Under California Assembly Bill 198, employers must establish and implement and "Injury and Illness Prevention Programs". This program is the foundation of a standard, based on Senate Bill 198, which went into effect, July 1, 1991. Employers may believe that their already established safety programs fully comply with the new standard; however, the regulation (codified in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 3203) has very specific requirements which employers must meet.

One of the requirements under SB 198 specifies that the Illness and Injury Prevention Program must be written. The following topics must be addressed in the written program:

* Designation of responsible individuals;

* Identification of workplace hazards;

* Investigation of illness and injuries;

* Periodic inspections;

* Correction of safety problems;

* Employee training;

* Systems for communication with employees on safety matters; and,

* Record-keeping and documentation.

The aim of the new regulation is to reduce worker injury and illnesses by ensuring that employers develop effective safety programs. As with other site safety programs, an Illness & Injury program will aid the employer in employee safety awareness and so reduce loss time injuries and claims.

ADVANCED CHEMICAL SAFETY (ACSafety) has developed a generic written Illness and Injury Prevention Program which addresses all of the requirements under the new standard. ACSafety's Injury and Illness Prevention Program can become the core of an effective safety program which may potentially reduce the amount of money lost through preventable accidents. This document can be readily tailored to meet the needs of a wide variety of facilities. ACSafety's staff can also completely customize the Injury and Illness Prevention Plan upon request and includes a section on site "Code of Safe Practices" for each work place within the facility. The cost for the generic document is $45.00. To order, or for pricing information on a customized program, contact:

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