Safety/Injury Illness Prevention Program

Employee Management, Federal Updates, State & Federal Employment Law Updates / By
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As businesses reopen or bring more of their workforce back online, the law requires that employers have plans in place to assure a safe worksite. This includes an updated Safety/Injury Illness Prevention Program that specifically addresses COVID-19 safety concerns. OSHA is still conducting inspections and they are handing out hefty penalties for violations of these protocols including $13,494.00 per serious violation and up to $134,937.00 per incident for willful or repeated violations.

For California businesses, Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations section 3203 requires every employer to develop a written IIPP that protects employees from workplace hazards. California workplaces now must consider COVID-19 to be a workplace hazard that employees are exposed to. An IIPP has 8 required elements:

  1. Responsibility
  2. Compliance
  3. Communication
  4. Hazard Assessment
  5. Accident/Exposure Investigation
  6. Hazard Correction
  7. Training and Instruction
  8. Record-keeping

An effective IIPP is not just a paper program. For an IIPP to be effective, Cal-OSHA identifies four items to put into practice in any workplace:

  • Fully involve all employees, supervisors, and management
  • Identify the specific workplace hazards employees are exposed to
  • Correct identified hazards in an appropriate and timely manner
  • Provide effective training

It is every employer’s responsibility to be vigilant in keeping up-to-date on evolving rules and guidance, and modify their Safety/IIPP, as mandated.

Guardian HR has partnered with Trivent Safety Consulting to bring our clients the highest level of expertise available.  We can help assess your safety protocols and procedures and make sure your company is compliant. Sign up for our virtual safety audit to see if you are ready to open.  Go to www.guardian-hr.com/safety-services/

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