OSHA Launches Initiatives to Help Employers Develop and Implement Effective Health & Safety Programs
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced new initiatives to help employers develop and implement effective health and safety programs and meet federal workplace safety requirements.
The Safety Champions Program
The Safety Champions Program has been launched to help employers develop and implement effective workplace safety and health programs to improve safety and health and prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths. While any employer can sign up to become a safety champion, the program is especially beneficial for small businesses seeking to develop a more effective safety and health program. The program provides a comprehensive framework of policies, guidance, and requirements to help employees enhance their safety and health management program.
The program incorporates the seven core elements of OSHA’s Safety and Health Program Recommended Practices – management leadership, worker participation, hazard identification & assessment, hazard prevention & control, education & training, program evaluation & improvement, and communication and coordination for host employers, contractors & staffing agencies – and provides employers with the tools they need to create an effective safety and health program.
There are three steps to the Safety Champions Program – Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced – each of which is self-guided and self-paced. Participants may request a Safety Champion Special Government Employee (SGE) to assess their progress through the steps and their safety and health program. “The Department of Labor’s new Safety Champions Program exemplifies the Trump Administration’s commitment to supporting and empowering job creators,” U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said. “By providing employers with these resources, we are putting American workers first and keeping them healthy and safe on the job.”
Get The FREE
OSHA & HIPAA Checklist
Immediate Delivery of Checklist Link To Your Email Address
Please Enter Correct Email Address
Your Privacy Respected
HIPAA Journal Privacy Policy
OSHA Cares Initiative
OSHA has also launched a new OSHA Cares Initiative, an agency-wide effort to help businesses meet federal workplace safety requirements and build strong and successful safety and health programs. The initiative is intended to show businesses that OSHA is here to help ensure their workplaces are safe and healthful, and to encourage them to reach out to OSHA for assistance and collaborate with the agency.
The program aims to empower employers to improve safety in the workplace, especially small to medium-sized businesses with unique safety and health challenges. This will be achieved by increasing access to OSHA’s experts and compliance assistance specialists, providing access to educational and training materials, and providing consistent workplace assistance during enforcement visits and meetings. OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs is also launching a training program to standardize how its Compliance Safety and Health Officers will offer real-time assistance during inspections and enforcement activities.
“We want to provide practical, real-time insight, equipping employers with the tools needed to improve safety and health,” said David Keeling, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. “Through open dialogue, responsive support, and trusted resources, we can help workplaces move beyond compliance toward making sure workers go home safe.”
