VCRC INJURY ILLNESS PREVENTION POLICY

VCRC INJURY ILLNESS PREVENTION POLICY    

Overview

In California, Village Community Resource Center has a legal obligation to provide and maintain a safe and healthful workplace for employees. This policy describes the employers’ responsibilities in establishing, implementing, and maintaining an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP)*. It also outlines steps that can be taken to develop an effective program that helps assure the safety and health of employees while on the job. The personal safety and health of each employee of Village Community Resource Center is of primary importance. Prevention of occupationally induced injuries and illnesses is of such consequence that it will be given precedence over operating productivity. This manual is designed to help provide better workplace protection for Village Community Resource Center’s employees, and to reduce losses resulting from accidents and injuries. Please note that this document is intended to provide guidance rather than a legal interpretation of any state standard.

Management Commitment

Village Community Resource Center’s commitment to safety and health shows in every decision and every action taken. Management can demonstrate this commitment through personal concern for employee safety and health and by the priority placed on these issues. The person or persons with the authority and responsibility for Village Community Resource Center’s safety and health program will be identified and given management’s full support. 

The prevention of accidents is an objective affecting all levels of Village Community Resource Center and its operations. Therefore, an Injury and Illness Prevention Program will be integrated into all phases of Village Community Resource Center’s operation and administration, including Company policies and procedures, and disciplinary actions to ensure employee compliance with safe and healthful work practices.

Respecting this, Village Community Resource Center will make every reasonable effort to provide a safe and healthful workplace that is free from any recognized or known potential hazards. Additionally, Management subscribes to these principles: 

• All accidents are preventable through implementation of an effective IIPP. 
• Safety and Health controls are a major part of work every day. Each supervisor will make the safety of all employees an integral part of their regular management function. 
• Accident prevention is good business. It minimizes human suffering, promotes better working conditions for everyone, holds Village Community Resource Center in higher regard with customers, and increases productivity. This is why Village Community Resource Center will comply with all safety and health regulations which apply to the course and scope of operations. 
• Management is committed to allocating and providing all of the resources needed to promote and effectively implement an Injury and Illness Prevention Program.
• Employees are responsible for following safe work practices and company rules, and for preventing accidents and injuries. Management will establish lines of communication to solicit and receive comments, information, suggestions, and assistance from employees where safety and health are concerned.
• Management and supervisors of Village Community Resource Center will set an exemplary example with good attitudes and strong commitment to safety and health in the workplace. Toward this end, Management must monitor company safety and health performance, working environment, and conditions to ensure that program objectives are achieved.
• This program applies to all employees and persons affected or associated in any way by the scope of this business. Everyone’s goal must be to constantly improve safety awareness and to prevent accidents and injuries. 

Safety Communications

Village Community Resource Center’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program includes a system for communicating with employees in a readily understandable format on matters relating to occupational safety and health. This communication system is also designed to encourage employees to inform the employer of hazards at the worksite without fear of reprisal.

General employee meetings may be scheduled, during which safety is freely and openly discussed by those present. Date and time will be announced to all employees so that maximum employee attendance can be achieved. 

Other vehicles that may be used include training programs, posters and bulletins, or newsletters. Employees may choose to act anonymously if desired, by placing written communication concerns to management in the mailbox outside VCRC.

Hazard Assessment & Control

Periodic inspections by Management provide a method of identifying existing or potential hazards in the workplace, and eliminating or controlling them. This hazard control system is the basis for developing safe work procedures and injury/illness prevention training for employees. Through scheduled and documented self-inspections, many hazards may be prevented. 

Village Community Resource Center will ensure that established safe work practices are being followed and any unsafe conditions or procedures are being identified and corrected properly. The frequency of these inspections depends on the operations involved, the magnitude of the hazards, the proficiency of employees, changes in equipment or work processes, and the history of workplace injuries and illnesses. Written inspection reports may be reviewed by management. 

Management encourages employees to report any possibly hazardous situations knowing their reports will be given prompt and serious attention without fear of reprisal. By letting them know that the situation was corrected (or why it was not hazardous), employees can continue to report hazards promptly and effectively within a systematic process.

In addition, Village Community Resource Center’s IIPP monitors the operation of workplace equipment, and can also verify that routine preventive maintenance is conducted and personal protective equipment is reliable (in safe and good working condition). 

Hazards should be corrected as soon as they are identified. For any that can’t be immediately corrected, Management will set a target date for correction based on such considerations as the probability and severity of an injury or illness resulting from the hazard; the availability of needed equipment, materials, and/or personnel; time for delivery, installation, modification, or construction; and training periods.

Accident Investigation

Through a thorough and properly completed accident investigation, Village Community Resource Center can use this tool to identify and recognize the areas responsible for accidents or near-miss occurrences. The primary focus is understanding why the accident or near miss occurred and what actions can be taken to preclude recurrence. Questions that are asked in an accident investigation include:

• What happened? 

• • Management can find out what took place that prompted the investigation: an injury to an employee, an incident that caused a production delay, damaged material, or any other conditions recognized as having a potential for losses or delays.

• Why did the incident happen? 

• • Management obtains all the facts surrounding the occurrence: what caused the situation to occur; who was involved; was/were the employee(s) qualified to perform the functions involved in the accident or near miss; were they properly trained; were proper operating procedures established for the task involved; were procedures followed, and if not, why not; where else this or a similar situation might exist and how it can be corrected.

• What should be done?

• • The person conducting the investigation then determines which aspects of the operation or processes require additional attention. It is important to note that the purpose here is not to establish blame, but to determine what type of constructive action can eliminate the cause(s) of the accident or near miss.

• What action has been taken? 

• • Action already taken to reduce or eliminate the exposures being investigated will be noted, along with those remaining to be addressed. Any interim or temporary precautions as well as any pending corrective action and reason for delaying its implementation will be identified. 

Thorough investigation of all accidents and near misses will help Village Community Resource Center identify causes and needed corrections, and can help determine why accidents occur, where they happen, and any accident trends. Such information is critical to preventing and controlling hazards and potential accidents within the workplace.

Safety Planning, Rules, & Work Procedures

Effective safety and health planning includes the following: 

• Rules written to apply to everyone and addressing areas such as personal protective equipment, appropriate clothing, expected behavior, and emergency procedures. These will be updated to reflect present conditions, including new exposures when introduced into the workplace. 
• Safe and healthful work practices developed for each specific job.
• Discipline or reward procedures to help assure that safety rules and work procedures are put into practice and enforced (e.g., employee recognition programs as positive motivation for compliance). 
• A written plan for emergency situations. This includes a list of emergencies that could arise and a set of procedures in response to each situation.
• For any operations involving hazardous substances or procedures, emergency response teams will be designated and specifically trained to handle possible imminent hazards.

Disciplinary Procedures for Safety Violations

The success of Village Community Resource Center’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program is dependent upon the willing participation of its employees. Accident prevention is the key goal of this program. 

Safety & Health Training

Training is one of the most important elements of any Injury and Illness Prevention Program. Employees benefit from safety and health training through fewer work-related injuries and illnesses, and reduced stress and worry caused by exposure to hazards. An effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program includes training for both supervisors and employees; training for both is required by OSHA safety orders.

To be effective and also meet OSHA requirements, Village Community Resource Center’s training program needs to…

• Let supervisors know…

• • …they are key figures responsible for the establishment and success of your Injury and Illness Prevention Program.

• • …the importance of establishing and maintaining safe and healthful working conditions.

• • …they are responsible for being familiar with safety and health hazards to which their employees are exposed, how to recognize them, the potential effects these hazards have on the employees, and the rules, procedures, and work practices for controlling exposure to those hazards.

• • …how to convey this information to employees by setting good examples, instructing them, and making sure they fully understand and follow safe procedures.

• • …how to investigate accidents and take corrective and preventive action.

• Let employees know…

• • …the success of the Company’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program depends on their actions as well as yours.

• • …the safe work procedures required for their jobs and how these procedures protect them against exposure.

• • …when personal protective equipment is required or needed, how to use it and maintain it in good condition.

• • …what to do if emergencies occur in the workplace.

An effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program requires proper job performance by everyone in the workplace. Management will ensure that all employees are knowledgeable about the materials and equipment they are working with, what known hazards are present and how they are controlled.

In turn, each employee understands that:

• No employee is expected to undertake a job until they have received instructions on how to do it properly and safely, and is authorized to perform the job.
• No employees should undertake a job that appears to be unsafe.
• No employee should use chemicals without fully understanding their toxic properties and without the knowledge required to work with them safely.
• Mechanical safeguards must always be in place and kept in place.
• Employees are to report to a superior or designated individual all unsafe conditions encountered during work.
• Any work-related injury or illness suffered, however slight, must be reported to management at once.
• Personal protective equipment must be used when and where required, and properly maintained.

Safety Recordkeeping and Documentation

Village Community Resource Center maintains records of employee training, hazard identification, and accident investigation. A written report will additionally be maintained on each accident, injury, or on-the-job illness requiring medical treatment. A record of each such injury or illness is recorded on the OSHA Form 300 “Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses,” according to its instructions. Supplemental records of each injury are maintained on OSHA Form 301 “Injury and Illness Incident Report.” Every year, a summary of all reported injuries or illnesses is posted on OSHA Form 300A.

Reporting

All serious accidents must be reported to OSHA. In cases of hospitalization or death, a full investigation with copies to governmental authorities is required. In less serious cases, the investigation report will be disclosed to Village Community Resource Center’s insurance carrier and for remedial action at the work site.

COVID-19

For Policies and Procedures updated in response to COVID-19, please see, “VCRC_Health and Safety Protocols_Covid19_v.9.27.2020pptx” 

and “Village Community Resource Center COVID-19 Safety Protocols.”  Both documents can be located within the Google Drive under COVID-19 Protocols, Employee Information, Safety, Health and Safety Training.

* Exceptions to the Written IIPP and Documentation Requirements

Establishments with < 20 employees during the calendar year and in an industry not on the designated high hazard list and who have a Worker’s Compensation Experience Modification Rate (ExMod) of 1.1% or less; and Establishments with < 20 employees during the calendar year on a designated List of Low Hazard Industries can limit written documentation of the IIPP to the following requirements:

• The identity of the person(s) with authority and responsibility for program implementation as required by T8CCR 3203 (a)(1),
• Scheduled periodic “inspections” to identify unsafe conditions and work practices as required by T8CCR 3203 (a)(4),
• Training and instruction provided to employees as required by T8CCR 3203 (a)(7)