I2P2: It’s on OSHA’s Mind, Is It on Yours?

According to BLS, the total number of injury and illness cases requiring days away from work to recuperate was in 2011(the most recent year for which such statistics are available) was 1,181,290. The median days away from work was 8 days.

Some other interesting stats:

• The severity of injury to men was greater than that to women; men required a median of 10 days to recuperate compared with a median of 7 days for women.
• Among private industry workers, injuries and illnesses to workers with 1-5 years of service with an employer accounted for 35 percent of the cases. However, the number of cases involving days away from work increased for workers with fewer than 3 months of service (up 3 percent from the previous year) and 3-11 months of service (up 7 percent).
• Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) cases (387,820) accounted for 33 percent of all injury and illness cases in 2011. The median days away from work to recuperate from MSDs was 11 days.

With one of the items on OSHA’s regulatory agenda for 2013 and beyond being development of a federal Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2) standard, and with some states already having such requirements, it might be a good idea to take a quick look at what’s involved in creating an I2P2.

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Planning Your Plan

According to Don Dressler, a consultant who focuses on safety, employment and human resources issues, accident investigations, OSHA compliance, and workers’ compensation (www.dondressler.com), I2P2 plans typically:

• Assign responsibilities for safety
• Specify how you communicate with employees about safety
• Describe how employee compliance with safety is assured
• Define how hazards are inspected
• Specify accident investigation procedures
• Call for a hazard correction process
• Plan safety training
• Detail recordkeeping requirements

Additionally, some states specifically require the use of employee safety committees.

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Resources

If you are just getting started creating an I2P2 plan, some samples or guidance on what to include can be helpful. The following resource, recommended by Dressler, can be found online, and could give you some important information to assist in the creation of your I2P2:

Sample Safety and Health Program for Small Business