Over the past year, OSHA has been gathering data from trade associations and unions while promoting their initiative I2P2. The initiative would require workplace managers to implement a Injury and Illness Prevention Program. According to OSHA, the program “simple requires employers to develop a program to help them find and fix hazards in their workplaces.”
There are six key elements OSHA sees as necessary components of a successful prevention program, they are:
- Management Leadership
- Worker Participation
- Hazard Identification
- Hazard Prevention
- Control, Education & Training
- Program Evaluation & Improvement
Developing I2P2 into a standard is not an easy task; however, OSHA head, David Michaels called it the Agency’s highest priority of 2011. Michaels and the Agency have been promoting the initiative heavily. Michaels has made close to a dozen speeches since announcing the rule in April, the Agency has held five stakeholder meetings to get input on how to draft it and recently unveiled a new I2P2 webpage to increase interest in the coming initiative.
This is and will be a very important issue for business owners. Keep checking back for the latest I2P2 information.
