Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley and Vice President of the Human Services Group Sam Brown discuss developing an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program using State Fund's IIPP Builder℠.
Show Notes: Subscribe to Rancho Mesa's Newsletter, State Fund's IIPP Builder℠
Director/Host: Alyssa Burley
Guest: Sam Brown
Producer/Editor: Megan Lockhart
Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence
© Copyright 2023. Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
Transcript
[Introduction Music]
Alyssa Burley: Hi! This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa’s Media Communications and Client Services Department. Thank you for listening to today’s top Rancho Mesa news brought to you by our safety and risk management network, StudioOne™. Welcome back, everyone. My guest is Sam Brown, Vice President of the Human Services group with Rancho Mesa. Today, we're going to talk about developing an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program. Sam, welcome to the show.
Sam Brown: Thanks, Alyssa. Always good to be back in StudioOne™.
AB: So, this is your first episode in the new studio, right?
SB: It is. This is beautiful. We're going to do a lot of good work in here.
AB: Yeah, it's a lot more roomy, spacious.
SB: Quiet.
AB: Yeah, quiet, which is always a good thing for a studio.
SB: Yeah, it's terrific in here.
AB: Yeah.
SB: I bet you’re pleased.
AB: We're very excited. So, all right, so let's talk about the IIPP. So, some of our listeners may recall that back in- or since- 1991 in California, all employers are required to maintain a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program. Many of us know it as the IIPP. Will you give us a brief overview of the IIPP?
SB: Sure. So, the Injury Illness Prevention Program, or as you said, IIPP for short, is literally a document. It's a document that should spell out tailored safety programs for a business's operations and all the safety expectations, protocols, procedures. It needs to be easily understandable as well as accessible to employees, either sitting there in a physical location or upon request. But, what I always come back to is if someone were to say to me, “Hey, what's one thing that we should be doing, or where should we start in creating a safer workplace?” It all starts with that IIPP and it should work really smoothly.
AB: Yeah, it's like a roadmap.
SB: It really is.
AB: So, we're talking specifically about the requirements per the state of California, but federal OSHA also has very similar guidance on an IIPP, and there's actually 34 states that have requirements for an IIPP. So, our listeners should be checking with their local states to make sure that they understand their requirements. For our California listeners, what are some of the most important requirements of the IIPP?
SB: Good question. OSHA does a really good job- or CAL/OSHA does a really good job of letting you know exactly what needs to be in the IIPP. And, I think that's important because they're not asking you to do anything more and certainly not asking you to do anything less than these nine points that I'm about to mention. So hang with me, pay attention, take a few notes. It’ll also be on our website, I’m sure. So, number 1: a person or persons with authority and responsibility for implementing the program is identified. Number 2: a system for ensuring employees comply with safe and health work practices. Number 3: a system for communicating with employees in a form, readily understandable by all affected. Number 4: procedures for identifying and evaluating workplace hazards. I think that one's really important. Number 5: procedures to investigate occupational injury or illness. Number 6: procedures for correcting unsafe or unhealthy conditions, work practices, and procedures. I think that's a great follow up to number four. Number 7: provide employee training and instruction. Number 8: procedures to allow employee access to the program. And number 9: record keeping and documentation.
AB: And those are all things that we should be doing anyways. So, okay, so that's pretty straightforward. If business owners are feeling overwhelmed and need assistance revising their IIPP or even getting started for the first time and they may need more help than what Cal/OSHA's model IIPP can give them. Where do you recommend that they get help?
SB: Another terrific resource that is readily available for all California employers, and it's also free, is State Fund’s IIPP Builder. So, we all know that state fund is there as one of the stalwarts of workers comp in California. They're going to help their policyholders as much as possible to maintain a great safety record. But, they also want to help other California employers. This IIPP builder is really simple and straightforward. What it's going to do, it’s going to ask a series of safety related questions. The answers to those questions is going to tailor a safety program for the individual business’s operations and also really set forth a path towards maintaining and establishing that safe workplace.
AB: Yeah, and I think that that's really important that you mentioned, I think twice now, that it's tailored to that organization, because you know, just using a template isn't going to be enough. So, once our clients have the IIPP that's updated, it's tailored to their organization, Rancho Mesa clients can actually upload it into their SafetyOne™ mobile app, so that it’s accessible to all their employees out in the field. And, I think that's pretty cool. Sam, is there anything else that you would add and, and how can listeners get in touch with you if they have questions about their Injury and Illness Prevention Program or risk management?
SB: Sure. So, the last thing I would add is once the IIPP is created, don't stop there. You have to print it and have it in physical form at all of your locations per Cal/OSHA standards. So, that's a really important part that we don't want anybody to miss.
AB: Absolutely.
SB: The best way to reach me is via phone at 619-937-0175 or email Sbrown@ranchomesa.com.
[Outro Music]
AB: Sam, thanks for sharing this really wonderful, free tool to all of our listeners, and thanks for joining us in StudioOne™.
SB: Yeah, thanks for having me.
AB: This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa. Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode produced by StudioOne™. For more information, visit us at ranchomesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
