If you’ve landed on this blog post, it’s probably because you are an Orange County small business owner who just discovered that you need an Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) in place at your company.
If you have been in business for a while already and just found this out, you’re not alone. Many business owners are surprised to learn about the OSHA requirement that every business have an IIPP. They may operate a business for many years before realizing they are out of compliance in this area. In the worst-case scenario, a business owner finds out about their need for an IIPP when an OSHA or Cal/OSHA inspector shows up at their place of business and requests to see a copy of the IIPP. When the inspector finds that there isn’t one, they will almost certainly levy a hefty fine.
Hopefully, this hasn’t happened to you. Perhaps you’re a new business owner or one who just hired your first employee(s), and you found out about your need for an IIPP through your research into the requirements for employers or were told about it by a helpful fellow business owner. Your next step was probably figuring out how to have an IIPP created as easily and inexpensively as possible, and that led you to search for an IIPP template online that you could use to satisfy OSHA’s requirement.
Are There Good IIPP Templates Online?
If you’re looking for an online IIPP template that you can just add your company name to and be done, you are going to be disappointed, unfortunately. One of the main requirements of an IIPP is that it be business specific. That means that the health and safety policies, procedures, and trainings laid out in your IIPP need to address the specific conditions at your place of work. There is no template out there that will make the process of creating an IIPP quick and easy.
For employers willing to put in a good amount of work after purchasing an IIPP template, this could be an option. But most small business owners already have full plates. They don’t have the time to invest in creating an IIPP that an OSHA or Cal/OSHA inspector will approve—even if they start with a template.
IIPP Creation by Small Business Experts
Using an IIPP template isn’t your only option. At DTS, we help small business owners throughout Orange County create IIPPs that satisfy OSHA and Cal/OSHA requirements. We come to your place of business and assess your space, your activities, your equipment, and anything else that is relevant to the health and safety of your employees. We then put a program in place that is not only thorough, but also easy to follow. It will provide you with tools for documenting when employee safety trainings are completed (something else an OSHA inspector will want to see if they ever show up at your business). Your IIPP will also provide you with a clear process for investigating any employee injuries or illnesses that do occur.
At DTS, we have done the work to become experts in workplace health and safety issues, so you don’t have to! While you do what you do best—run your business—we can work behind the scenes to create an IIPP that will put you in compliance with OSHA and also make your business a safer place to work.
Contact us at DTS to learn more. We offer competitive pricing on IIPP creation for Orange County small businesses.