At Diamond Touch Strategies (DTS), as we talk with small business owners in cities like Anaheim, Orange, and Newport Beach, there is one question that we hear a lot: “Why do I need a written Injury & Illness Prevention Program?” These business owners will likely tell you that they have every incentive to keep their employees healthy and safe. Not only do they care about their employees as people, but they also want them to be as productive as possible for the business. They will tell us that they already have procedures in place that all employees know about and are required to follow, and training happens on the job and is led by those who are most familiar with the safe operation of equipment and/or handling of hazardous materials. They find it a hassle to have to create an official manual that documents the things they are already doing.
To put it simply, the reason why every employer in cities like Anaheim, Orange, and Newport Beach needs to have an IIPP is because Cal/OSHA requires it. It’s the law. This has been the case since 1991, when Cal/OSHA made it a requirement for any company that has even one employee. The specific requirements for an IIPP can be found in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Section 3203. Further requirements specific to companies in the construction industry can be found in Section 1509.
The goal of an IIPP is to provide the best possible workplace protection for employees, while also reducing losses that can be associated with employee injuries and illnesses. However, meeting all of the CCR’s detailed requirements is no easy task.
That’s where DTS comes in.
DTS has the knowledge and expertise to produce an IIPP for your company that will meet all the current requirements set forth by Cal/OSHA for an IIPP. When you work with DTS for IIPP development, we won’t just provide you with a generic IIPP document (because Cal/OSHA won’t accept a generic document). Rather, we’ll produce an IIPP that is specific to your industry and your business.
We’ll come to your workplace and evaluate it for potential hazards and talk to you about your current policies and procedures related to workplace health and safety. We will then come up with an effective, comprehensive program that addresses safe and healthy work practices. We can develop any employee training programs that are deemed necessary and provide you with a system to properly document the trainings you conduct. We can also come up with a system that will allow you to conduct thorough investigations and correct unsafe conditions or practices if they do occur. Finally, we’ll produce a printed IIPP document for you to keep at your place of business for reference and to show any OSHA representatives who may come on site and request to see it.
You can’t afford to not have an IIPP in place! If your business is caught without one, the fines can be steep. Let Diamond Touch Strategies help by producing an IIPP that meets Cal/OSHA’s detailed requirements. Contact us to learn more.