J. J. Keller® SAFETY MANAGEMENT SUITE offers 125+ pre-written safety plan templates to help you comply with OSHA, EPA, DOT, and more. Just choose a topic, fill out the form, and you’ll have a comprehensive written plan customized for your business in minutes.
Experience an Easier Way to Manage Safety Plans & Policies
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Expansive Selection
Browse a wide range of safety plan templates covering topics in workplace safety, construction, environmental compliance, and more.
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Effortless Compliance
Our pre-written templates fulfill all requirements from OSHA and other regulatory agencies, so you can rest assured that you’re compliant.
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Simple Document Management
Easily upload existing plans and policies and share frequently referenced templates with others in your organization.
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Complete Oversight
Manage roles and permissions to control who can view and maintain your written plans.
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When asked by outside auditors how we keep updated on environmental issues, we just tell them J. J. Keller keeps us updated. Safety Management Suite offers what we need and the staff is very helpful. The SDS section and Plans and Policies are especially helpful. Try it, you will like it.
Joel Cerny
Training and EHS Coordinator
CAMACO
Columbus, NE
What Is a Written Safety Plan and Why It Matters
A written safety plan—also known as a safety program or written plan—is a documented strategy outlining how a workplace protects employees from health and safety hazards. These plans are essential for regulatory compliance, risk management, and fostering a culture of safety. Unlike step-by-step safety procedures or overarching safety policies, written safety plans provide a comprehensive framework that may include all three elements.
Key Benefits of Written Safety Plans:
- Ensure OSHA compliance and meet regulatory requirements
- Define safety roles, responsibilities, and expectations
- Reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, and associated costs
- Lower insurance premiums and MOD rates
- Demonstrate management’s commitment to safety
- Improve operational efficiency and profitability
- Provide a foundation for disciplinary actions and standard procedures
Scope of Written Safety Plans:
OSHA mandates written safety plans for various hazards and operations. The scope of each plan depends on the applicable OSHA standards. Employers should review relevant regulations to determine if a written plan is required for their specific workplace conditions.
Required General Industry OSHA Written Plans:
The following general industry written plans are required by OSHA if the specific regulation applies.
*The above list is only the plans that OSHA requires to be in writing. There are additional regulations which require employers to have plans or programs, but OSHA doesn't specifically require them to be in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Written safety plans (or programs) are records of how an establishment is protecting (or plans to protect) employees overall for a safety or health hazard. The words plan and program can be and have been used interchangeably. Both simply document what a facility is doing to keep its employees safe and healthful.
OSHA has over 35 written plan, program, procedure, or manual requirements throughout OSHA 29 CFR 1910 for general industry. Over 20 more are found in 29 CFR 1926 for construction. While that’s a lot of written plans, it’s unlikely that all of them apply to your establishment. You’ll want to review the requirements one-by-one to see which ones apply.
For written safety plan requirements, it makes no difference how many employees an employer has. A written plan must be developed if the regulations apply. There is no across-the-board exemption for small employers. And there is no general cut-off number of employees.
Yes, OSHA allows a written plan to be kept in either paper or electronic format, as long as it meets all other requirements of the standard in question. Where the OSHA standard requires that the written plan be made available to employees, you must ensure that employees know how to access the document and that there are no barriers to employee access. If you keep plans electronically, consider how they will be made available to employees and to any OSHA inspector who knocks on your door. Printing a copy is usually acceptable for OSHA inspectors.
Safety plans are specific to each regulation where they are required. Where OSHA regulations call for a written plan or program, the agency may list the required written plan elements to include. However, in some cases, no elements are specified.
While OSHA does not require it, translating plans is a good idea if you have employees who don’t read English. In some cases, it may be critical, such as for lockout/tagout procedures. Your programs should be in a language all employees can understand and follow.
Yes, you can use a template when writing your plan, but you must tailor your plan to your own work site and its operations, employees, and hazards.
