Ohs program

They provide services to more than a million children every year, in every U. These include:. Head Start programs promote the school readiness of children ages 3 to 5. Most of these programs are based in centers. In other programs, children and families may receive services from educators and family service staff who regularly make home visits.

Infants, toddlers, and pregnant women are served through Early Head Start programs. Early Head Start programs are available to the family until the child turns 3 years old and is ready to transition into Head Start or another pre-K program. Services to pregnant mothers and families, including prenatal support and follow-up, are also provided by Early Head Start.

Other Early Head Start programs are located in centers which provide part day or full day programming for children. Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships are programs that are dedicated to offering Early Head Start services to eligible families within the childcare system.

Based on the needs of local communities, programs offer traditional language and cultural practices to provide high-quality services to young children and their families.

Migrant and Seasonal programs provide specific services to children whose families are engaged in agricultural labor. MSHS programs work with both migrant farmworker families, who migrate to a number of geographic locations annually, and with seasonal farmworker families who are permanently settled in their communities but continue to do agricultural work.

MSHS programs have served children from birth to age 5 since its inception in and are currently funded to serve over 30, children. Branding Bar Menu U. Office of Head Start. Click to expand menu. Job safety analysis is generally carried out by observing a worker doing the job. Members of the joint health and safety committee should participate in this process. The reason for the exercise must be clearly explained to the worker, emphasizing that the job, not the individual, is being studied.

Another approach, useful in the analysis of infrequently-performed or new jobs, is group discussion. A work procedure may consist of more than one specific task. In such cases, each separate task should be analyzed to complete a job safety analysis for that procedure. The final version of the safe work procedure should be presented in a narrative style format that outlines the correct way to do the job in a step-by-step outline. The steps are described in positive terms, pointing out the reasons why they are to be done in this way.

Reference may be made to applicable rules and regulations and to the personal protective equipment required, if any. Workers who carry out the tasks should be consulted in developing the procedure. Health and safety education should start with worker orientation when a worker joins the organization or is transferred to a new job. It has been found that inexperienced workers, in general, are involved in incidents at a higher rate than others.

While experience can only be gained through time, both health and safety education and job skills training can be used to improve this record. Orientation sessions normally cover such items as an explanation of the function of the work unit, organizational relationships, administrative arrangements, and various policies and rules. Security protocols e. A new employee can be expected to absorb only a certain amount of information in the first few days.

Be sure to pace the training to ensure all of the information or skills are learned. Other tips include to provide written information that outlines the points covered in the orientation sessions. It also serves as a checklist for the person conducting the orientation. A buddy or mentor system is useful. This system allows for on-the-job reinforcement of the information presented to the new employee. This process also promotes the safety awareness of the experienced workers who are the "buddies".

All workers, but especially new, inexperienced, or transferred workers, should be encouraged to ask questions at any time when doubt exists as to correct procedures or their ability to do the task safely.

The orientation should address:. Soon after the orientation sessions, employees should be assessed on their understanding of the items discussed. In this way, both the quality of training and the level of understanding can be evaluated.

Continue with education and training throughout their employment, as needed. The objective of education and training is to instruct recipients about health and safety procedures or specific job practices, and to raise awareness or skill levels to an acceptable standard.

The standard states that a supervisor "should be competent i. Organizations should define what constitutes an acceptable combination of knowledge, training, and experience in relation to the supervision of others performing tasks. Workplace inspections help to identify existing hazards so that appropriate corrective action can be taken.

Health and safety legislation requires workplace inspections as a proactive action to ensure workplace health and safety. The frequency of planned formal inspections may be set out in legislation. Records of previous incidents and the potential for incidents are factors to be included when determining if more frequent inspections are needed.

Supervisors are responsible for conducting their own inspections for the areas they are responsible for and for taking action on unsafe conditions and acts as they are reported or encountered.

General inspections may be conducted by health and safety committee members or representatives, especially if they have received training or certification. Other criteria for selecting the inspection team are:. Pre-planning any inspection is always worthwhile. Documents, such as previous inspections, incident investigations, maintenance reports, and committee minutes, should be consulted.

If a checklist is to be used, it should be reviewed and changed to meet specific needs of the workplace. Checklists are useful aids in that they help ensure that no items are overlooked in an inspection.

One type of checklist is the "critical parts inventory". This inventory itemizes parts and items that may result in an incident if they fail. While many ready-made checklists are available in safety literature, it is best to adapt these to your workplace.

The health and safety committee should participate in the preparation of these tailor-made checklists. During the actual inspection, both work conditions and procedures should be observed. If a hazard poses an immediate threat is discovered, preventive action must be taken right away, not after the inspection. Notes are made, specifying details of the hazard, including its exact location. In this way, priorities for remedial action can be established.

Inspections serve a useful purpose only if remedial action is taken to correct shortcomings. Causes, not symptoms alone, must be rectified. Corrective action should be taken immediately, emphasizing engineering controls, management failures, or the need for worker education, whatever applies.

Occupational health and safety legislation in all Canadian jurisdictions requires that specific injuries and certain categories of incidents must be reported. There may be minimum legal requirements for their investigation.

Many organizations investigate other events e. Incidents are investigated so that measures can be taken to prevent a recurrence of similar events. The investigation represents an "after-the-fact" response for any particular mishap. However, a thorough investigation may uncover hazards or problems that can be eliminated "before-the-fact" for the future.

After causes have been determined, prompt follow-up action is required to achieve the purpose of the investigation. Please note : The term incident is used in some situations and jurisdictions to cover both an "accident" and "incident".

It is argued that the word "accident" implies that the event was related to fate or chance. When the root cause is determined, it is usually found that many events were predictable and could have been prevented if the right actions were taken - making the event not one of fate or chance thus, the word incident is used. For simplicity, we use the term incident to mean all of the above events. Emergency procedures are plans for dealing with emergencies such as fires, explosions, major releases of hazardous materials, violent occurrences, or natural hazards.

When such events occur, the urgent need for rapid decisions, shortage of time, lack of resources, and trained personnel can lead to chaos.

The objective of the plan is to prevent or minimize fatalities, injuries, and damage. The organization and procedures for handling these sudden and unexpected situations must be clearly defined. Communication, training, and periodic drills are required to ensure adequate performance when the plan must be implemented.

First aid is generally prescribed under health and safety legislation or workers' compensation legislation. The OSH program must include the following information:. A policy on return to work after a lost-time accident might appropriately be included in this section of the program.

Under no circumstances should the reduction of severity ratings be a reason for initiating a "modified work" program.

All jurisdictions in Canada have legislation specific to harassment and violence note that the legislation in the Yukon will be in force in September All jurisdictions specify elements required in harassment and violence prevention policies and programs.

While there are variations between jurisdictions, there are many common elements such as:. Once the health and safety program has been set in place and the program appears to be running smoothly, effort is still required to maintain compliance, enthusiasm and interest. In addition, specific items may be needed to address workplace specific activities. Examples of such items are:.

A good health and safety program provides a clear set of guidelines for activities that, when followed, will reduce incidents and cases of occupational disease.

The key to success is the manner in which the program is implemented and maintained. The program must be communicated to all workers. Special emphasis should be given to new workers, newly appointed supervisors, and new members of the joint health and safety committee. Revisions to policies and procedures should be publicized.

The program should be available in a single written document. However, if separate policies or procedures have been developed for various elements, such as incident investigation procedures or preventing harassment and violence, their use should be referred to in the main document.

Incident frequency and severity rates are often used, but they are not always the only measures to use for evaluating the effectiveness of a health and safety program.

Cases of occupational disease are often under-reported in these statistics. The emphasis is usually on injury-producing incidents, not all events. Since incidents may be rare events, in some organizations the basis for comparison may be limited. An audit uses a checklist in which each element is subdivided into a series of questions.

Each question is given a weighting factor depending on its importance. Records, observations, interviews, and questionnaires are used to evaluate performance for each sub-element. Annual audits appear to be more common, but reviewing critical elements in the program more frequently may be advisable.

The audit team, which should include representation from the joint health and safety committee, must receive the appropriate training in audit procedures. The audit identifies weaknesses in the health and safety program. Establish a procedure to ensure prompt follow-up on deficiencies. This procedure should include target dates for remedial action and checks to confirm completion. Add a badge to your website or intranet so your workers can quickly find answers to their health and safety questions.

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information, CCOHS does not guarantee, warrant, represent or undertake that the information provided is correct, accurate or current. CCOHS is not liable for any loss, claim, or demand arising directly or indirectly from any use or reliance upon the information.

OSH Answers Fact Sheets Easy-to-read, question-and-answer fact sheets covering a wide range of workplace health and safety topics, from hazards to diseases to ergonomics to workplace promotion.

Search all fact sheets: Search. Type a word, a phrase, or ask a question. The policy statement can be brief, but it should mention: Management's commitment to protecting and promoting the safety and health of workers, and preventing injuries and illnesses.

The objectives of the program. The organization's health and safety philosophy. Who is accountable for the health and safety programs. The general responsibilities of all managers and workers.

That health and safety shall not be sacrificed for convenience or expediency. That unacceptable performance of health and safety duties will not be tolerated. The policy should be: Stated in clear terms. Signed by the current President or Chief Executive Officer.

Kept up-to-date. Communicated to each worker. Followed for all work activities. While organizations will have different needs and scope for specific elements required in their health and safety program, the following basic items should be considered in each case: Individual responsibility.

The establishment and role of the health and safety committee or representative. Applicable health and safety legislation requirements, and organizational health and safety rules. Search for Head Start and other early care and education jobs anywhere in the U.

Explore professional development opportunities sponsored by OHS and other early care and education partners. Contact us at Or email HeadStart eclkc. Branding Bar Menu U. Office of Head Start. Click to expand menu.

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