Use the Safety and Health Program Evaluation Checklist as a guide to aid in structuring your plan.

BOS 3401, Construction Safety 1

UNIT V STUDY GUIDE

Program, Plans, and Policies

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Identify and discuss different types of factors that impact development and maintenance of comprehensive safety and health plans.

2. Explain and differentiate between the roles and responsibilities for maintaining a safe work environment at the management, supervisor, and employee levels.

3. Identify methods of communicating safety and health plans to employees.

Unit Lesson Companies have a responsibility to themselves and their employees to derive and uphold safety and health standards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is very specific about what should be included in a company’s safety and health standards. Ethical, regulatory, economic, and practical factors determine why a construction company develops a comprehensive written safety and health plan. Components of a good safety and health plan should include safety and health policies, goals, roles and responsibilities, procedures, inspections, training, and emergency responses. All employers and employees should work together to prevent the possibilities of accidents. Since everyone has a role and a responsibility to help ensure a safe working environment, management, supervisors, and employees play important roles that interconnect on the work site. Job-site inspections are an important component of a company’s overall safety and health program (Goetsch, 2010). Inspections are a proactive approach to auditing a work-site and ensuring the safety and health of the employees. Accident, record keeping, and training are all key factors in working with a safety and health plan. The last step, communicating the plan to the employees, integrates the objectives of the safety and health plan with an effective strategy to include the following:

 face to face training,

 new employee orientations,

 signs and posters, and

 audio and video training. It is important to set a positive example on the job-site for all employees in order to show that 1) safety and health are very important in construction safety and 2) that all levels of employees at the job-site are to work together for an efficient and positive outcome with regards to the safety and health of all employees.

Reading Assignment Chapter 7: Construction Safety and Health: Program, Plans, and Policies

Supplemental Reading See information below

Key Terms 1. Accident

investigations 2. Accountability 3. Discipline policy 4. Economic factors 5. Emergency response 6. Employee

responsibilities 7. Evaluating the

program 8. Job-site inspections 9. Regulatory factors 10. Safety and health

goals 11. Training

BOS 3401, Construction Safety 2

Reference Goetsch, D. L. (2010). Construction safety and the OSHA standards.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Supplemental Reading Construction Safety Council Review the website for the Construction Safety Council, and increase your familiarity with the information they offer. www.buildsafe.org .