Element 2: Worker Participation

A safety and health program is only effective if its workers participate meaningfully. Worker participation means all workers (such as employees, contractors, subcontractors, temporary workers) become involved in program establishment, operation, and evaluation.

A successful safety and health program does the following:

• Encourages everyone involved in the workplace to provide input and opinions regarding safety and health
• Provides everyone involved with the information needed to participate in the safety and health program
• Provides opportunities for everyone involved to participate in both the plan design and implementation
• Ensures that employees do not fear retaliation when they express concerns related to safety and health
• Does not retaliate when workers express safety and health concerns, report injuries or illnesses, participate in the program, or exercise their rights as workers

OSHA provides the following action items to promote worker participation:

1. Encourage workers to participate in the program.
2. Encourage workers to report safety and health concerns.
3. Give workers access to safety and health information.
4. Involve workers in all aspects of the program.
5. Remove barriers to participation.

OSHA notes "worker participation is vital to the success of safety and health programs. Where workers are represented by a union, it is important that worker representatives also participate in the program, consistent with the rights provided to worker representatives under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the National Labor Relations Act."

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