drills and exercises
f) Educate public
g) Integrate in community
plan
11. • Inventory of chemicals
•Emergency contingency plan
• Capability building program for chemical
users
• Materials handling and storage procedures
• Abatement of physical hazards
2. Industrial Hygiene Program – this
includes programs of the company that
covers
12. 3. Occupational Health Program - this include
programs on
• Employment or hiring of medical staff
• Availability of clinical, dental and medical
equipment
•Preparation and submission of Annual Medical
Report
• Compilation of medical records of employees,
including analysis of the data
• HMO or in-house health services or both
• Medical services and other programs implemented
13. 4. Environmental Protection and
Community Relations – aside from safety and
health, the company programs should also cover
the following:
•Data on classification and volume of waste
generated
•Pollution prevention facilities (e.g. wastewater
treatment)
• Employment of a Pollution Control Officer (PCO)
•List of outreach programs and description
14. 5. Social Accountability Programs – these programs take into
account the involvement of the company on issues such as
• Policy on gender
• Policy on Child Labor
• Policy on PWPWDs
•Other corporate social responsibility programs
6. Capability Building on OSH – this involves compliance by the
company to mandated/specialized OSH training courses and conduct of
activities to promote OSH. This includes
• List of required orientations/ trainings on OSH provided (BOSH, CST,
Drugs, HIV/AIDS, Gender/S&H, Anti-Sexual Harassment, Family Welfare,
OSH-MS and others)
•Training calendar of the company; other staff development activities
• Plans on communicating OSH
• Information program, materials and dissemination strategies
• Monitoring and evaluation
15. VII. Monitoring
It is necessary for any organization to monitor and evaluate the
effectiveness of all its safety and health policies and programs. In
doing this the company will be able to:
• Improve the performance of the program.
• Know if changes or revisions/improvements are necessary.
• Check areas that have to be prioritized.
• Assess program effectiveness
o Number of accidents and injuries are trending downward
o Cost of accidents and injuries is trending downward
o Time lost due to work-related injuries or illnesses is reduced
16. Thank you for listening!!!!!
The greatest responsibility a person can have during his
lifetime is to be accountable
for another person’s safety and health and for the protection
of the environment.
