OSHA’s priorities are guided by a Strategic Management Plan which is designed to work in concert with the Department of Labor’s Strategic Plan.
The plan has three major components:
- Enforcement – Reduce occupational hazards through direct intervention
- Outreach, Education and Compliance Assistance – Promote a culture of safety and health through outreach, education, and compliance assistance
- Cooperative and Voluntary Programs – Initiatives to maximize OSHA’s effectiveness and efficiency by strengthening the agency’s capabilities, diversity and infrastructure such as the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), Strategic Partnership Programs, and Alliance Programs.
Enforcement
OSHA practices “direct intervention” through the creation of standards and enforcing those standards. OSHA directs its enforcement towards establishments that have the highest injury and illness rates under two inspection programs: The Site Specific Targeting (SST) Program and the Enhanced Enforcement Program (EEP).
Based on the data from the prior year’s OSHA Data Initiative survey for the highest rates of injuries and illnesses, the SST program is directed at non-construction worksites with 40 or more employees.
The EEP is directed at employers who, despite OSHA’s enforcement and outreach efforts, ignore their obligations and continue to place their employees at risk.
Outreach, Education and Compliance Assistance
This includes the distribution of outreach materials such as
- QuickCards, Pocket Guides, Guidances, and fact sheets – in English and Spanish.
- Web pages, which present more than 200 different Safety and Health Topics Pages.
- OSHA Training Institute, which offers more than 60 courses on a wide array of safety and health issues for federal and state employees, consultants, and private sector employers, employees and their representatives.
Cooperative and Voluntary Programs
OSHA encourages and participates in cooperative and voluntary programs whose focus is on preventing workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. There are three major programs. The
- Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)
The goal of the VPP is to promote effective worksite-based safety and health.In the VPP, management, labor, and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system. Approval into VPP is OSHA’s official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health.
- Strategic Partnership Program
The goal of this program is to establish voluntary and cooperative relationships between OSHA and groups of employers or large multi-site companies, along with their employees, employee representatives, and other interested stakeholders.
- Alliance Program
The Alliance Program was created in March 2002, to allow OSHA to expand its reach and to make the Agency more accessible to local communities. Through Alliance agreements, OSHA and participating organizations define, implement, and meet a set of short- and long-term goals that fall into three categories: training and education; outreach and communication; and promoting a national dialogue on workplace safety and health.
The Workplace Safety Store carries a wide selection of safety training products that can help you increase the safety of your workplace and comply with the regulatory requirements of various agencies such as OSHA and DOT.