How to Set Up a Health and Safety Program in Four Easy Steps

Health and safety in four easy steps

Everyone deserves to feel safe at work. A healthy workplace keeps everyone protected, productive, and comfortable. Raising awareness about health and safety helps reduce injuries and creates a positive work environment. But did you know that as of May 2025, Ontario’s WSIB has recorded over 16,000 claims for lost-time injuries? That just shows how poor health and safety can significantly impact productivity.

What’s even more concerning is that most of these injuries are preventable, and setting up a solid health and safety program is a great way to achieve that. It should include the basics required by your applicable health and safety laws, but should also fit the specific needs of your workplace.

What are health and safety programs?

Simply put, health and safety procedures are the written guidelines that a company puts in place to make sure people are safe and healthy at work. They tell everyone the exact steps to follow to avoid getting hurt or sick. Think of them as rulebooks for staying safe. A solid health and safety program should help spot dangers, figure out how bad the risks are, and then put methods in place to stop problems from happening.

Why do health and safety programs matter?

These procedures also help make sure everyone knows how to do their job safely, what to do if something goes wrong, and how to help keep the workplace safe for themselves and others. They’re a key part of HR compliance and, most importantly, they help build a workplace where everyone can feel secure and do their best work without getting hurt.

Health and safety programs are important because they prioritize the well-being of your team, your most valuable asset. By proactively identifying risks, these programs help prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and even fatalities. 

This not only makes everyone feel safe but also has practical benefits. When people feel safe, they’re happier and more likely to perform well. Fewer accidents also mean less time off work, so things get done on time.

Additionally, if a company doesn’t have good safety plans, they can get in trouble with the law and have to pay a lot of money. So, having these plans isn’t just about looking good; it helps the business run smoothly and keeps everyone feeling secure.

As we mentioned earlier, Ontario’s WSIB has recorded over 16,000 claims for lost-time injuries. This data is definitely worth looking into further to understand the implications of poor health and safety.

Real-world examples of how health and safety programs help

Let’s look at some real-life examples to see why these safety rules are so important in different kinds of work:

• Building Sites: Imagine builders working high up without wearing safety harnesses. That is very risky, of course. Good safety plans mean everyone wears the right gear, checks their equipment, and knows where they can and can’t go. This stops people from falling and getting seriously hurt. For example, having rules about checking ladders every day makes sure they won’t break when someone’s climbing.

• Hospitals: Nurses and doctors work with things that can make people sick. Safety plans in hospitals mean that everyone washes their hands properly, wears gloves and masks when needed, and knows how to handle sharp objects like needles safely. This stops germs from spreading and keeps both the workers and the patients healthy. For instance, having special bins for used needles stops people from accidentally getting pricked.

• Offices: Even in offices, safety rules matter. If people’s chairs and desks aren’t set up right, they can get bad backs and sore wrists. Safety plans include things like showing people how to set up their workstations properly and having fire drills so everyone knows what to do if there’s a fire. This helps people stay comfortable and safe, even when they’re just sitting at a desk.

Four steps to a safer, healthier workplace

Thinking about making your workplace healthier and safer can feel like a big job. But don’t worry, we’ve broken it down into easy steps to get you going in the right direction. These four simple steps are a great starting point for building a workplace where everyone feels protected and ready to do their best.

Step 1: Establish a health and safety policy

Your program’s success depends on how committed you are to health and safety. You can show this commitment through a written policy that outlines expectations, rules, and procedures. Ideally, your policy should detail everyone’s responsibilities. Here are some key elements to include in your health and safety policy:

• Statement of commitment: A clear statement going over the organization’s dedication to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all employees, contractors, and visitors. This should be signed by senior management to emphasize its importance.

• Who does what: This part explains what everyone’s job is when it comes to safety:
  • The management: Their job is to make sure employees have what they need to be safe, such as equipment or training. They also need to make sure everyone is following the safety laws.
  • The employees: Their job is to follow safety rules, wear safety gear correctly, and notify the right people if they see something dangerous or if something occurs. If safety training is being provided, they also need to make sure that they are attending these trainings.
  • The team leaders: Their job is to make sure the people they manage are working safely, check for dangers regularly, fix problems quickly, and show people how to do their jobs safely on the job.

• The exact safety steps: You will need to list the specific rules for staying safe when doing different jobs. For example, explain how to use a machine safely, how to handle hazardous materials, or the rules for working in small, enclosed spaces.
  
• Keeping programs up to date: This explains how often your health and safety program and safety rules are reviewed and updated as needed. This is important because safety laws in Canada can change, and the workplace itself might change.
  
• What happens if the rules are not followed: This part clearly says what could happen if someone doesn’t follow the safety rules. This helps everyone understand how important it is to take safety seriously.

Step 2: Provide training and awareness

It sounds obvious that employees need training, but a recent survey of 835 Canadian workers found that 37% of respondents felt unprepared due to a lack of training from their employer. Without training, employees may not fully understand how safety rules apply to their jobs, which could put them and others at risk.

Here are some of the essential components for effective health and safety training:

• Understanding employee rights: Training should give employees a clear understanding of their fundamental rights under Canadian health and safety legislation.
• Hazard recognition and control: Training should equip employees with the skills to identify potential hazards in their work environment and understand what they need to do to reduce those risks. This might include recognizing unsafe conditions, understanding warning signs, and knowing how to report hazards.
• Safe work procedures: Provide detailed training on the correct procedures for performing specific tasks safely, including the proper use of tools, equipment, and machinery.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE): Provide in-depth training on the importance of PPE, how to select the correct PPE for the job, how to wear and maintain it properly and the limitations of PPE (What PPE will not protect you against) 
• Emergency procedures: Training on emergency evacuation plans, fire safety protocols, first aid procedures, and how to respond to various emergencies relevant to the workplace.
• Regular refresher training: Health and safety regulations and workplace conditions can change. Refresher training makes sure that employees stay up to date on the latest safety procedures.

Remember: no workplace can be completely injury-free, but every workplace can be safer. So, everyone should follow health and safety standards, regardless of their role.

Step 3: Emphasize reporting violence and harassment

Violence and harassment prevention is also key. A workplace violence and harassment policy, along with relevant training, can make a huge difference in keeping your work environment safe and respectful. 

Your policy should commit to maintaining a safe workplace free from violence and harassment, with clear terms of what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable. Violence and harassment aren’t just about physical fights or yelling; they include anything that makes someone feel scared, uncomfortable, or treated unfairly.

These issues can even impact other parts of your business, like how people are hired, how their work is judged, and how they’re treated when they’re talking to customers or clients. Your rules need to cover every place work happens, not just in the office or building, but also if you’re working somewhere else, such as at a customer’s site or even at a work event outside regular hours.

Make sure everyone understands their role in preventing violence and harassment and knows how to report incidents. Your company should encourage reporting incidents of inappropriate behaviour and make sure the process is clear and accessible.

Step 4: Create first aid and emergency procedures

Accidents can happen even with the best preventive measures in place, so having clear procedures for emergencies is crucial. First aid policies and emergency response plans outline everyone’s roles during an emergency, and they are a vital asset to make sure everyone stays safe during such an event.

To start, make sure you have the right first aid supplies. There are rules about the types of supplies you need to have, so check those rules and make sure your first aid kit is always complete and that it has nothing out of date. It’s also important that everyone knows where the first aid kits are and who is trained to give first aid.

First aid is vital, and a well-organized response plan can reduce the impact of injuries. However, having a good emergency plan is also key. This plan helps us handle bigger problems smoothly and quickly, which can make a big difference in how bad the situation gets. When people know what to do in an emergency, they feel more confident and less scared.

It’s essential to make sure everyone knows about these emergency plans and first aid rules. You should discuss them regularly so that if something does happen, everyone knows what to do and can respond in the best way possible to keep each other safe.

Feel confident with a health and safety expert in your corner

Injuries are often predictable and preventable; a successful health and safety program is the best way to manage these issues. While setting up such a program takes time and effort, it’s well worth it in the long run, as it helps build your reputation as a responsible, caring company. The best part? You don’t have to handle it alone!