An Accident Prevention Plan is a written plan to prevent accidents, illnesses, and injuries on the job.

So, who needs an Accident Prevention Plan? Believe it or not, every business does. To make things more complicated, this plan can go by different names like “Total Safety and Health Plan.” In addition, your business may have additional hazards that require separate safety programs. PIM Savvy is here to help you figure this out at no cost to your business.

First, address general minimum requirements. The best starting point is the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) webpage L&I Accident Prevention Program Page. There are templates for APP general industry and small businesses. There are also templates for a number of specific industries like agriculture, restaurants, construction, logging, and others. Some of these are in both English and Spanish.

Second, determine if your business requires additional programs based on any workplace hazards such as blood-borne pathogens, confined space, chemicals, or loud noises to name a few. There are even location specific plans for waterfront or ski areas and so forth. The plan must be tailored to the needs of your particular workplace or operation and to the types of hazards involved.

Third, create your written Accident Prevention Plan and Hazard/Emergency plans. We are ready to help you find and use pre-existing templates and to point you in the right direction. Ultimately, you must create a plan that is specific to your business and relevant to your employees. Then it’s up to you to put into practice. These can’t be empty words; this plan needs to direct a practical pathway toward accident prevention at your workplace per WAC 296-800-14025.

Fourth, determine what your other safety needs are. Your company probably needs to hold regular safety meetings and if it is big enough needs to create a formal Safety Committee. These establish a method of communicating and evaluating safety and health issues in the workplace as per WAC 296-800-14025. The APP is a living, adaptable document that can be evaluated in these forums with improvements created and recommended in real time. Creating an APP isn’t enough, details for these and other topics are covered in other PIM Savvy blog posts.

We promise that we’re not trying to make things too complicated or difficult. Instead, PIM Savvy is ready to help you with these and other topics individually over the phone, via online meetings, or in person at one of our workshops. We have safety and labor expertise to share with you and we can connect you with L&I. Not only that, in partnership with L&I, these services are FREE to you!

Cheers!

PIM Savvy Inc.

Additional Resources:
L&I webpage for Accident Prevention Programs
L&I webpage for APP requirements for construction, agriculture, fire fighters, or logging
Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-800-14005 developing an APP