Why Every Workplace Needs a Workplace Safety Plan (and How to Create One)
Workplace safety isn’t just about following protocol, it can save lives. Occupational hazards like workplace accidents and violence pose serious threats, with California alone experiencing 504 fatal work injuries in 2022 and 57 workplace violence-related deaths in 2021. Alongside these deadly occurrences are the hundreds of thousands of nonfatal incidents that happen each year, each of which can result in significant harm to employees, hefty regulatory penalties, and substantial loss of productivity. In order to avoid these consequences and remain compliant with regulatory agencies, employers must establish effective workplace safety plans.
What is a Workplace Safety Plan?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace safety plans are protocols that prevent illnesses, injuries, and fatalities while also addressing the emotional and financial impact these incidents can have on employees, employers, and their families. OSHA suggests that when implemented correctly, these plans can help businesses in a variety of ways, such as:
Improving compliance with laws and regulations
Preventing workplace injuries and illnesses
Reducing costs, including significant reductions in workers’ compensation premiums
Enhancing social responsibility goals
Engaging workers
Increasing productivity
Enhancing overall business operations
The term “workplace safety plan” is broad and can refer to different types of plans that target specific workplace risks. These plans can be supplemented with additional programs, such as workplace safety awareness activities for adults, which may help to keep employees engaged and informed. Certain plans are also required by state or federal law. In California, these include Workplace Violence Prevention Plans (WVPPs), Heat Illness Prevention Plans (HIPPs), and Injury and Illness Prevention Plans (IIPPs).
What is a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan?
Workplace Violence Prevention Plans, or WVPPs, are programs that help businesses identify, prevent, and establish procedures for violent incidents in the workplace. WVPPs are designed to protect employees and management from threats or acts of violence while also reducing legal liability, financial losses, and reputational damage. While these plans can be supplemented by providing employees with tips to prevent workplace violence, having a formal plan is required under California state law. To comply with these laws, WVPPs must adhere to specific guidelines.
Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Requirements in California
As of July 1st, 2024, the majority of employers in California must have a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan that includes the following elements:
Emergency Response: A WVPP must outline clear procedures for responding to workplace violence emergencies. This includes setting up an alert system, creating evacuation and shelter plans, and establishing protocols to contact emergency assistance and first responders.
Workplace Violence Reports and Response: WVPPs should have procedures to allow for the reporting and investigation of workplace violence, whether it be incidents or concerns. Employees must also be able to report issues without fear of retaliation.
Employee Workplace Violence Training and Communication: Employers must provide violence at work training to help employees recognize potential threats and understand how to respond using the WVPP.
Workplace Violence Hazard Assessments: A WVPP must include regular violence hazard assessments, starting when the plan is first implemented and continuing at scheduled intervals. Assessments must also be conducted whenever an incident occurs or a new hazard is identified.
WVPPs adhere to other guidelines as well, including the maintenance of a violent incident log. These logs must include accurate details of all workplace violence incidents, including date, time, location, and a description of what occurred. Violent incident logs also need to specify the type of violence involved: Type 1 (violence with criminal intent), Type 2 (violence involving a customer or client), Type 3 (worker-on-worker violence), or Type 4 (violence relating to a personal relationship.)
What is a Heat Illness Prevention Plan?
A Heat Illness Prevention Plan (HIPP) is a plan that details how a workplace will protect employees from heat-related hazards. HIPPs help employers recognize the potential dangers of high-temperature environments, establish measures to prevent heat-related illness and deploy first aid procedures when the symptoms of heat-related illness are identified. Like WVPPs, employers are legally required to establish a HIPP that meets specific state standards.
Heat Illness Prevention Plan Requirements in California
As of June 20th, 2024, HIPPs are required to address the risk of heat illness in outdoor workplaces and indoor workplaces when the indoor temperature exceeds 82°F. The exact components a HIPP will vary based on whether a workplace is classified as indoors or outdoors.
HIPP requirements include:
Clean Drinking Water: Employers must provide fresh, potable, and suitably cool water to their employees free of charge. This water must be located as close to work areas (and in the case of indoor workplaces, cool-down areas) as possible.
Access to Shade and Cool-Down Areas: Outdoor workplaces must provide shade when temperatures exceed 80°F. When temperatures are below 80°F, employers must make shade available upon employee request. Indoor workplaces, on the other hand, must have at least one cool-down area that is both shielded from high-radiant heat sources and kept below 82°F. Shade and cool-down areas must be large enough to accommodate workers comfortably, as close as possible to work areas, and blocked from direct sunlight.
High-Heat Protocols: Outdoor workplaces must establish procedures for when temperatures equal or exceed 95°F. These procedures must include reminding employees to take cool-down breaks and drink water, as well as protocols for observing and communicating with workers about heat and heat-related illnesses.
Cool-Down Rest Periods: Employers must encourage employees to cool down preemptively and allow those who request a cool-down period to take one. Workers must also be monitored during rest periods for the symptoms of heat-related illness.
Control and Assessment Measures: Indoor workplaces must have a way to measure temperature and heat index, recording whenever the heat index reaches 87°F or 82°F if employees are working in either a. High-radiant-heat areas or b. Clothing that restricts heat removal.
Weather Monitoring Systems: Outdoor workplaces must check weather reports and know how to respond to weather advisories such as heat waves. Employers need to ensure that once temperatures exceed 80°F, shade structures will be made available. Once temperatures reach 95°F, high-heat procedures must be implemented.
Acclimatization: Employers must keep a close eye on new employees or those who have been recently assigned to hot areas during an initial 14-day acclimatization period. These same observation protocols apply to all workers during a heat wave.
Emergency Response Procedures: Indoor and outdoor workplaces have to provide emergency response or first aid to any employees exhibiting signs of heat illness. This includes contacting emergency medical services if anyone experiences symptoms of heat illness.
Training: Training on heat hazards and related illnesses must be provided to both employees and supervisors.
The specific standards that must be met depend on whether a business is creating an Indoor HIPP or an Outdoor HIPP. An Outdoor HIPP must include procedures for providing shade, clean drinking water, preventative rest periods, high-heat procedures, close observation during acclimatization, prompt emergency responses, and training. An Indoor HIPP will include nearly identical elements, substituting cool-down areas for shade and adding heat assessment, measurement, and feasible control measures.
What is an Injury and Illness Prevention Plan?
An Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (IIPP) is a document that outlines how a business will recognize and resolve workplace hazards. In addition to being a legal requirement, OSHA indicates these plans can have a variety of benefits, including a reduction in total accidents, lower hazard costs, increased productivity, higher employee morale, and a better company reputation. Like a WVPP, IIPPs must meet specific requirements before they can comply with state law.
Injury and Illness Prevention Plan Requirements in California
According to the California Code of Regulations, an Injury and Illness Prevention Plan must include the following:
Assignment of Responsibility: The plan must designate who is responsible for developing and implementing the IIPP.
Training and Compliance Enforcement: In addition to creating compliance enforcement protocols, employers must provide hazard training for new hires, reassigned employees, and those who have been exposed to new hazards. Training must also be updated whenever new hazards are identified.
Hazard Communication: A company’s IIPP will need to include procedures for reporting hazards to employees and allow employees to report concerns anonymously.
Regular Inspections and Hazard Correction: Companies must conduct regular hazard inspections and create procedures in their IIPP to correct (and prioritize) hazards once identified.
Incident Investigation: IIPPs must outline protocols for investigating workplace incidents to determine their causes and prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Employee access to the IIPP is also required by law. Employers must inform employees of their right to access the plan and provide either a printed or digital copy free of charge. Failure to meet this or any other workplace safety guideline may result in an OSHA violation, which can lead to fines, legal penalties, and, in some cases, a temporary shutdown of business operations.
See what’s covered in our IIPP Template
Can OSHA Shut Down a Business for Not Having a Workplace Safety Plan?
Yes, the lack of compulsory workplace safety plans can result in Cal/OSHA issuing an Order Prohibiting Use (OPU), which halts business operations. This typically occurs when the administration identifies a dangerous workplace condition or practice that constitutes an imminent hazard to employees. OPU orders can apply to specific equipment, work areas, or even entire facilities if the hazard is of a significant size or at risk of spreading. The operational halt continues until the hazard is corrected and the administration can conduct a follow-up inspection. In some cases, correcting a hazard can necessitate extensive repairs, safety improvements, or employee retraining.
The process of lifting an OPU can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the nature of the hazard, how quickly an employer addresses it, and when an OSHA inspector can schedule a follow-up visit. However, receiving an OPU notice is only one of several serious consequences businesses may face as a result of an OSHA workplace safety violation.
OSHA Violation Examples and Penalties
Violations related to IIPPs, HIPPs, or WVPPs typically occur when employers fail to establish, implement, or maintain plans in accordance with state law or OSHA guidelines. Failure to meet these requirements can result in civil penalties that vary based on violation type and severity. According to Cal/OSHA, these can include:
Failure to establish an IIPP, HIPP, or WVPP (Regulatory): $500 to $16,550 per violation.
Failure to Implement an IIPP, HIPP, or WVPP Correctly (General): $1000 to $16,550 per violation.
Establishing an IIPP, HIPP, or WVPP That Results in Hazardous Conditions (Serious): $18,000 to $25,000 per violation.
Failure to abate: Violations that are not corrected after citation may result in fines of up to $16,550 per day.
Repeat or Willful Violations: Repeat violations may result in penalties being doubled (1st repeat violation), quadrupled (2nd repeat violation), or multiplied by 10 (3rd repeat violation). Willful violations can cause a penalty to be multiplied by five with a minimum of $11,632 per violation. Either type can equal up to $165,514 per violation.
While these violations can be costly, they can also be easily avoided with a well-structured workplace safety plan. Whether it’s a WVPP, an HIPP, or an IIPP, an effective plan can protect not just your business’s financial health but the physical and emotional well-being of your employees.
How to Create a Workplace Safety Plan
While it is possible to build a plan from the ground up, employers can save significant time and money by using IIPP and WVPP templates. Without a template, developing a workplace safety plan could take days, weeks, or even months, requiring significant resources across multiple departments to complete. Extensive research is also necessary to meet every requirement outlined by OSHA and the California Code of Regulations. In many cases, businesses will outsource these responsibilities to workplace safety consulting firms, which can cost thousands of dollars in unnecessary fees.
WVPP and IIPP templates offer a far more affordable and efficient alternative. These templates can not only help you stay within your budget, they also drastically reduce the time required to create a fully compliant plan. Instead of weeks or months, businesses can complete their workplace safety plans in as little as a few hours. For industries with unique requirements, templates can be customized to address industry-specific risks. Each template offers a simple, structured framework, making it easier to create a workplace safety plan that is both legally compliant and effortless to implement.
Takeaway
The term “workplace safety plan” covers a variety of programs, including Workplace Violence Prevention Plans (WVPPs), Heat Illness Prevention Plans (HIPPs), and Injury and Illness Prevention Plans (IIPPs.) In California, these plans are required by law, and businesses must establish and implement them in accordance with state guidelines. Failure to do so can result in significant civil penalties, ranging from $500 to as much as $165,514 per violation.
In some cases, businesses can also receive an Order Prohibiting Use (OPU), which halts operations when OSHA identifies an imminent hazard. Avoiding violations and OPUs is possible for businesses that create effective and compliant workplace safety plans. While creating these plans can take weeks or months and cost thousands of dollars, businesses can save time and money by using IIPP templates and WVPP templates.