Worksafe BC
No matter your size, all employers must develop and maintain a workplace health and safety program. Have you reviewed yours lately? While your program will depend on the size of your business, an effective program contains the following components:
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) policy – Your policy is a statement of your commitment to health and safety. It should highlight the responsibilities of employers, supervisors, and workers in supporting the program.
- Orientation and training – Orient and train new workers on safety policies and procedures before they begin any job. Then supervise to ensure all workers are performing the job safely. If equipment is changed or updated, ensure workers have been updated on their training.
- Written instructions – Make sure instructions are written simply, clearly and in consideration of the language requirements of your workers.
- Regular inspections – Inspections help to spot potential problems such as the hazards of a particular location or poor condition of equipment and tools. Schedule them often enough to prevent unsafe working conditions from developing.
- •Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Have the appropriate PPE available to all workers and ensure workers are trained in its use.
- Incident investigations – Investigate incidents and “near misses”, and identify any changes required to prevent future incidents from reoccurring.
- Health and safety meetings – Keep a record of each meeting, including who attended and what was discussed.
- First aid – Review your first aid requirements as they can vary depending on the hazards and risks of each workplace.
- Record keeping – Certain records are required by the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and can act as supporting documentation if an incident occurs.
- Emergency response plan – Create a plan for workplace emergencies such as fires, explosions, chemical spills, or natural disasters and make sure your employees understand how to respond effectively in an emergency.
You can find resources to help you meet your health and safety requirements and learn more about the OHS Regulation at worksafebc.com/agriculture.