Michaels: I2P2 remains OSHA’s No. 1 priority

Washington – OSHA’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program initiative remains the agency’s No. 1 priority, agency chief David Michaels said during a Feb. 4 speech to staff.

The initiative – which includes a rulemaking that would require employers’ adoption of a process to identify and correct workplace hazards – is “critical” to driving down injury, illness and fatality rates, Michaels noted in prepared remarks.

Employers who use safety management systems experience “dramatic decreases in workplace injuries, accompanied by a transformed workplace culture that leads to higher productivity and quality, reduced turnover, reduced cost, and greater employee satisfaction,” Michaels said. “Now it’s time to take this message from the best to the rest.”

Michaels also outlined future and continuing initiatives that include improving safety in health care facilities and among “vulnerable” employees such as migrant workers, as well as strengthening the agency’s Whistleblower Protection Program. Increased use of data will be used to target high-hazard workplaces and evaluate OSHA’s effectiveness, he added.