Smarter HR SolutionsHouston, TX
- What they do
- Compliance consulting
- Who they help
- Its website offers consulting for employee handbooks, HR policies, HR compliance audits and OSHA written programs.
- Standards
- Pricing
- Not published
OSHA written programs
OSHA has no single rule that says every employer must have a written safety program, but dozens of individual standards in 29 CFR 1910 (general industry), 1926 (construction), 1915 (shipyards), and 1917 and 1918 (marine terminals and longshoring) each require a written program, plan, or procedure when the hazard is present.
The ones that show up in almost every workplace are the written hazard communication program (1910.1200), the emergency action plan and fire prevention plan (1910.38 and 1910.39, required in writing for employers with more than 10 employees), the energy control (lockout/tagout) program with machine-specific procedures (1910.147), the respiratory protection program (1910.134), the PPE hazard assessment certification (1910.132), and the bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan (1910.1030).
Others apply by hazard: hearing conservation, permit-required confined spaces, process safety management, powered industrial truck training, fall protection in construction, silica and other substance-specific exposure control plans.
In writing, each standard spells out its own required contents. A compliance officer will ask for the written program during an inspection, compare it against the standard's elements, and then check that employees were trained on it and that it matches what is happening on the floor.
A missing or generic written program is one of the most frequent citations, with hazard communication and lockout/tagout consistently in OSHA's top ten.
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From $29/mo, 20 editors, unlimited staff (published)
Who has to comply
Private-sector employers in the US covered by the OSH Act (nearly all) and, under State Plans, state and local government employers. Which written programs apply depends on the hazards and operations present, not on company size, with a few exceptions (emergency action plans may be communicated orally where there are 10 or fewer employees).
What you have to write
Documents on this site that OSHA written programs requires or expects, each with who must have it, the review cycle and the obligations that cite it.
- Contractor Written Safety Program (ISNetworld and Avetta) Workplace
- Hazard Communication Program Workplace
- Lockout/Tagout Energy Control Program Workplace
- Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan Workplace
- Emergency Action Plan Workplace
What the assessor asks to see
Written hazard communication program with chemical inventory, safety data sheets, labeling method, and training records; emergency action plan and fire prevention plan with alarm system, evacuation routes, and designated roles; energy control program with equipment-specific procedures, authorized employee training, and annual periodic inspection certifications; respiratory protection program with medical evaluations, fit tests, and program administrator designation; PPE hazard assessment certification and training; bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan with annual review and vaccination records; other hazard-specific programs as applicable (confined space, hearing conservation, process safety management, fall protection, silica, lead); OSHA 300 logs, 300A annual summary postings, and electronic submissions where required; training records and competent or qualified person designations; injury and illness incident investigations.
Where the requirement sits: 1910.1200(e) written HazCom program; 1910.147(c)(4) energy control procedures, (c)(7) training; 1910.1030(c) exposure control plan reviewed annually; 1910.38 EAP; 1910.134(c); 1910.132(d)(2)
Which programs must be in writing
Look at the standard text: if it says the program must be written, in writing, or documented and certified, an oral or informal practice will not satisfy an inspector.
Common written requirements in general industry include hazard communication (1910.1200(e)), emergency action and fire prevention plans (1910.38, 1910.39), energy control (1910.147(c)), respiratory protection (1910.134(c)), PPE hazard assessment (1910.132(d)), bloodborne pathogens (1910.1030(c)), permit-required confined spaces (1910.146(c)), hearing conservation (1910.95), and process safety management (1910.119).
Construction adds site-specific plans such as fall protection and silica exposure control. State Plans may require an overall injury and illness prevention program in addition.
Every internal policy in one place
AllyMatter is a full system for every internal policy your company keeps, including the ones OSHA written programs turns on. Build the whole library in one place, across every department, and prove who has read what.
Policies you can run here
- Contractor Written Safety Program (ISNetworld and Avetta)
- Hazard Communication Program
- Lockout/Tagout Energy Control Program
- Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan
How it works
Every document is approved by someone other than its author, versioned, distributed to the people it covers and acknowledged by name. Sign it where a signature is what the standard wants, send a set out together as a package, and export a dated record of who read which version when an assessor asks.
Most of what an assessor reads for this standard is written policy and proof that people acknowledged it. That is the layer AllyMatter owns.
Who helps with OSHA written programs
A very large safety consultant ecosystem exists, from individual certified safety professionals to national firms and insurance carrier loss control services. Consultants perform hazard assessments, identify which standards apply, write the program set, develop machine-specific lockout procedures, deliver training, and run mock inspections.
OSHA's free On-Site Consultation Program for small and midsize employers also identifies gaps confidentially, separate from enforcement.
Firms that name this framework in their own material. A listing is not a recommendation. Each firm can confirm its own.
Listed in random order, reshuffled each time the page loads. Firms that pay for a listing are shown at the top, labeled Sponsored.
Passio PEO and HR ConsultingEnglewood, CO, USA
- What they do
- Compliance consulting
- Who they help
- Its website offers consulting for OSHA compliance, Employee handbooks and HR policies, Employment law compliance, Harassment prevention training.
- Standards
- Pricing
- Not published
GreenLine HR Consulting LLCMeadville, PA, USA
- What they do
- Compliance consulting
- Who they help
- Its website offers consulting for OSHA compliance, Employee handbooks and HR policies, Employment law compliance, HR compliance audit.
- Standards
- Pricing
- Not published
Upstream Solutions, LLCUSA
- What they do
- Compliance consulting
- Who they help
- Its website offers consulting for OSHA compliance, Employee handbooks and HR policies, Employment law compliance.
- Standards
- Pricing
- Not published
Who assesses OSHA written programs
OSHA compliance safety and health officers, or State Plan inspectors (government inspection). No certification exists; voluntary recognition programs such as VPP and SHARP involve OSHA or consultation program evaluation. (government enforcement).
Assessors
Be the first OSHA written programs assessor listed here
This page is read by the organizations looking for someone to certify them.
Tools for OSHA written programs
Tools that name this framework in their own material.
Grouped by type. Inside each group the order is random, reshuffled each time the page loads. AllyMatter, the publisher of this site, is always first.
AllyMatterPolicy management tool, the policy and acknowledgment layerPublisher of this siteHealth, safety and environment7 tools
Incident, inspection and permit records for OSHA, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 work.
CloudApper SafetyEHS and OSHA recordkeeping software moduleQuote onlyEHS InsightHouston, TX, United StatesEHS and compliance management softwareQuote onlySafetymintChennai, IndiaEHS softwareQuote onlySiteDocsCanadaSafety compliance software for job sitesQuote onlyTechEHSSurat, Gujarat, IndiaEHS management softwareNot publishedVector EHS ManagementEHS incident and safety management softwareNot publishedVelocityEHSCloud EHS software platformNot published
GRC and compliance automation2 tools
Controls, evidence and audit workflows, with a policy module inside.
Compliance training2 tools
Courses and tracking for required staff training.
Related reading
- OSHA's written hazcom program: are you in compliance?Explains why the most cited hazcom failure is a written program that does not match what the site actually does.Safety+Health magazine
- OSHA's Top 10 most frequently cited standards, FY 2025 final dataCitation counts by standard, which tells you which written programs inspectors actually open first.Safety+Health magazine
- OSH law primer, part IX: hazard communicationEmployment-law walkthrough of what the written hazcom program must contain and how OSHA reads the training obligation.Ogletree Deakins
Independent third-party explainers, chosen by hand. Not affiliated with this site and not paid placements. All links are nofollow.
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From the publisher
Run the Policy Side of OSHA Written Programs in AllyMatter
Approve the policies OSHA written programs asks for, keep every version, and record a named acknowledgment from each person who has to read them.
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