According to OSHA regulations, every employer in Orange County needs to have an Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) in place. Those businesses that are caught without one can face steep fines. Those fines can add up the longer a business goes without an IIPP in place, and can quickly put a small business in a very uncomfortable financial position.
Smart business owners one ones that have an IIPP drawn up before an OSHA inspector shows up at their place of business and asks to review it.
Once a small business owner realizes their need for an IIPP, one of their first questions is often, “How detailed does my IIPP actually have to be?” In asking this question, they are likely hoping that they can simply find a sample IIPP online, make a few changes, and call it a day. Unfortunately, this won’t cut it with OSHA.
OSHA’s Requirements for an IIPP for Orange County Businesses
One of the main requirements that OSHA has for small businesses is that an IIPP be specific to each business. It needs to address the potential hazards associated with the actual workplace (not just one that is similar), and how each hazard will be prevented and controlled.
An IIPP that is acceptable to OSHA also needs to be detailed. It needs to have policies and procedures in place for preventing workplace injuries and illnesses, and outline how they will be communicated to employees (including who is in charge of communicating them). If necessary, the IIPP should also the details of any health- and safety-related trainings that employees will be required to complete—as well as when they need to be completed.
In addition, an IIPP will provide a procedure for documenting things like any workplace illnesses and injuries and how they were handled, completed equipment inspections and maintenance, and completed trainings.
All of this information needs to be neatly compiled in one printed document that can be shown to an OSHA inspector, should one ask to see your IIPP.
Who Should Put Together an IIPP at Your Orange County Business?
Ideally, an Orange County business will have someone on staff who can dedicate the time to putting together an IIPP that satisfies OSHA requirements. This should be someone who is familiar with occupational hazards and how they can best be prevented. This person should also be someone who is detail-oriented and able to follow OSHA’s strict guidelines for IIPPs.
If your Orange County business doesn’t have this type of person in place, there are local companies who can put together an IIPP on your behalf, such as Diamond Touch Strategies (DTS). DTS works with small businesses throughout Orange County to make sure they are in compliance with OSHA regulations—especially when it comes to their requirements for IIPPs. When you work with DTS, someone will come to your place of business and do a thorough review of your workplace, equipment, and operations and will put a plan in place that will help you protect the health and safety of all of your employees. The plan will be clear and easy to follow, while also satisfying OSHA’s requirements.
DTS specializes in creating IIPPs for industries with higher-than-average instances of injuries and illnesses, such as the construction and manufacturing industries, but are able to complete IIPPs for any type of Orange County business. They offer competitive pricing that includes the excellent service they are known for, as well as quick turnaround times for companies that have already been visited by an OSHA inspector and need to produce an IIPP in a timely manner, or face more fines.
