OSHA Issues I2P2 White Paper Ahead of Proposal First Look
As the Small Business Administration begins the process of engaging what will be a panel of small businesses in a review of a proposed OSHA injury and illness prevention program (I2P2) standard through the SBREFA process that all OSHA rulemaking must undergo (http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/825), the OSH trade press is reporting that OSHA will release the first look at what its proposal will contain the second half of February. Leading up to this, OSHA in January released a white paper on I2P2 programs, as this communication from OSHA’s From OSHA’s Office of Outreach Services and Alliances describes –
OSHA has issued a white paper on “Injury and Illness Prevention Programs” (also available as a PDF). An injury and illness prevention program (also known as safety and health management systems or safety and health programs) is a proactive process to help employers find and fix workplace hazards before workers are hurt…..
The white paper includes sections on how injury and illness prevention programs work; the costs of workplace deaths, illnesses, and injuries; evidence that these programs protect workers and improve the “bottom line”; how widespread the programs have become; and how these programs can be effectively implemented by small businesses.
OSHA makes the following conclusions in the white paper:
- Despite the combined efforts of employers, workers, unions, safety professionals and regulators, more than 4,500 workers lose their lives and more than four million are seriously injured each year. Tens of thousands more die or are incapacitated because of occupational illnesses including many types of cancer and lung disease. The human toll from this loss is incalculable and the economic toll is enormous.
- Many employers in the U.S. have been slow to adopt a workplace “safety culture” that emphasizes planning and carrying out work in the safest way possible.
- Injury and illness prevention programs are based on proven managerial concepts that have been widely used in industry to bring about improvements in quality, environment and safety, and health performance. Effective injury and illness prevention programs emphasize top-level ownership of the program, participation by employees, and a “find and fix” approach to workplace hazards.
- Injury and illness prevention programs need not be resource-intensive and can be adapted to meet the needs of any size organization.
The white paper is posted on OSHA’s Injury and Illness Prevention Programs Web page, which includes additional information from OSHA and other organizations on injury and illness prevention programs. I hope you will share this information with others in your organization, including workers and down stream customers, as part of our efforts together through OSHA’s cooperative programs.