An occupational risk prevention plan is a document that, duly authorized, establishes and formalizes the prevention policy of a company, includes the rules, regulations and operating procedures, defining the prevention objectives and the assignment of responsibilities and functions to the different hierarchical levels of the company with regard to the prevention of occupational risks.
The plan therefore constitutes a structured compilation of the rules, criteria, procedures, instructions, actions and recommendations in order to ensure the proper management of all the factors that influence the prevention of occupational risks and in coordination with the rest. activities of the company, taking into account the objectives set by the management.
As a management instrument, the prevention plan serves to ensure that the effects of the company's activities are consistent with the prevention policy, defined in the form of objectives and goals.
WHAT DOES THE WORKPLACE RISK PREVENTION PLAN CONTAIN?
It must contain at least the following:
- The organizational structure, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources necessary to carry out the company's prevention policy The necessary documentation, in the form of applicable procedures and instructions The implementation of said procedures and instructions in the company, taking into account the existence of existing and mandatory regulations.
ADVANTAGES OF THE PREVENTION PLAN
The advantages provided by an occupational risk prevention plan, in the company environment, are many and varied, highlighting, among others, the following:
- Help to achieve a common prevention culture among the different areas and levels of the company, ensuring correct communication between the different interested parties Provides the company with procedures to put into practice the goals and objectives related to its prevention policy, and also to verify and evaluate the degree of compliance in practice Helps the company in complying with legal and regulatory requirements related to the occupational risk prevention law Demonstrates to interested parties the aptitude of the plan to control the effects of its activities, products or services of the company It offers the guidelines for evaluating and putting into practice management strategies related to the prevention of occupational risks It allows to introduce continuous improvements in the system,that increase and guarantee the quality of working life.
WHAT DOES THE PREVENTION PLAN DEVELOP?
Every company must develop, establish and implement a prevention plan, as a means for the defined and established prevention policy and objectives to be carried out. Its operation must ensure that:
- It focuses on the prevention of each and every one of the problems The effects of the company's activities do not cause incidents or accidents that affect people, property or the environment It acts appropriately when an alteration occurs It should be noted that the preventive program must be organized in such a way that all activities that have an influence on the prevention of occupational hazards are adequately and continuously controlled.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of an occupational risk prevention plan can be summarized:
- Declare the prevention policy of the company and collect the support structure that guarantees its application Define the general requirements that the company must establish to guarantee the implementation and operation of the prevention plan Define responsibilities and functions in terms of safety, from all hierarchical levels of the company Establish the appropriate mechanisms to ensure compliance with current regulations and regulations on the prevention of occupational hazards Present and report on the level of prevention achieved, as well as the proposed objectives and goals.Serve as a vehicle for the training, qualification and motivation of personnel, regarding the prevention of occupational risks.
METHODOLOGY
A prevention plan is not limited to the description of the actions and functions of a single service in charge of prevention in the company, but is a faithful reflection of the organization and the provisions of the companies for the management of prevention.
The elaboration of the different stages and actions must, therefore, be a collective task, and not the exclusive competence of the security function, in which all the services of the company to which it concerns must participate, each one of them contributing their experience and knowledge in a systematic way.
In all development of a prevention plan we can distinguish a set of stages, some specific depending on the type of company, but at least the following should be reflected:
- Structuring the prevention plan Preparation of the sheets Drafting of the guidelines and procedures Review of the guidelines and procedures Approval of the prevention plan Implementation of the prevention plan
PLAN STRUCTURING
The first step is to designate the person responsible for the prevention plan. It is recommended that you be an expert in the area of prevention, with an average position in the organization and with general knowledge about the articulation of the company.
This person in charge, in collaboration with the steering committee, will select the actions and standards on which the plan will be based. The requirements that the company must meet in the security area will be taken into account, which will be set by legal regulations and the company's own internal needs.
According to the particularities of the company, the index of the different sections that will make up the plan will be defined. It may happen that some of the activities contained in the elements described in the previous section are not carried out in the company, or that the company carries out an activity that is not reflected.
In the first case, his absence is justified and reasoned in writing, while in the second the activity is included as one more section of the plan.
RECORDS
Once the prevention plan index has been defined, the next stage is to prepare a file for each chapter or element, containing the parts that will be developed later, to meet the requirements. This activity will be carried out by the person responsible for preparing the plan, in collaboration with the representatives of the functions of the company that are deemed appropriate.
Each file will be headed by the number of the chapter to which it belongs, the description and the reference standard, and its content will include, as a minimum, the following:
- Goals. The results to be obtained through the implementation of the element of the plan in question will be defined. Activities. The forms of action required to achieve the objectives will be defined. Functions involved. The responsibilities of each function will appear in each of the activities described for the achievement of the objectives. General guidelines. They will collect the necessary provisions that develop, in a generic way, the content of each of the sections, as well as those responsible for their writing and review.
DRAFTING
Under the coordination of the person responsible for preparing the prevention plan, the drafting of guidelines and procedures will begin by the designated managers, taking into account the following recommendations:
In writing, you must answer the following questions:
- Why the guideline is carried out Who has responsibility for its implementation What activities it affects
Its generic contents are:
- The objectives The mode of action The functions involved and the responsibilities The procedures and reference standards Operational procedures
These documents must detail the tasks to be carried out and the means that will be used to achieve the objectives defined in the corresponding guidelines. They must also indicate when the procedure starts and when it closes. Likewise, it must include all the necessary documentation (cards, colors, graphics, diagrams, etc.) and explain when to fill in a form, who should do it, how it should be done, the number of copies that will be required, etc.
It should be noted that all procedures should define responsibilities and list reference documents.
REVIEW
Once the guidelines and procedures have been drafted by the designated managers, they will be revised or definitively drafted, for which the person responsible for the prevention plan must carry out the following activities:
- Ensure that the draft guidelines and procedures received are transmitted to the designated persons for review Coordinate the review tasks and ensure that there is an agreement on them between the different parties, to introduce the appropriate modifications in the final draft Present the final draft of the guidelines and procedures to the management committee of the company, so that the committee may introduce the modifications it deems appropriate Present the prevention plan finally to the management committee of the company with the agreed modifications, finally drafting the final text.
PLAN APPROVAL
With the guidelines and procedures corrected and the final wording completed, the prevention plan will be approved by the company management.
IMPLANTATION
The existence of a prevention plan must be known to all company personnel, so that everyone affected by a procedure or by a provision described in it must have access to it. For this, the plan will be distributed to all recipients using the established channels.
The implementation of the prevention plan will require the initial training of staff and an endowment of human, material and financial resources in order to adequately undertake the objectives and actions set forth in it.
Download the original file
