If OSHA came to your door, what’s one of the first things the inspector might ask to see? The answer is . . . your Hazard Communication Plan. Is your written plan up for that kind of scrutiny? How about your other safety and health plans? Are you sure you have all the required written plans you need in place?
Not all OSHA regulations require written plans, but many do. The question is which ones? Take a look at the bulleted list of general industry regulations requiring written plans. For your convenience, we’ve put them in order from most-violated down to least-violated plans, according to the latest OSHA statistics:
- Hazard communication – 1910.1200(e)
- Lockout/tagout (energy control procedures)- 1910.147(c)(4)
- Respiratory protection – 1910.134(c)(1)
- Process safety management – 1910.119(d),(e)(1),(f)(1),(j)(1),(l)(1),(m)(4),(o)(3)
- Personal protective equipment (hazard assessment) – 1910.132(d)
- Bloodborne pathogens – 1910.1030(c)
- Emergency action plans – 1910.38(b)
- Permit-required confined spaces – 1910.146(c)(4)
- Hazardous waste operations and emergency response – 1910.120(b)(1),(l)(1),(p)(1),(q)(1)
- Electrical safety (assured equipment grounding conductor program and lockout/tagout procedures for work with energized parts) – 1910.304(b)(3)(ii) and 1910.333(b)(2)(i)
- Fire prevention plans – 1910.39(b)
- Laboratory standard (chemical hygiene plan) – 1910.1450(e)
- Commercial diving operations (safe practices manual) – 1910.420
- Powered platforms for building maintenance (emergency action plan) – 1910.66(e)(9)
When OSHA considers a safety or health hazard to be serious, the agency usually requires written documentation of the steps an employer takes to counteract the hazard. You can see that the above list covers some of the most serious hazards faced by workers today, including, but not limited to, chemical exposures, process explosions, fire, electrocution, and bloodborne pathogens.
As an employer, not all of these plans will necessarily be applicable to your workplace, so you’ll want to review the scope and applicability of these regulations to see if your company falls under any of them. For the applicable ones, make sure your written plans meet all the OSHA-required elements specified in the regulations.
Below are links to 189 examples of subject-specific, written, workplace, safety and health plans. Many address OSHA required plans.  They are provided as guides to help you develop, implement and maintain your own plans.  They are not intended to be adopted “as is”, nor do they assure compliance with any standards.  It is recommended that all safety and health plans be adapted to each organizations’ unique needs, exposures and operations by a qualified occupational safety and health professional.
- Sample Written Program for Respiratory Protection
- Model Plans and Programs for the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens and Haz-Com Standards
- Bloodborne Pathogens – 1
- Bloodborne Pathogens Program – 2 (Word) (PDF)
- Bloodborne Pathogens Program – 3
- Bloodborne Pathogens Program – 4
- Chemical Hygiene/Lab Safety Program (Word) (PDF)
- Confined Space Entry Program – 1 (Word) (PDF)
- Confined Space Entry Program – 2
- Construction Company Safety and Health Policy (Word) (PDF)
- Electrical Safety Policy – 1 (Word) (PDF)
- Electrical Safety Policy – 2
- Emergency Action & Fire Prevention Plan – 1 (Word) (PDF)
- Emergency Action & Fire Prevention Plan – 2
- Employee Exposure and Medical Records
- Emergency Response
- Fire Prevention
- First Aid Plan – 1 (Word) (PDF)
- First Aid Plan – 2
- General Industry Safety & Health Policy (Word) (PDF)
- Hazard Communication Program – 1 (Word) (PDF)
- Hazard Communication Program – 2
- Hazard Communication Program – 3
- Hazard Communication Program – 4
- Hazardous Waste Operations Policy (Word) (PDF)
- Hazardous Waste Plan Guidelines (Word) (PDF)
- Hearing Conservation Program – 1 (Word) (PDF)
- Hearing Conservation Program – 2
- Hearing Conservation Program – 3
- Hot Work Permit (Word) (PDF)
- Job Hazard Analysis Program (Word) (PDF)
- Lockout/Tagout Program (short version) (Word) (PDF)
- Lockout/Tagout Program (long version) (Word) (PDF)
- Lockout/Tagout  – 3
- PPE Haz Analysis & Training Documents: Long Version (Word) (PDF)
- PPE Haz Analysis & Training Documents: Short Version (Word) (PDF)
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)Â – 1
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – 2
- Respiratory Program, Voluntary, Filtering Facepieces (Word) (PDF)
- Respiratory Program, Voluntary Use (Word) (PDF)
- Respiratory Protection Program – 1 (Word) (PDF)
- Respiratory Protection Program – 2
- Sharps and Infectious Waste: Handling and Disposal Program
- 15 Â – Â Written Compliance Programs
- 120 Â – Â Sample Safety Programs
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