The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is updating its Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines and wants your help in shaping the new document.
Intended to help employers establish safety and health management plans at their workplaces, the guidelines were first published in 1989. They are being updated to reflect modern technology and practices. As revised, the guidelines should be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized businesses. And for the first time, they address ways in which multiple employers at the same worksite can coordinate efforts to make sure all workers are protected.
The guidelines are advisory only and do not create any new legal obligations or alter existing obligations under OSHA standards or regulations.
OSHA has made available a draft of the revised document on its website, at www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines, along with a set of questions to consider when reviewing the guidelines. The page also has a direct link to post comments, which will be accepted until February 15. Comments will be taken into consideration when creating a final set of guidelines.
“The goal of safety and health management is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Employers who embrace these guidelines will experience lower injury and illness rates, and their progress in improving the safety culture at their worksites will contribute to higher productivity, reduced costs and greater worker satisfaction.”
About LIA
The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the professional society for laser applications and safety serving the industrial, educational, medical, research and government communities throughout the world since 1968. LIA is committed to keeping the workplace safe from hazards associated with lasers. The joined alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) helps achieve these goals. www.lia.org, 13501 Ingenuity Drive, Ste 128, Orlando, FL 32826, +1.407.380.1553.
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