Response Time and Action Planning

As we discussed in Chapter 10, sometimes hazards cannot be completed in a reasonable amount of time— for example, parts or materials must be ordered, requiring a wait of several months. You need to provide your employee with the status of the report from time to time. This will send a message that the employee s concerns have not been forgotten. One important note this program will not work if employees cannot see hazards corrected in a reasonable amount of time. Another important consideration is that when the preferred corrective activities cannot be accomplished immediately, you must provide your employees interim protection until the hazard is completed. You must take whatever steps are necessary to temporarily minimize the hazard during the abatement stage of the process [2], 

Results not only must be timely, but must also address the employee s concern. As discussed, if management decides that no hazard exists, the reason behind this decision must be thoroughly discussed with all affected employees. This is where many companies fall short of their obligations to employees. You must come to an agreement that the identified hazard 

It is important that all employees know that reporting a hazard will not result in any reprisal from management or other co-workers. The policy on how employees report hazards should be made clear to everyone. In addition, there are several actions that you can take to help make sure that reprisal is not considered  

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