What is the OSHA Challenge and How to Participate
The OSHA Challenge serves as a way for participating employers and workers to create or improve their safety and health management plan. The program fosters the collaboration of OSHA-approved third-party challenge administrators and participating employers who want to improve their safety and health management programs with training, mentoring and progress tracking.
The challenge consists of three stages designed to guide participants from the initial planning and development process, through the successful execution of an effective safety and health management program. In Stage I, participants learn how to develop and implement an effective health and safety program. Policies, strategies and programs developed in Stage I are subsequently implemented in Stage II. During Stage III, participants monitor, reassess and continuously improve the program they’ve worked to create.
How to Participate in the OSHA Challenge
To join in the challenge as an administrator, companies are required to be a corporation, nonprofit association, and/or federal agency. Private and for-profit safety and health consultant organizations are not eligible to participate in the challenge program. Administrators are required to be an experienced, non-OSHA organization that meets all requirements for eligibility, including:
- Proven track record of implementing and executing safety and health management programs.
- Demonstrates adequate resources to actively contribute, including staff, time and experience.
- Strong commitment to safety in the workplace.
Challenge participants must be an employer that falls under OSHA jurisdiction and meets all eligibility requirements. The company needs to be committed to sustaining health and safety in the workplace and creating an effective program to support these initiatives. Once accepted into the challenge, they are required to take responsibility for completing the actions needed to meet the requirements of each stage.
Advantages of Participating in the OSHA Challenge
Taking part in the OSHA challenge offers many benefits to participants. Some of these include developing an organization-wide focus on safety and health initiatives, greater chance of being contracted by a company due to having an effective program in place, and building a collaborative and positive relationship with OSHA.
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