Riverside Electric
Safety and Health Written Policy: Riverside Electric
1. Goals and Objectives
1.1 The goals of the Safety and Health Written Policy of Riverside Electric is to orient employees on the pertinent standards and procedures governing fall hazards in the work setting;
1.2 The written policy aims to provide information on crucial personnel who would be responsible for the training and for ensuring that these procedures are clearly understood, communicated, and appropriately adhered to by all employees;
1.3 The objective of the written policy is to ensure that Riverside Electric conforms with the standards proposed and recommended by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); and
1.4 The ultimate goal is to ensure that the workplace is completely safe to avoid any workplace injuries from happening.
2. Scope
The scope of this safety and health policy applies to Riverside Electric, specifically its various stakeholders: employees, supervisory and managerial personnel, customers, and other clientele. The coverage of the safety and health policy pertains to falls and would involve precautions in terms of the use of the following:
• Ladder
• Scaffolding
• General Falls:
3. Procedures
This portion would present details of procedures that govern safety and health of abovementioned stakeholders pertaining to falls in the work setting. First and foremost, Riverside Electric follows the standards set by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) as stipulated guidelines for the Electrical Contractors Industry . The procedures that would be followed would provide guidelines to prevent falls in the work setting, as hereby detailed below:
3.1 Falls Defined
According to OSHA, “a fall hazard is anything at your worksite that could cause you to lose your balance or lose bodily support and result in a fall. Any walking or working surface can be a potential fall hazardOSHA generally requires that fall protection be provided at four feet in general industry, five feet in maritime and six feet in construction” .
3.2 Ladder
Falls could happen when portable ladders are not positioned well; or when the worker shifts his position and becomes off-balanced. The procedures to prevent falls from ladders are as follows:
- Before using the ladder, ensure that it has been properly inspected as to being sturdy and free from cracks or broken parts;
- Position the ladder in a secure and flat surface, including the side rails;
- Ensure that the person on the ladder would have a grab device;
- Ensure that the weight on the ladder is not too heavy for it to lose support;
- Ensure that Ladder Safety Standards in terms of load, angle, rungs, slipping, and other requirements, as prescribed by OSHA are being observed
- Likewise, ladders that comply only with OSHA design standards should be used
[29 CFR 1926.1053(a)] .
3.3 Scaffolding
Scaffolding should comply with the safety requirements as recommended under OSHA’s standard number 1910.28 . As emphasized, “on scaffolds, fall protection is required at 10 feet” .
- Ensure that scaffoldings are constructed according to standards set by OSHA;
- Guardrails must be installed in appropriately designated places, especially in open sides and at the ends of platforms ;
- Provisions should be made for accessing scaffold platforms safely;
- Prevent cross-bracing when climbing or accessing one level to another.
3.4 General Falls
3.4.1 Walking/Working Surface
There are specifically defined standards for walking and working surface through standard number 1910.21 . The procedures to ensure safety of workers from falls relative to walking and working surface are as follows:
- Provide appropriate orientation and training on walking and working surfaces that are potential hazards for falls, such as: “floor hole, floor opening, wall opening, standard railing and standard toeboard” ;
- Maintain work environment in clean condition, free from debris, discarded materials, scatter, or spilled materials;
- Put labels and marks on aisles, passageways, and strategic walking and working areas;
- Ensure that walking and working surfaces contain the maximum allowable weight or load;
- Ensure that no floor openings, wall openings are left uncovered;
- Install proper handrails and guards in open sided passageways, as well as in flights of stairs.
4. Training
4.1 Objectives of the Training
4.1.1 To orient the employees on the specific policies and procedures contained in the Safety and Health Written Policy for Riverside Electric pertinent to fall hazards.
4.1.2 To enable enhancement of knowledge for all employees regarding the specific training requirements of applicable regulations or statutes relating to fall hazards in the work setting.
4.2 When Employees Should be Trained
All employees of Riverside Electric should be trained on the scope and procedures for safety and health governing falls in the work setting upon recruitment and placement within the organization. The training would clearly define the abovementioned scope and enumerate the procedures within the fall hazards that were presented herein. Likewise, the participants would also be trained on the standards and guidelines proposed and recommended by OSHA to ensure that these are adhered to and followed as prescribed. The employees would be provided with a compendium of the scope and procedures for their perusal.
4.3 Manner of Training
The head of the Human Resources Department would be in charge of training on the facet of safety and health, according to the standards prescribed by OSHA on falls. Training would be conducted to all employees upon entry to the organization; which means, during orientation. Likewise, regular annual training would also be scheduled to re-orient all employees on new updates, regulations, best practices, and other pertinent standards and designs for safety that must be enforced in the work setting. All training documents, evaluations, and updates would be filed and retained in the Human Resources Department. The type of training would be using lecture and presentation of information, according to the suggested lesson plans recommended by OSHA. Finally, the results of the training for all participants would be evaluated through a test, much like OSHA’s Fall Hazard Test, as shown in Appendix A, to gauge understanding of the topics which were presented.
4.4 OSHA Training for Falls
4.4.1 OSHA has Lesson Plans for Walking – Working Surfaces The lesson plan contains information of the OSHA standard; as well as various steps for planning, presenting, and identifying the learning objectives for walking – working surfaces, ladders, and scaffoldings.
4.4.2. OSHA’s Fall Hazard Lesson Test . The contents of the test is shown as Appendix A, and has been partially revised to cater to the needs of Riverside Electric employees.
5. Best Practice
The contents included in the Safety and Health Written Policy of Riverside Electric reflects best practice in the electric contractor industry due to the conformity to standards recommended by the OSHA. By making all employees aware of the goals and objectives, the scope, procedures, and training information, employees are provided with the crucial guidelines and directives which would assist in ensuring conformity to safety within the conduct of their responsibilities.
6. Responsibilities for Accountability
6.1 President
The organization is headed by its President, Paul Gangloff, Jr., whose role in enforcing the Safety and Health Written Policy is paramount and crucial. As the leader at the helm of the organizational hierarchy, Mr. Gangloff is responsible for ensuring that the Safety and Health Written Policy has been designed to serve the best interests of all employees, and to conform to the safety and health standards of the United States Department of Labor, particularly the OSHA.
6.2 Human Resources Manager
The Human Resources Manager (HRM) is responsible for orienting all employees, at entry point; as well as in regular training on the procedures enumerated in the Safety and Health Written Policy, particularly in enhancing awareness regarding fall hazards. Regular updates and performance evaluation of all employees to these safety procedures are also within the responsibilities of the HR Manager. As such, the HR Manager will prepare the proposed documents of training, Appendix B; as well as perform and document the training conducted, as shown in the attached Appendix C.
7. Availability
The original copy Safety and Health Written Policy is kept on file by the HR Manager but copies are disseminated to all employees in the form of a compendium, which, as disclosed, would be distributed during orientation and training.
8. Continuous Improvement and Performance Evaluation
Regular updates on the Safety and Health Written Policy should be adapted pursuant to the regulations and standards proposed and recommended by OSHA. As such, it is the responsibility of the HR Manager to conduct performance evaluation to determine whether conformity to standards are adhered and whether there is a weakness in awareness of information to ensure following the procedures contained herein..
The paper trail to document the events is shown in the sample of the Performance Evaluation Results for the Training Conducted is shown as Appendix D. Appendix E would show the proposed Accident Evaluation Form for Riverside Electric and Appendix F would document the performance evaluation of accidents or injuries sustained during the month.
References
(n.d.). General Industry Training Program (10-hour): Topic: Walking – Working Surfaces. OSHA.
OSHA Directorate of Training and Education. (2011, April). Construction Focus Four: Fall Hazards. Retrieved from osha.gov: https://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/construction/focus_four/falls/falls_ig.pdf
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Definitions: Walking-Working Surface. Retrieved from osha.gov: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9713
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Electrical Contractors Industry. Retrieved from Occupational Safety & Health Administration: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/electricalcontractors/
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Improper Scaffold Construction. Retrieved from osha.gov: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/construction/falls/improper_scaffolds.html
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Ladder Safety. Retrieved from osha.gov: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/construction/falls/4ladders.html
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Misuse of Portable Ladders. Retrieved from osha.gov: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/construction/falls/ladders.html
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Safety requirements for scaffolding. Retrieved from osha.gov: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9720
