The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last week published Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs to assist employers in improving safety efforts.

The programs are intended to assist small-to-medium sized businesses that are too small to hire a full-time safety manager. 

Although the programs are not mandatory, OSHA has seen them implemented with success in an array of industries, including manufacturing, construction, health care, technology, retail, services, higher education, and government entities.

The OSHA recommendations include seven core elements for a safety and health program:

• Management leadership
• Worker participation
• Hazard identification and assessment
• Hazard prevention and control
• Education and training
• Program evaluation and improvement, and
• Communication and coordination for host employers, contractors and staffing agencies.

Again, these recommendations are advisory in nature, and do not establish new legal requirements or change existing obligations created by OSHA standards or regulations.