MODULE 7: OSH PROGRAMMING

DEVELOPMENT OF AN OSH PROGRAM

After understanding the basic concepts and principles of safety and health in the workplace, we
will now proceed to the discussion on ensuring that OSH activities and interventions are
appropriate and are sustained by the company. Organizations that are really concerned on OSH
always plans and develop programs based on sound written policies that reflect the
organization’s vision, mission, goals and objectives.

Rule 1045 of the OSH Standards requires employers to develop and implement their respective
safety and health policy and programs. This module will help you to design your own OSH
programs specific to the unique conditions and situations of your company.

OBJECTIVES

1. identify the characteristics of an OSH Policy

2. determine the criteria for safety and health program
3. determine the members of safety and health committee and its functions
4. identify the OSH Policy Framework components

I. OSH Policy

Before you can design your company’s safety and health program, foremost is the necessity to
ascertain your company’s S and H policy. What is your company’s commitment on safety and
health? Do you have the strong leadership and the necessary mechanism to implement this?

Firstly, let us define what a policy is. The American Heritage Dictionary defines 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. It is central in any organization inasmuch as
this gives the direction for which the company operates its business. It embodies the company’s
principles and guidelines in accomplishing its goals and objectives.

Consequently, 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. For example, if the
company policy states that safety and health is primordial in its operations, then this becomes
the impetus for OSH programs and activities to be implemented. The policy is the basis for
planning and budgeting of OSH-related activities of the company.
Characteristics of an OSH Policy

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

The OSH policy should be company-specific and should be formulated based on its distinct
nature. It should be clearly written so that all employees will understand its
tenets. The policy should state management’s resolve to promote safety and health in the
workplace. The date and the signature of the company president of chief executive officer are
equally important since this signifies accountability of said policy. It should highlight the
participation of both the employees and management so everybody shall be solidarity
responsible and accountable in its implementation.
II. Safety and Health Program Defined

The approved OSH policy lays the foundation of all programs and activities that will be
conducted by the company.

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. It is a written document that spells
out management’s commitment to protect its workers by undertaking measures to control
exposures to hazards in the workplace.

A Safety and Health program contains an organized set of ideas, principles and procedures
designed to be followed to achieve safety and health excellence. It is a detailed blueprint of
standards and procedures reflecting workplace-specific accepted industry practices which is
supported by both the management and the workers.

It has been found out that effective management of worker safety and health programs:

• Reduces the extent and severity of work related injuries and illnesses – the safety and
health programs that are in place and followed by all concerned employees would
include implementation of appropriate control measures to reduce workplace accidents
and illnesses. Hence, if these are operational the cases of accidents and illnesses will be
minimized.

• Improves employee morale and productivity – knowing that you are working in a
company that values your overall wellness gives you security and peace of mind. This
will result to greater productivity and efficiency among workers.

• Reduces workers’ compensation costs – if accidents and illnesses are prevented then the
costs for paying worker’s compensation will be reduced.

III. Safety and Health Program Criteria

In designing the company’s S and H program, the following criteria shall be considered, namely:

1. Workplace specific – as mentioned earlier on, the design of the safety and health should
be responsive to the specific hazards and exposures brought about by the work
processes and conditions of the company. One company’s OSH program will not be
exactly the same with other companies.

2. Must have commitment from the employer and senior management - management
commitment is critical in the success of a program since they reflect the company’s
 resolve to protect its worker and to ascertain that programs are carried out with no
exceptions.

3. Must have input from the workers – while management leadership in implementing OSH
programs is important, the concerns of the workers should be considered in the
development of OSH programs and policies since they are the once directly involve and
exposed to work hazards. They should be consulted in the course of developing
respective programs.

4. Must assign clear responsibilities and accountabilities – the OSH program should spell
out and clarify the specific responsibilities and accountabilities of all those who have a
stake in company’s OSH program to avoid confusion. Senior management must be
accountable in implementing the programs while the supervisors and employees have
the responsibility for carrying out specific elements of the program.

5. Each of the program’s elements must be in writing – it is important that the OSH
programs should be clearly written so that it cannot be misinterpreted and can be used
as ready reference by everybody. If there is a written document then it would be easy for
the employees to evaluate its compliance or suggest for some improvement.

6. Must address the safety and health of contractors- the OSH programs should not be
limited to workers directly employed by the company but should also extend the same
to its contractors and service providers. This will ensure that everybody is following a
common S and H standards.

7. Be available and effectively communicated – everyone should be made aware of the

company’s OSH programs and policy so they can abide on it. This can be done through
the use of safety bulletins and orientations.

8. Must have an evaluation mechanism – the OSH program and policy is dynamic, hence,
should be regularly monitored, reviewed and updated to make it responsive to the
current situations and conditions of the company as well as applicable laws/orders of
the DOLE and relevant agencies.

IV. Safety and Health Committee

In order to effectively implement the OSH programs, it is required that companies should have
their own Safety and Health Committee. This is provided for in Rule 1040 of the OSH Standards.

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

This is the minimum requirements on the composition of the S and H committee. Depending on
the actual needs, the company can increase its membership. The CEO or his representative
chairs the Committee. This is to show the company’s commitment in implementing the
programs and activities that will be identified. It will give a strong signal that the company is
sincere in its support. In cases where the company is not unionized / organized, the workers’
representative shall be selected from among the workers through a majority vote. If there is a
Labor Management Council (LMC), the worker representative sits in the committee.

The Safety Officer acts as the secretary and is the employer’s focal person in the
implementation of the safety and health programs. His specific duties are stipulated in Rule
1047.

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.

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 same framework is used by the Center in
selecting winners of its biennial Gawad Kaligtasan at Kalusugan (GKK) awards.

The OSH Policy Framework identifies the following components:

1. Safety Control and Emergency Preparedness. These include policies and programs to
mitigate exposures of workers to direct physical hazards in the organization. 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
h. Incident/accident investigation analysis, recording and reporting
i. Safety inspections
j. Emergency preparedness plans and related training

The policy on Emergency Preparedness is very relevant in view of the situations that can
suddenly happen which can adversely affect the company and/or the community in general.
Therefore, a fast and efficient response to emergencies is necessary.

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.

The importance of an effective workplace safety and health program cannot be

overemphasized. There are many benefits from such a program including increased productivity,
improved employee morale, reduced absenteeism and illness. However, incidents still may
occur in spite of efforts to prevent them. 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

There are elements of an Emergency Preparedness Program that should be considered, namely:
a. Review the hazards – identify the hazards and risks that can happen in the organization
or community
b. Evaluate resources – assess the available resources you have including the presence of
trained manpower to respond to emergencies
c. Develop emergency plan and procedure- develop plans and procedures that should be
observed before, during and after the emergency
d. Conduct training – train the right people who will respond to emergencies
e. Conduct drills and exercises - simulation of possible emergency scenarios through drills
and exercise will prepare the employees in the event disasters and calamities will
happen.
f. Educate public – conduct awareness programs for the general public so that they too will
be prepared and will be a source of your support system
g. Integrate in community plan – it is important that the company keeps close coordination
with the locality/community in order to have a synchronized response
 2. Industrial Hygiene Program – this includes programs of the company that covers

• Inventory of chemicals
• Emergency contingency plan
• Capability building program for chemical users
• Materials handling and storage procedures
• Abatement of physical hazards

The company has to define the guidelines on how it will conduct its industrial hygiene program -
who should be involved in terms of the IH activities, how these will be done, and what and to
whom are the capability building interventions that will be conducted, etc.

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

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

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 PWDs
• 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
 As mentioned earlier, it is important to communicate the OSH programs to all the employees to
generate their involvement. This could be done through:
Some Promotional Methods
• Safety Meetings – conducted regularly to remind workers on OSH
• Safety Contests – can include injury rate contest, non-injury rate contest e.g.,
safety slogan, poster, housekeeping
• Use of posters, bulletin boards, displays to publicize safety
• Other activities like safety campaigns, safety courses and demonstrations, public
address systems, publications, suggestion systems

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
➢ Number of accidents and injuries are trending downward
➢ Cost of accidents and injuries is trending downward
➢ Time lost due to work-related injuries or illnesses is reduced

Examples of indicators/areas to look at when monitoring the OSH program:

• 100% compliance on helmet and safety shoes
• Presence of signages and directional signs
• Zero unprotected wall and floor openings

Monitoring of compliance and effectiveness of the OSH programs can be done through the
conduct of safety inspections/assessments, conduct of Work Environment Measurement and
Annual Medical Check-up.

In closing, unless an organization has a written, well-defined, company- specific safety plan in
which everyone in the organization logically understands their roles and responsibilities, all of
the hard work, all of the expense, and all of the hopes for a successful program will be useless.

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.
Learning Activity

1. Research five (5) companies that practices OSH Programs. Identify the specific activities done by
the companies.

• Use the table format.

Company OSH Programs Objectives Date of Activities Participants
1 1.
2.
3. etc
2 1.
2.
3. etc
3 1.
2.
3. etc
4 1.
2.
3. etc
5 1.
2.
3. etc

Write your “CONCLUSION” about the said programs of the companies.