The majority of companies in the United States are required to have a collection of safety-related policies and procedures. These policies and procedures combine into one company safety manual. There are hundreds of topics to choose from. So how do you choose the topics in your company safety manual? I will give a few considerations here.
Industry Core Topics
The most basic and relevant topics include your industry’s core topics. These topics come from your published industry standards. Companies that work in the electrical field will have NFPA requirements. Companies that work in mining will have MSHA requirements and trucking companies will have DOT requirements. Choosing topics based on industry is a perfect starting point to ensure you are covered.
Hazards Faced by Employees
Not all industries have standards outside of OSHA requirements, so may have to come up with their own topics to cover. This can be accomplished by conducting a hazard assessment of the specific risks your employees face. Hazard assessments are key in reducing or eliminating incidents. Every company has an obligation to protect their employees from harm. Even small companies that are only office-based face hazards that require policies and procedures to help prevent injuries. Hazard assessments will point you in the right direction.
Client Requirements
One of the most important places to look for topics to cover in your safety manual is with your clients. Depending on how safety-conscious your clients are, they may have very few topics required or a slew of topics required that must be met word for word. Larger corporations that use contractor compliance sites like ISNetworld®, Veriforce®, and Avetta® usually have a large list of topics that must be covered. Creating policies and procedures to meet these requirements can be a daunting task.
